The pandemic has caused us to reassess ourselves, the lives we lead, and our impact on the world around us. Now, that introspective contemplation is filtering through to the urban realm. Now we are at an inflection point and can choose to build something better, more social, more soulful, and more regenerative.
As a reflection of a society and its values, neighbourhoods, and communities demonstrate the beauty of democracy in action. They reveal dysfunctional systems, implicit and explicit structures of power, and socio-economic disparities.
A path cleared by the pandemic shows that dynamic urban solutions, regenerative designs, and ecological systems are emerging. Bettering both our people and our planet, they bring forward self-sufficient cities that promote resilience.
Key to this is an investment in the upgrade of critical infrastructure, including housing, transit, water, energy, healthcare, smart city solutions, natural assets protection, and the reduction of our carbon footprint. While short-term the priority is economic recovery, these measures will enable more effective management of future situations, be they natural or biomedical. In the mid and long-term, the priorities will shift to protect and promote sustainable growth and opportunities for all.
Recovery will come with a levelling out of the economic base to allow for greater, more accessible job creation, education, healthcare, homeownership, mass transit, alternative modes of transportation, and environmental protection.
In the year to come, definition around new metrics will help guide decision-making toward these ambitions, with insights offered into the evolution of ecosystems and their interaction with people. From happiness to cleanliness, the built environment’s success will be valued differently by environmental and social performance muscles alongside alongside commercial.
SUSTAINABLE URBANISATION
It has been forecast that urban areas across the world will have expanded by more than 2.5 billion people by 2050. By 2119, it is only through re-establishing contact with the natural world, particularly trees, that cities will be able to function, be viable and support their populations.
“We should think of the city as a living organism – with its parks and green spaces acting as lungs that give it life, with Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) serving as the connecting arteries,” says Jorge Beroiz, director in CallisonRTKL’s London office.
This model also sees all needs met within walking distance of public transport. Known as the ‘15-minute city’, this brings a mix of residential, business, leisure, and open green space in closer proximity to cultivate thriving neighbourhoods with strong local identities.
“It is about the right management and curation of spaces and places – we’re planning and designing the hardware, while the software is the life and soul of the place,” says Beroiz.
Appreciation for open space grew during the pandemic, with green areas becoming key to our well-being, and sense of self. Now, more than ever, accessible public open spaces are being considered essential infrastructure, where environmental benefits meet public health, ultimately creating places that allow us to come together as a community.
ESG – MAKING IT MEASURABLE AND INVESTABLE
Investing in firms with a better record on social issues pays. Investment funds tracking the performance of companies with better ratings on ESG issues lost less money than those including worse performers in 94% of cases during the crisis, according to an analysis by BlackRock, the US investment manager handling £5.3tn in assets at the end of March 2020.
Many are looking for guidance and support to achieve ESG aspirations, making assets “Paris proof,” overriding short-term political and economic concerns.
“If you focus on making a great place, something that helps people and has relevance and nuance, the rest of the mechanics become easier,” says Federica Buricco, Associate at CallisonRTKL’s London office.
Federica adds: “We must also consider affordability, prioritising investment in basic infrastructure for lower and mid-income citizens, aligned with balanced mixed-tenure housing for all income levels to try and reduce social disparity.”
MIXED USE AND INCREASED OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY
Ensuring we have the right sustainable materials at our disposal is one thing, however “above all, we must consider the bigger picture and how new developments fit into their landscape. There is little point in creating ultra-sustainable buildings if everyone that uses them drives there in thirsty fuel-burning cars. As a result, the adoption of transit-oriented design, which seeks to maximise the mix of residential, business, and leisure space within short walking distance of public transport will be vital to the success of our places going forwards,” says Jorge.
We must also rethink the historical nature of ‘zoning’ our cities. COVID-19 has shown that without the support of office worker communities, our financial districts suffer, as do all the periphery businesses – the market for shops, restaurants, and bars drops away. A more holistic, mixed-use approach to urban design would counteract this and lower the risk. In particular, creating a localised ecosystem that sustains itself and operates more like a circular economy should be the aim. Just as homes bring residents and hotels bring guests, each of these, in turn, provide a ready-made audience to surrounding amenities.
The blending of uses must also be central to future thinking. Buildings can and should have more than one use dependent on the time of day; a yoga studio during the morning, a café during the day, and an auditorium for performances at night. One asset, utilised flexibly, catering for a range of users.
“The world is adapting to flexible ways of living and working, with the lines between all sectors blurring, as blended spaces become the norm and real estate transforms into a service industry that is more responsive and resilient” adds Federica.
Repurposing existing assets should be addressed for the next normal. With adaptive reuse, cities will work with what they have, complementing it with new buildings and structures as required, while not losing sight of our changing world and how we use our spaces today. That is how London and other key cities can ensure their sustainable future.
Originally published in Planning in London here