âIf we tap on sources like big data and so on, these can become part of the ... Hurricane Sandy revealed the importanc
BETTER CITIES Your monthly update from the Centre for Liveable Cities
Issue 75 March 2017
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Retrofitting Resilience: Lessons from New York City “Big things... can come from small groups of people.”
— Professor Alexandros Washburn, former Chief Urban Designer for New York City
Hurricane Sandy revealed the importance of social resilience for both cities and citizens. Since the natural disaster in 2012, community members in New York have been working independently on pre-emptive solutions, such as a flood control system. Following the Dutch model, the community has been exploring the use of polders to house the flood control system, a strategy that could finance itself through additional land and building rights. Other resilience measures that have been undertaken include ways to ensure public wifi networks will be available in times of need. These were some of the ground-up social resilience efforts captured in Professor Alexandros Washburn’s lecture on Planning for Liveable and Resilient Cities: Lessons from New York City.
Future-Proof: Experimental urban solutions in Singapore “If we tap on sources like big data and so on, these can become part of the architectural and urban design proposition that we make for Singapore and beyond in the future” — Professor Thomas Schroepfer, Associate Head of Pillar, Architecture and
Sustainable Design, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)
Innovative test-bedding is paving the way for liveable and sustainable urban solutions in Singapore. Projects such as WOHA’s SkyVille housing project and SUTD’s adaptable exhibition pavilion give us a glimpse of the city’s potential to become more sustainable, liveable and self-sufficient; while Kampung Admiralty, also designed by WOHA, combines social spaces for the elderly with childcare facilities, allowing both groups to interact and mutually support one another to improve the quality of life in the neighbourhood. Advancements in technology are also creating new opportunities for urban design. The use of new computational design methods by SUTD is enabling designers to adjust easily to environmental conditions. Its pavilion at the Future of
Us exhibition was an example of an environmentally adaptive structure that was built with precision and resource efficiency without sacrificing aesthetics. Learn more about test-bedding urban solutions from Richard Hassell and Thomas Schroepfer in the report on Urban Innovations in the City.
Big ideas from the Cities Roundtable “Where do cars go [after pedestrianisation]? I think I asked the same question of George Street and Oxford Street. And they said, cars will find their own way, buses will be rerouted. It can be done. I think it is the vision and imagination and that form of thinking that is going to reinvent these cities.” — Michael Koh, Fellow, Centre for Liveable Cities Cities Roundtable 2017 explored big ideas for building a liveable city. For instance, after studying international examples of successful shopping streets, CLC researchers reimagined Orchard Road as a pedestrianised shopping street. The proposal envisions pedestrianisation as a strategy to enhance social ecosystems, which would, in turn, offer rich experiences to visitors. Other big ideas at the Roundtable included using computer-aided design and digital fabrication to revolutionise the construction industry, and cultivating a community of elderly horticultural enthusiasts to increase well-being. Explore big ideas from urban experts in Building a Liveable City: Cities Roundtable Report 2017.
Going Car-Lite: Community engagement with courage and creativity
“[W]hy not play, experience and demonstrate an urban mobility future in a real city, with real people, in real time?” — Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, Creative Director of The Urban Idea Community engagement and a dash of courage and creativity could transform a car-centric city into a car-lite city. Recognising that it is difficult to imagine a shift away from a car-centric transportation system, the Ecomobility World Festival transforms a neighbourhood into a car-lite zone for a month. Using elements of play and experience, the festival imaginatively converted streets from a car-only space into a concert space, street-food experience and a huge water slide. Since its inception, two festivals have been held, in Suwon, South Korea in 2013 and Johannesburg, South Africa in 2015. Prior to the festivals, there was resistance in each city. Local communities were concerned that their routines would be affected without the use of private cars, while business owners were concerned that cars and customers would not be able to access their premises. Working with civil groups and city officials, extensive community engagement exercises, involving workshops, public assemblies, multi-media campaigns and house visits, were conducted. Much of the resistance melted away after the festival kicked off. Many business owners saw the benefits in having more foot traffic and having alternative delivery modes, such as an electric shuttle service in Suwon, and residents were able to find alternative modes of transport and enjoy the month-long festivities. A third festival is slated for Kaohsiung, Taiwan in October 2017. CLC Visiting Fellow Konrad Otto-Zimmermann writes about the community engagement strategies used in the Ecomobility World Festivals.
Capability development for the neighbourhood
Citizens are engaged with their communities when they have a meaningful role in the decisionmaking and implementation processes of projects that impact their lives. Seoul’s community planning programmes emphasise capability building among community volunteers, to equip them with skills to self-organise, communicate and garner consensus with their fellow neighbours. The neighbourhood-level (known as Dong) community planning programme, for example, has five training sessions of two to three hours each for the resident volunteers to help other residents learn about communication and leadership skills, as well as understand their respective communities better through surveys and mapping exercises. The neighbourhood of Banghak 3 Dong has successfully encouraged community ownership through the community power station. One important success factor for Banghak-3 Dong was having champions like local government officers who were active in community engagement efforts. The local leader in Banghak-3 Dong personally hand-wrote letters to residents to encourage them to participate in the town planning and activities. Learn more about CLC’s visit to Seoul as part of a collaborative research project with the Seoul Institute on community planning and rejuvenation.
CLC Interview: Alexandros Washburn
“For too long we have been looking at the city through the windshield. Think now, if you look through the lens of a person at eye level, at the sidewalk, you re-order the elements of the city around that perspective.”
— Professor Alexandros Washburn, Stevens Institute of Technology
CLC interview: Henk Ovink
“The future is all about complex issues. You have to face complex issues with complexity, don’t diminish complexity.” — Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, the Netherlands
Professor Alexandros Washburn talks to CLC Deputy Director Dinesh Naidu about urban design, resilience and gentrification.
Urban Solutions Issue #10: Living with Diversity
Water expert Henk Ovink discusses water, resilience and collaboration.
Prospering together
( N O W AVA I L A B L E I N E P U B)
Lifelong learning for seniors, by seniors
With seniors receiving better education, “retirement” no longer means the end of a person’s active contributions to the economy and community. As Tianjin’s University for the Elderly shows, seniors still have much to learn and to teach. Read more in the case study on Tianjin by CLC researcher Tan Guan Hong.
Cities with large migrant populations have shown that they can achieve shared prosperity and economic growth when they embrace and integrate newcomers. The Cities of Migration programme has been collecting case studies from around the world to showcase innovative and practical solutions so that other cities can adapt and replicate these good integration ideas. Read more about immigration in an essay by Ratna Omidvar, a Canadian Senator who is Founding Executive Director and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Global Diversity Exchange.
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