Streets must be reclaimed as vibrant public places, where urban life happens, rather than car conduits or parking lots.
Streets must be reclaimed as vibrant public places, where urban life happens, rather than car conduits or parking lots.
Decarbonizing how buildings are designed, constructed, and operated is a sea change that is already altering professional principles and practices.
Any smart initiative must improve quality of life, equity and inclusion, not merely gather data or cut costs. All city sizes and budgets can get ‘smarter’ with high‑, low‑ or even no‑tech solutions.
As storms become more intense and unpredictable, our infrastructure must adapt. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) manages runoff naturally, reducing the physical damage, health effects, and restoration costs of flooding. As the largest natural spaces in cities, parks hold great potential for GSI, but often go underutilized due to various challenges. Building GSI in parks can…
At a time of increasing loneliness and mistrust, as well as rising economic uncertainty since the global pandemic, public space provides a unique opportunity to address both challenges at once.
Key Takeaways
⇢ Both natural and urban destinations suffer degradation when visitor numbers exceed the capacity of their core assets, i.e., ecosystems in nature and local way of life in cities.
⇢ Overtourism leads to housing displacement (Airbnb conversion), public‑realm crowding (streets, transport), amenity strain (water, energy, green space) and loss of social cohesion.
⇢ Visitors can mitigate…
Key Takeaways
⇢ Cycling symbolizes autonomy, health and sustainability, but its rise depended on
systemic shifts in street design and social norms—not on bikes alone.
⇢ Transitions demand holistic, multi‑level strategies that integrate infrastructure,
behaviour change, policy, culture, and institutions.
⇢ Decisions about which uses, users and values streets prioritize reflect and
reinforce power relations—visible (“who sets lanes?”) and hidden (“whose…
Key Takeaways
⇢ Designing for delight—playful “snot-and-drool” moments—makes places memorable and adored.
⇢ Embody kindness in design: small gestures of care ripple into broader social solidarity.
⇢ While individual “first acts” (unpaved road, treehouse, school garden) spark momentum, sustainable placemaking requires collective ownership and iteration.
Summary
a. Low-Cost, Rapid Pilots:
○ Simple interventions, such as movable chairs, hammocks, and…
Key Takeaways North Vancouver’s ambition is to become the “healthiest small city in the world” by placing public health at the center of urban planning and design.
The city’s vision is rooted in the idea that every decision should be evaluated based on its impact on physical, mental, and social health.
The approach…
Key Takeaways The stark differences in life expectancy and health outcomes across neighbourhoods result from systemic urban planning decisions.
Everyone—policymakers, planners, architects, and residents—has a role in ensuring that cities are designed for health and well-being.
The key question to ask before any project is: ‘Who benefits, and who is hurting?’. …