By: Brittany Bearden
The world is changing, and with it, so must cities. Our current cities as they exist today are not equipped to address rising concerns of density, affordability, sustainability, and even overall livability.
This sets the stage for an exciting new period of urban development and planning, but with the opportunity for innovation comes challenges that require creative solutions. Companies like ERA-co are at the forefront of this space, working to develop inventive systems for smart cities and educating the public on what the future of urban landscapes can look like.
Today’s Urban Planning Challenges
Rapid urbanization is taking place across the globe, and is fundamentally reshaping the way we approach city planning. According to the projected research, over two-thirds of the human population will live in cities by 2050. This means that an additional 2.5 billion people will be moving into urban centers, raising the total number of people in already large cities to unprecedented heights.
However, the world’s cities — as they are currently designed — are simply not prepared for this to happen, and will soon face enormous challenges in infrastructure ranging from transportation to clean water access. Keeping up with these developments will also come with a high price tag.
But it’s not only the numbers that are changing; peoples’ priorities and attitudes towards sustainable living are, as well. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important as information spreads about the impending dangers of climate change. When preparing for the future, urban planners need to consider pollution and energy usage and discover effective ways to preserve the environment.
Furthermore, the global COVID-19 pandemic has left a significant impact on lifestyle, changing people’s perspectives about cities. With an increased drive toward working from home, pervasive loneliness spurring an increased appreciation and desire for community connection and belonging, and curiosity about concepts such as greener spaces or even car-free zones, the idea of “placemaking” has come increasingly into play.
What Is Placemaking?
As defined by the Congress for the New Urbanism, “Placemaking is the process of creating quality places that people want to live, work, play, and learn in.” This collaborative process requires participation from community members, businesses, and governments to develop public spaces that align with the goals and needs of the residents.
This is where ERA-co’s expertise comes in. Atakan Guven, the company’s head of urban analytics, describes their work as “planning, designing, and creating safe, enjoyable, and inclusive spaces where everyone can feel right at home.”
Placemaking can include numerous actions, from adapting and improving preexisting spaces and infrastructure, to increasing the number of pedestrian- and bike-only streets, to building new gathering spaces such as public gardens, squares, or parks. It can also involve encouraging the production of local art, architecture, and other forms of expression that can reflect the stories and experiences of the people who live in the community.
Creative placemaking has the potential to bring countless benefits to cities, such as community-building, increased social interaction and sense of belonging, higher property values, improved health, and more. As Atakan Guven steadfastly believes, “Strong placemaking strategies hold the ability to advance humanity in transformative ways.”
Innovative Methods and Solutions
ERA-co uses the concept of placemaking to guide them in their mission, but practically, how do these aspirations come to fruition? ERA-co has implemented several innovative initiatives to address the problems facing cities in the 21st century and steer urban planning in a direction that benefits everyone.
ERA-co works with clients to move toward the implementation of smarter cities. Essentially, this means that local governments and urban developers will optimize city operations using the broad range of information and real-time data available to them through technology. This concept goes hand-in-hand with placemaking, as it allows cities to adjust to the pressing needs of the public and focus more on sustainable and environmental planning. ERA-co employs a multidisciplinary research team to conduct in-depth urban analyses, which examine demographics, psychographics, land use, spatial networks, and many other areas.
One incredibly pertinent issue is the mobility of people. By increasing the use of ride-share services, making transit more widespread and convenient, and promoting the use of e-bikes, cities can all at once reduce traffic congestion. Furthermore, they will be able to better mitigate negative impacts on the environment, as well as improve the health (and finances) of residents by encouraging them to walk and bike more.
In its report “Streets Ahead: A New State of Wellness,” ERA-co outlined what limiting the number of cars in Sydney could do for the city. Their recommendation was to eliminate smaller community streets while maintaining the larger, connective roads. In place of the community streets, gardens, parks, playgrounds, and other community gathering spaces could be established. The report outlined various potential benefits, including decreased household costs from the removal of a significant number of cars and the planting of many new trees.
Beyond cutting costs, ERA-co understands that human interaction is of utmost importance. No matter how advanced technology becomes, humans are social beings that want to feel like they belong somewhere, which is why ERA-co focuses on human-centric approaches.
“With each of our clients, even before we ask them where they believe streets should be routed or where amenities like benches should be placed, we start by asking them how they want locals to feel about these changes,” Atakan Guven says. Working backward in this way allows ERA-co to implement designs that tell stories and provide communities with a strong, inclusive identity.
Looking to the future, if we implement these strategies and solutions, our urban systems could undergo a profound transformation. Following ERA-co’s example of leveraging technology and data-driven insights to create smarter cities, urban centers can become more adaptive and resilient places where sustainability is an integral part of the design process, and where technology serves the people — rather than the other way around.
Published by: Nelly Chavez
