Transcriber: sepsa Alhaj Yousef Reviewer: Anna Sobota
Hey, do you ever walk around the city without any particular destination?
I do sometimes and I like watching how people use the spaces I pass through.
But in some places, I hardly ever see anyone.
It is mostly on streets designed for cars, deprived of social life and greenery.
And all I want is to get out of there.
How many of us would bother with such twisted places?
Without community engagement, they will end up abandoned and dead.
So, what is important to prevent voids in our cities?
There are some principles of sustainable urban planning
like appropriate density, diversity of function, human scale,
proximity to services on foot or by bike.
For us, the key to a place full of life is a community with strong social bonds.
Every user of the city should have an opportunity
to participate in designing their district.
Let’s take Breiðholt district in Reykjavik.
That place was submitted in Reinventing Cities competition
with main issue of alienated spaces.
The goal was to reimagine sustainable
and inclusive ways of shaping neighbourhood.
In response to the competition, we propose two universal solutions
that depending on cultural conditions can be adapted globally.
The first one is public engagement platform and mobile app
designed for city authorities, social organisations,
scientists, business owners and finally,
residents who want to have an impact on their neighbourhoods.
It could be used for discussions, spreading ideas or voting for them.
Then, urban planners could gather feedback and fresh viewpoints in a simple way.
Why not give people a chance to improve their streetscapes?
Imagine that everyone could report demand for anything from new bus stops,
street infrastructure, comfortable urban furniture
to whatever they might dream about.
The second solution is an idea of a place with access to equipment and technology
that allows for production, education and integration.
We came up with an experimental research and science zone with Factory 4.0,
where all materials from surrounding area could be gathered available to locals
for whatever they wanted to create like objects of everyday use,
DIY projects or innovative prototypes.
Spaces for a whole range of social activities are essential
to make these ideas come true.
Giving people opportunities and appropriate tools
to shape their neighbourhood and boost community integration.
Each section can be used for services like pocket parks, parklands, playgrounds,
interactive installations.
Some will be dedicated to experiments,
to test new ideas before implementing them into city structures.
And the rest is up to the users.
Just think that you can create an art installation you’ve always dreamed of!
Place it somewhere in the city.
Get feedback through the app.
Then publish this project in a special base
and allow others to reproduce it or update it.
Then, someone takes a photo of it and shows it through the net.
By spreading impressions and attracting other visitors, it promotes tourism.
Such experimental city plannings bring ideal conditions for creating startups.
Business owners could use laboratories and workshops in Factory 4.0
for testing, producing and implementing their ideas.
And even kids will have a voice in urban planning
using their imagination to create interactive games
or playground components.
All of this brings the opportunity to share our diverse perceptions,
leave many stories behind and rethink cities together.
Engaged communities are the main factor
in creating thriving neighbourhood and cities of the future.
Without them,
they will be just empty bedrooms, alienated and lifeless concrete deserts.
So let’s do it together!
It’s all about the joy of creating!
As Jan Gehl said,
“A good city is like a good party. People don’t want to leave early.”