Omega Resilience Awards’ Post

Monocle | Ana Kinsella On why finding better ways for humans to live alongside each other should be at the heart of urbanism – even if, judging by some ideas…at play…we haven’t learnt from the past. https://lnkd.in/gNHy5Qbb The Line promises residents everything they will need within a five-minute walk. The most unusual aspect of this take on the complete community? This walk never takes you along a street. The Line instead has a rather unromantically named ‘pedestrian layer’… There’s much to be said for the street as the connective fibre of a good, functional city. It is the way we access our homes, offices, work, coffee shops, theatres, parks, markets and all the timeless pleasures of urban life that have existed for millennia. Streets are also democratic spaces that belong to the public. Money, class and status mean little to those sharing a pavement or waiting patiently to cross the road. They are places where we perform our shared citizenship, build social capital and feel like we are part of something bigger. It is harder to simulate this in an air-conditioned pod. Another factor that makes streets special is that everyone has a right to be there… If you want to know what cities of the future should look like then planners should consider what tempted people to them in the first place. #SDGs #HybridWorkplace #WFH #WFA #WalkableUrbanism #20MinuteNeighbourhoods #TimelessUrbanism #IMBY #ADU #EBikes

🚦 **Redesigning Streets for Safer Cities** 🚶♂️🚴♀️🚗 Every year, approximately 150,000 lives are lost on Indian roads — that's 18 deaths every hour. But what if **small changes** in street design could make a **big difference** in road safety? In the latest blog on **#TheCityFix**, *"6 Elements to Make Streets #SaferByDesign,"* we explore how minimal interventions can have maximum impact on road safety. Here are some critical design elements to consider: ‣ **Speed-Calming Measures** 🛑: Features like speed bumps and raised intersections slow down traffic, making streets safer for everyone. ‣ **Clear Pedestrian Crossings** 🚶🏽♀️🚶🏿: Well-marked crosswalks give pedestrians the visibility and priority they deserve. ‣ **Universal Accessibility Features** 🚉: Streets should be designed for everyone, including ramps and tactile paving for inclusivity. ‣ **Effective Road Markings and Signs** 🚸: Clear road markings guide traffic and ensure safety for all road users. It's time we rethink urban design to prioritize safety for **pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists** alike. Let’s create cities that are not only functional but safe and inclusive. 📝 **Read the full blog** from WRI India and discover more ways we can create safer, more inclusive cities through smart urban design: [https://lnkd.in/eQsAbR-k) #SaferStreets #UrbanPlanning #RoadSafety #SustainableCities #SmartDesign

This guidebook serves as a vital resource for anyone passionate about shaping cities, particularly in the context of Indian urban environments. 🔍 Key Highlights: Focus: Decoding Tactical Urbanism for Indian cities Versatility: Applicable across diverse local contexts Audience: Relevant for citizens, experts, and urban local bodies Case Studies: Insights from real-life projects across Indian cities Thematic Areas: Explores five intervention themes for streets and public spaces 📘 Why It Matters: Tactical Urbanism is not just a trend but a transformative approach to city planning. It empowers communities and stakeholders to make immediate, low-cost improvements to public spaces, fostering vibrant and inclusive urban environments.

At TUA, we often get asked to explain the buzzwords and technical terms used in Planning and Urban Design, and felt an official glossary was in need! For example: Walkability – The ability to safely walk to services and amenities within a reasonable distance of the home. ‘15-minute city’- A concept in urban planning where all the basic things a resident needs (shops, parks, health care, schools, etc) can be accessed within 15 minutes on foot or on other micromobility (e.g. bikes and scooters). We hope these definitions are useful - you can read our whole Urban Terms Glossary here: https://lnkd.in/gmgNrjDv (Our housing glossary is incoming... watch this space!) #Urbanists #Urbanism #Walkability #15MinuteCities

Help NIMBYs and YIMBYs meet halfway 1/2 : Small Lots Socially, a large-scale development is less acceptable and less valuable. It forces a large change on the physical if not the social or economic character of a neighbourhood. But more importantly, a large-scale development prevents the kind of incremental, fine-grained, mixed-use urbanism that makes neighbourhoods vibrant and resilient. Accordingly, break up large lots (left image) into smaller lots (right image), alleys and streets for multiple small projects instead of a single large winner-takes-all project. The neighbourhood may take longer to develop but it will develop more harmoniously and generate more aggregate value for a longer time. See my current profile background pic for a stunning illustration of this idea by Jenny Bevan. #NIMBY #YIMBY #scale #urbanism #resilience #MixedUse #UrbanValue #SustainableDevelopment (follow-up to https://lnkd.in/eEgHuFBM) 2/2 to follow

Framing Walkability as a Right, not a Privilege Every now & then it comes up in dialogues we see or discussions we are in- the idea of walkability as a ‘privilege’. From the beginning @pedestrianspace, we have asserted #walkability as a right in urban environments. We truly believe that. We also understand that in many communities across the world, walkable environments might be interpreted as ‘for the privileged’ as it is prioritized in some communities but not others. But we have also seen many real-life examples of walkability being prioritized as a common sense feature of urban planning & developed with the sense of spatial equity that is crucial for truly inclusive walkable urbanism across neighborhoods. Our ability to move through our towns & cities by foot is not a privilege to earn. It is a right to advocate for, demand & for those of us working in diverse ways with cities- to help make happen. Physically, spatially, psychologically & culturally. Greetings from the Path, Annika 👣 Pedestrian Space #urbanism #urbanplanning #spatialequity

This idea gets a lot of hate for various reasons (as evidenced by the replies to Ed's post), but I've long believed that new cities should be a tool in the toolkit for urban planning and housing affordability. Below are just a few reasons why, though I'd encourage folks to read the linked article as well. First, we're already building new cities every day — they're just homogenous car-oriented suburbs. The most likely outcome of opposing a city intentionally built to be walkable is not that we build more walkable communities in existing cities, but that we continue building more sprawl. People understand this when talking about opposition to infill housing, and the same logic applies here. Second, we need more examples that existing/legacy cities can learn from, and that pressure them to adapt and evolve. Would it be better for places like Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and New York to build more and denser housing and make better use of existing infrastructure? Absolutely, and at least some cities are moving in that direction. But these places are in such high demand that there's really no risk of them suddenly depopulating (beyond that caused by shrinking household sizes) even if they fail to change. They need competition, and I see very little evidence that the cities we've already got feel the need to compete. Will this effort succeed? I don't know; the track record on this kind of thing isn't good. But could it change how people think about cities to an extent that a similar investment in an established city never could? Could it reveal a different model to the national homebuilders who every year develop tens of thousands of detached homes in sprawling and unsustainable communities? I think it's possible, and worth a shot. If you identify as a YIMBY, or just someone who believes in the positive things that cities have to offer — especially dense, walkable, transit-oriented cities — then I'd ask you to consider how opposing this effort is all that different from the person who says "I support more housing, but..." There's always a reason to be skeptical, and always reasons a project or idea doesn't conform perfectly to our vision. My view, as always, is that we need a "yes, and" approach to housing. "No, but" is how we got into this mess in the first place. Those of us working to improve existing cities will continue our work; this is no threat. If California Forever gets off the ground and succeeds, it'll be further evidence of the unsatisfied demand for true urban living in America, and it'll relieve a bit of pressure elsewhere. If it fails, it will help show that there are no shortcuts or cheat codes, and that building better cities starts at home. Either way, I'm glad someone's trying.

Mannheim in Germany has a pretty interesting street naming system. The city doesn't use street names. https://lnkd.in/ewJg_i5n #parks #parkandrec #publicspace #publicspaces #urbanization #placemaking #ciyplanning #urbanplanning #proramming #cities #urbanism #germany #mannheim #streetnames #namingconvention #streets #address #addresses 

What are the benefits of attractive streetscapes and urban spaces? Joe Corbett-Davies delves into the economic evidence behind our vibrant urban spaces. From boosting local economies to enhancing transport efficiency, explore Joe's insights on the value of attractive streetscapes. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dkQcijGB #inspirepositivechange #abley #streetscapes

The 5-Minute Neighborhood, 15-Minute City, and 20-Minute Suburb ++ "That measurement of time in which someone is more likely to walk or bike rather than drive a car to an errand has been the subject of much discussion among urbanists. Thirty years ago the New Urbanism first proposed a neighborhood of a quarter-mile radius. The five-minute walk “pedestrian shed” became the basis for an alternative to suburban sprawl by proposing a walkable scale (120-160 acres) for building or rebuilding community and a sense of place." read more at https://lnkd.in/e2r2E-f7.