tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/public-space-10653/articlesPublic space – The Conversation2024-01-10T17:17:49Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2204562024-01-10T17:17:49Z2024-01-10T17:17:49ZHealthy cities aren’t a question of boring or exciting buildings but about creating better public space<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568630/original/file-20240110-27-hhywf8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Interstate 5 near downtown San Diego, US.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/aerial-view-on-concrete-road-8Nn49K7Snow">Abraham Barrera|Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The US developers of a 300ft glowing orb, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/09/developer-las-vegas-style-sphere-east-london-withdraws-plans">set to be built</a> in the middle of Stratford, east London, and accommodate upwards of 21,500 concert goers, have withdrawn their planning application. </p>
<p>Las Vegas, in the US, already boasts one such venue, known as Sphere. Citing its “extreme” disappointment at London residents not similarly benefiting from what a spokesperson said was its “groundbreaking technology and the thousands of well-paying jobs it would have created”, Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSG) has decided the British capital is not one of the forward-thinking cities it aims to work with.</p>
<p>Campaigners have responded with glee, not least because, in response to concerns over the proposed structure’s potential noise and light pollution, developers had initially suggested they invest in blackout curtains. “Residents would be served far better by building social housing on the site,” a representative for Stop MSG Sphere London <a href="https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/campaigners-call-for-rejected-msg-sphere-site-to-be-turned-into-social-housing-84023#:%7E:text=London%20mayor%20Sadiq%20Khan%20ruled,negative%20impact%20on%20local%20residents%E2%80%9D.">reportedly said</a>. </p>
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<p>Quite how a city both caters to its residents’ needs and sustains its economy is an enduring debate. The tension is between innovation aimed at boosting investment (in this instance, in the entertainment industry) and what urban geographer <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/917-waste-and-the-city">Colin McFarlne</a> terms the “right to citylife”. </p>
<p>Projects like the Sphere sit on one extreme end of what gets built in a city. The British designer Thomas Heatherwick recently highlighted what he sees as another extreme, though no less harmful: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/oct/19/demand-interestingness-thomas-heatherwick-rails-against-boring-buildings">“boring buildings”</a>. </p>
<p>In his new book, Humanise – a Maker’s Guide to Building Our world, Heatherwick <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/312740/humanise-by-heatherwick-thomas/9780241389799">says</a> “bland architecture” causes stress, illness, loneliness, fear, division and conflict. Research shows, however, that more than individual buildings, how the city is planned as a whole variously harms or improves people’s lives. </p>
<h2>The city as a complex system</h2>
<p>The physical and social environment of any given city are just two contributing factors in the complex system that shapes residents’ wellbeing. <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(21)00047-X/fulltext">Public health research</a> has found a positive, non-linear relationship with a higher prevalence of mental health problems in more urbanised countries, particularly for anxiety disorders. </p>
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<img alt="People ice-skating outdoors in a city." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568627/original/file-20240110-25-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568627/original/file-20240110-25-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568627/original/file-20240110-25-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568627/original/file-20240110-25-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568627/original/file-20240110-25-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568627/original/file-20240110-25-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568627/original/file-20240110-25-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Copenhagen: public space is the very essence of urban life.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/people-on-ice-field-during-daytime-wCP9Mk0iisU">Brian Kyed|Unsplash</a></span>
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<p>Mental health problems now account for over a third of the total burden of disease in adolescents in urban settings. <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)02238-9/fulltext">Research</a> shows that, for young people (a significant proportion of urban populations), health and wellbeing constitute major determinants in their future life prospects. </p>
<p>In Humanise, Heatherwick ignores this complexity. The book is a collection of thoughts, ideas, visuals and reflections on the role of contemporary architecture and architects. In it, the designer suggests that the world is facing a “global epidemic of inhuman buildings” and suggests a list of what to do and what not to do to achieve the reverse: “interesting buildings”. </p>
<p>Heatherwick sees cities as collections of buildings, of architectural objects. The problem here, of course, is that the various aesthetic merits of any given structure can be endlessly debated. </p>
<p>Some of Heatherwick’s arguments (“boring places contribute to division and war”; “boring buildings help to cause climate change”) are plainly simplistic. They also beg the question of who decides what is and what isn’t interesting. </p>
<p>As examples of interesting buildings that bolster people’s wellbeing, he cites, among others, the <a href="https://www.archdaily.com/363164/parkroyal-on-pickering-woha-2">Parkroyal Collection hotel in Singapore</a> and the <a href="https://www.ribaj.com/buildings/edgewood-mews-housing-london-north-circular-road-peter-barber-architects">Edgewood Mews housing project</a> in Finchley, north London for their generosity. </p>
<p>The first, he says, is “enthusiastic to share its wonder with everyone” and the second offers “more than minimum to the world”. </p>
<p>To me, though, these are extravagant architectural statements of capitalist power (the Singaporean hotel) and an over-designed fortress building (London’s Edgewood housing project).</p>
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<img alt="An overhead view of greenery in a city next to a road." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568626/original/file-20240110-15-tzarot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568626/original/file-20240110-15-tzarot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568626/original/file-20240110-15-tzarot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568626/original/file-20240110-15-tzarot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568626/original/file-20240110-15-tzarot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568626/original/file-20240110-15-tzarot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568626/original/file-20240110-15-tzarot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Singapore’s Parkroyal Collection hotel.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/aerial-view-of-cars-on-road-RG7jGL8wkCs">Meric Dagli/Unsplash</a></span>
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<h2>Recognising the importance of public space in cities</h2>
<p>In the early 1900s, the German sociologist and philosopher, Georg Simmel, <a href="https://www.blackwellpublishing.com/content/bpl_images/content_store/sample_chapter/0631225137/bridge.pdf">hailed</a> the advent of a new urban condition. Compared to rural life, he said, the metropolis made people more individualistic, prioritised capitalist modes of production and intensified sensory exposure. As a result, he said: “Instead of reacting emotionally, the metropolitan type reacts primarily in a rational manner”. City dwellers were, Simmel said, less sensitive and further removed from “the depths of personality”.</p>
<p>Mid-20th century architects and planners further explored the socio-psychological damage wrought by urban expansion in the post-war era. In his 1971 book, <a href="https://www.udg.org.uk/publications/udlibrary/life-between-buildings-using-public-space">Life Between Buildings</a>, Danish architect and urban planner Jan Gehl underlined how, more than architecture, urban space itself had the potential to either harm or affirm social interactions. </p>
<p>The capitalist logic underpinning modernist urban planning was harming residents. More and more people were living in high-rise buildings. Open, green spaces were commodified. Private transport was prioritised. Gehl thought it was precisely in these daily situations, where people move between home and work and play, that cities should both “function and provide enjoyment”. </p>
<p>In over-emphasising the design of exciting buildings, Heatherwick overlooks this: that it is between and around buildings that you find the essence of urban life. </p>
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<span class="caption">Architectural objects in themselves cannot tackle the issues city residents face.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/aerial-view-photography-of-building-zaxoaZVazCs">Ricardo Gomez Angel|Unsplash</a></span>
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<p><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Towards_Cosmopolis.html?id=GzdsRAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y">Research shows</a> that urban policies have evolved since the 1970s, largely to try to shape cities for the better and to ensure better accessibility, better quality and diversity of housing, open spaces, more reliable infrastructure and more robust services. </p>
<p>After joining the World Health Organisation’s <a href="https://www.who.int/europe/groups/who-european-healthy-cities-network">healthy cities initiative</a> in 1987, Copenhagen developed a holistic urban policy. This included walkable streets, public transportation, diverse housing opportunities, more pointed social policies around ideas of community and using taxation to encourage smoking control. Nearly four decades on, the Danish capital <a href="https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/file/1f3e2ab5-70f8-4a9a-85e6-6c9fda88a426/1/s11524-023-00798-9.pdf">continues to be upheld</a> as one of the world’s healthiest cities. </p>
<p>However “good” or “interesting” architecture might be, it cannot tackle poverty, social exclusion and public health on its own. But even <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(23)00125-6/fulltext">high-rise buildings</a> can make a difference to people’s lives if they’re well designed and well regulated. How the built environment is shaped as a whole is crucial.</p>
<p>In denying MSG planning permission for a London Sphere, city authorities have prioritised residents’ concerns over private investment. Everyone benefits from public space and infrastructure being seen as public goods, not commodities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220456/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Haim Yacobi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>From lit-up orbs to bland office blocks, cities are full of buildings that people do or do not like. What really shapes how they live – for better or for worse – is urban planning.Haim Yacobi, Professor of Development Planning, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2201812024-01-05T13:46:13Z2024-01-05T13:46:13ZThe US invented shopping malls, but China is writing their next chapter<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567756/original/file-20240103-29-8zgelg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=32%2C0%2C5449%2C3641&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People walk under a light projection at a shopping mall in Beijing. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-walk-under-a-light-projection-at-a-shopping-mall-in-news-photo/1782952230">(Photo by Jade Gao / AFPJade Gao/AFP via Getty Images)</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>On a recent research trip to China, I wandered through the Oasis Mall in suburban Shanghai. Like many Chinese shopping centers, this complex was filled with empty stores that reflected the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-02-07/ghost-malls-in-china-s-once-teeming-megacities?embedded-checkout=true">end of China’s 30-year-long economic expansion</a>. But there also were surprises. </p>
<p>Along a stretch of the mall’s interior walkway, a cluster of parents and grandparents sat on chairs. They were looking through a plate glass window, watching a dozen 5- to 7-year-old girls practice ballet steps, carefully following their teacher’s choreography. A space initially designed for retail had been turned into a dance studio.</p>
<p>From 1990 through 2020, <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315609065/shopping-malls-public-space-modern-china-nicholas-jewell">large, shiny shopping malls</a> embodied China’s spectacular economic growth. They sprouted in cities large and small to meet consumer demand from an emerging middle class that was keen to express its newfound affluence. These centers look familiar to American eyes, which isn’t surprising: U.S. architectural firms <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2023.2182639">built 170 malls in China during this period</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567757/original/file-20240103-15-n9ojl6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A curved modern building labeled Oasis, with towers in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567757/original/file-20240103-15-n9ojl6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567757/original/file-20240103-15-n9ojl6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=232&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567757/original/file-20240103-15-n9ojl6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=232&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567757/original/file-20240103-15-n9ojl6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=232&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567757/original/file-20240103-15-n9ojl6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567757/original/file-20240103-15-n9ojl6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567757/original/file-20240103-15-n9ojl6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The Oasis (blue building) is one of some 6,700 shopping malls in Chinese cities. Hundreds of new centers open yearly.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Rennie Short</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>Like their <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shopping-mall-rise-fall-timeline-1950s-to-today-2023-1">U.S. counterparts</a>, many Chinese malls have fallen on hard times. The COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of online shopping have devastated foot traffic, leaving the nation with a huge overhang of retail space. But many Chinese malls are being re-imagined by owners and users as palaces of experience – civic areas for communities to meet and interact, with new configurations of public and private space. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=oMPNYhQAAAAJ&hl=en">longtime urban policy scholar</a>, I was fascinated by the new uses I saw for malls in China. In my view, these experiments could become models for new, creative uses of retail space in the U.S., where the mall was invented. </p>
<h2>Serving a new consumer class</h2>
<p>China <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/books/how-china-opened-its-door/">opened up to foreign trade and investment</a> less than 50 years ago. Since then, it has become the <a href="https://www.forbesindia.com/article/explainers/top-10-largest-economies-in-the-world/86159/1">world’s second-largest economy</a>, surpassed only by the U.S. </p>
<p>Rising incomes and a massive population shift from rural areas to cities have created a <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/macroeconomic-insights/growth-of-china/chinese-consumer/">growing middle class</a> with significant purchasing power. GDP per capita increased <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-squandered-golden-opportunity-overtake-110000713.html">from US$293 in 1985 to $12,500 by 2021</a>. </p>
<p>Today, approximately 350 million Chinese – 25% of the total population – <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cwe.12400">can be considered middle class</a>. More recent economic growth has generated growing income inequality that now is <a href="https://sccei.fsi.stanford.edu/china-briefs/rise-wealth-private-property-and-income-inequality-china">equivalent to U.S. levels</a>.</p>
<p>Malls became a motif of modernity during the country’s economic expansion. They offered consumers year-round protection from heat, humidity, cold and frost, as well as from busy streets and polluting traffic. Malls were safe environments where the steadily increasing numbers of more affluent Chinese families could shop and eat, stroll and meet.</p>
<p>Over the past 30 years, China’s malls have <a href="https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10154812/">faced economic booms and slumps</a>. For example, the <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/new-south-china-mall">New South China Mall</a> in Dongguan – which is twice the size of Minnesota’s Mall of America, its largest U.S. counterpart – opened in 2005. But most of its 2,300 storefronts remained closed for over a decade as China <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2010/06/yueh.htm">fought off recession</a> after the 2008 world financial crisis. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">This 2013 news report takes viewers inside the then-deserted New South China Mall in Dongguan.</span></figcaption>
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<p>China weathered that downturn through <a href="https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/china-credit-expansion-unintended-consequences">aggressive economic stimulus policies</a>, and within a decade it replaced the U.S. as the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1XF218/">world’s top driver of economic growth</a>. This expansion buoyed its retail sector, including <a href="https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201901/11/WS5c380388a3106c65c34e3e65.html">shopping centers</a>. By 2018, a renovated and modernized New South China Mall was <a href="https://theculturetrip.com/asia/china/articles/worlds-biggest-shopping-mall-china-no-longer-ghost-mall">near full occupancy</a>. </p>
<p>Then COVID-19 struck in 2020. The Chinese government adopted a rigid <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/what-is-china-s-zero-covid-policy-/6854291.html">zero-COVID policy</a>, in which local governments could impose lockdowns after detecting just a few cases. Hundreds of millions of people were restricted to their homes for weeks or months at a stretch. </p>
<p>This policy was lifted only <a href="https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/no-more-lockdowns-chinas-new-covid-landscape">in late 2022</a>. China’s economy has yet to fully recover, and many experts argue that it <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/china/china-economy-debt-slowdown-recession-622a3be4">will never again reach its previous rates of growth</a>. An <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/The-Big-Story/China-s-aging-population-threatens-a-Japan-style-lost-decade">aging population</a>, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1ZF2YQ/">trade wars with the U.S.</a> and a government focused on centralizing power under the Communist Party are all acting as drags on the economy, and online shopping is drawing consumers away from stores. </p>
<p>As a result, Chinese media reports abound with stories about <a href="https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20230720A06YQI00">well-known stores</a> and <a href="https://www.jiemian.com/article/9356769.html">venerable malls</a> closing. In China, as in the U.S., what scholars once described as the “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8306.1993.tb01921.x">magic of the mall</a>” has become an “<a href="https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/the-allure-of-ruins">allure of ruins</a>.” </p>
<h2>Malls with Chinese characteristics</h2>
<p>But the Chinese are making creative use of excess mall space. New users are filling nonretail areas, such as indoor walkways and atriums that now house café tables. Others have become children’s play spaces filled with giant inflatable figures. The <a href="https://www.capitaland.com/en/find-a-property/global-property-listing/retail/raffles-city-shenzhen.html">Raffles City Mall</a> in Shenzen has a rooftop pet playground, a stage, an art display area and a sun-shaded lawn. </p>
<p>China’s informal economy of food stalls and sidewalk merchants is also filling the void. Although street vending has a long history in China, government officials sought to suppress it in recent years, calling it <a href="https://epaper.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202009/18/WS5f63fbf0a31099a2343506f3.html">unsanitary and a throwback to pre-modern times</a>. Now, however, they are encouraging it as a way to reduce growing unemployment, especially among young people, which <a href="https://theconversation.com/chinas-youth-unemployment-problem-has-become-a-crisis-we-can-no-longer-ignore-213751">currently exceeds 20%</a>. </p>
<p>During my trip, I saw small-scale entrepreneurs selling produce, street food and crafts in mall parking lots and around public entrances. The <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Pseudo-Public-Spaces-in-Chinese-Shopping-Malls-Rise-Publicness-and-Consequences/Wang/p/book/9781032177991">distinction between public and private spaces</a> is being reconfigured as vendors set up stalls in areas that once were open space. </p>
<p>Empty store spaces are also being repurposed. Some have been converted into <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-08/luxury-malls-are-the-new-car-showrooms-for-chinese-ev-makers?sref=Hjm5biAW">electric vehicle showrooms</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14702029.2022.2061750">art museums</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2022.2050675">children’s play centers</a> with dance studios, paddling pools, small skating rinks, gyms and yoga centers. Others have been redesigned as sites for art or cooking classes, or for <a href="https://thebusinessofesports.com/2021/07/02/china-opens-countrys-first-esports-themed-shopping-mall/">multiplayer electronic gaming</a> and <a href="https://franchise.sandboxvr.com/what-u-s-franchisees-can-learn-from-the-chinese-mall-experience/">virtual reality experiences</a>. The Dream Time Mall in Wuhan contains <a href="https://indoorsnownews.com/2023/03/03/wuhan-opens-indoor-snow-centre-as-part-of-worlds-new-largest-mall/">an indoor snow center</a> that offers ski lessons, ice mazes and tubing.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567752/original/file-20240103-15-8btgm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="People crowd into a curved atrium around a giant screen." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567752/original/file-20240103-15-8btgm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567752/original/file-20240103-15-8btgm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567752/original/file-20240103-15-8btgm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567752/original/file-20240103-15-8btgm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567752/original/file-20240103-15-8btgm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567752/original/file-20240103-15-8btgm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567752/original/file-20240103-15-8btgm3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People at Joy City Shopping Complex in Yantai, China, watch a live broadcast of the 2023 League of Legends world championship final on Nov. 19, 2023. League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena video game.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-gather-at-joy-city-shopping-complex-to-watch-a-giant-news-photo/1802127612">Tang Ke/VCG via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I see these experiments as a shift in the meaning of the mall. What began as a cathedral of retail consumerism is becoming a place where people can connect and enjoy individual and collective experiences that aren’t available online. </p>
<p>Some U.S. malls are <a href="https://www.retaildive.com/news/5-creative-ways-malls-are-repurposing-their-space/594580/">moving in this direction</a>, but China is doing it on a much larger scale. Just as former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping once asserted that his government was pursuing <a href="https://www.cgtn.com/how-china-works/feature/What-does-path-of-socialism-with-Chinese-characteristics-mean.html">its own version of socialism, with “Chinese characteristics</a>,” the U.S.-designed mall is being rewritten with Chinese characters.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220181/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Rennie Short does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>China has a lot of vacant retail space, including many underused shopping malls. An urban policy scholar describes how the Chinese are rethinking what the mall is for.John Rennie Short, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2165312023-11-17T03:12:35Z2023-11-17T03:12:35ZUrban planning has long ignored women’s experiences. Here are 5 ways we can make our cities safer<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557955/original/file-20231107-267416-33aa34.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C6%2C4473%2C3004&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/back-view-young-brunette-woman-going-759316678">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Women consistently raise <a href="https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/handle/10072/425309">concerns about their safety</a> when moving through their cities and communities.</p>
<p>Women <a href="https://www.standup-international.com/au/en/facts">often experience harassment</a> in the street, which can lead them to avoid areas and adjust their lifestyles to feel safe. </p>
<p>Based on our research, here are five ways we can make cities safer for women.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-lighting-alone-does-not-create-safer-cities-look-at-what-research-with-young-women-tells-us-113359">More lighting alone does not create safer cities. Look at what research with young women tells us</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>1. Don’t just invest in lighting and surveillance</h2>
<p>Underlying the desire for lighting and surveillance is women’s concern about the inappropriate (real or anticipated) <a href="https://theconversation.com/catcalls-homophobia-and-racism-we-studied-why-people-and-especially-men-engage-in-street-harassment-183717">behaviour of men</a> and young people in public places. </p>
<p>Yet <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-lighting-alone-does-not-create-safer-cities-look-at-what-research-with-young-women-tells-us-113359">emerging studies</a> reveal that strategies solely concerned with improved lighting or surveillance are not the only pathways to reducing worry or fear for women. </p>
<p>In fact, the public investment in CCTV with regard to women’s safety may do <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-cctv-footage-help-or-hinder-the-reduction-of-violence-against-women-67137">more harm than good</a>.</p>
<p>The women we surveyed recognised that young people have a right to use public places, but they also said antisocial behaviour from young men, particularly in groups, created significant apprehension, fear and avoidance of places, especially at night.</p>
<p>One participant told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think it’s mainly that drug-affected type of people. And they hang around in a bunch. And people who are affected by alcohol […] they’ll be boisterous.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558203/original/file-20231108-19-yek2cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two streetlights light up a dark, misty night" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558203/original/file-20231108-19-yek2cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558203/original/file-20231108-19-yek2cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558203/original/file-20231108-19-yek2cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558203/original/file-20231108-19-yek2cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558203/original/file-20231108-19-yek2cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558203/original/file-20231108-19-yek2cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558203/original/file-20231108-19-yek2cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Increased street lighting is not the be all and end all for making women feel safer in cities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/street-lights-misty-evening-glowing-dark-2014774082">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While CCTV can reduce property crime, it does not appear effective in addressing women’s safety or for preventing violence and assault.</p>
<p>It may also <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-create-safer-cities-for-everyone-we-need-to-avoid-security-that-threatens-93421">further exclude some members of the communtiy</a> – particularly women from diverse backgrounds.</p>
<p>Instead, <a href="https://www.monash.edu/mada/research/project/safe-spaces-understanding-and-enhancing-safety-and-inclusion-for-diverse-women">studies suggest</a> that improving safety for women requires a shift in overall strategy, moving away from short-term hardware fixes such as installing CCTV and more lighting. </p>
<h2>2. Consider the role of technology</h2>
<p>Women are keen to see digital interventions across both day and night-time. </p>
<p>They see <a href="https://theconversation.com/transport-apps-are-being-hailed-as-a-sustainable-alternative-to-driving-but-theyre-not-female-friendly-181972">real-time information for public transport</a> as vital for their confidence in public spaces. </p>
<p>When combined with well-designed <a href="https://wayfoundvictoria.vic.gov.au/what-is-wayfinding/">wayfinding</a> – such as lighting, footpaths, landscaping and signage – women said they would feel safer. </p>
<p>Increasingly, lighting and digital interactivity are being <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-05-28/we-need-more-public-space-for-teen-girls?utm_content=citylab&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic">combined in public placemaking</a> to enhance women’s safety.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-should-create-cities-for-slowing-down-75689">We should create cities for slowing down</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>3. Design spaces with women, for women</h2>
<p>Women have been denied a say in their own communities for too long.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.monash.edu/mada/research/project/safe-spaces-understanding-and-enhancing-safety-and-inclusion-for-diverse-women">co-design workshop</a> is an approach that aims to engage stakeholders with the people that will benefit from the design outcomes. In this case, it’s women.</p>
<p>Most often a co-design workshop will include high-level decision-makers, planners, designers and various user groups. </p>
<p>If done from the outset, co-design ensures the lived experiences of community members and with the issues faced by communities are factored in. </p>
<p>It’s also an inclusive, collaborative and creative method. </p>
<p>One of our survey participants said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My favourite experience in the workshop was just being able to meet all the different women who I probably wouldn’t have met without the workshop. I think just having a space like – creating a space like that is one of the first steps so that women can gather and meet.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560102/original/file-20231117-15-rfgwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman stands in front of a passing train" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560102/original/file-20231117-15-rfgwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560102/original/file-20231117-15-rfgwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560102/original/file-20231117-15-rfgwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560102/original/file-20231117-15-rfgwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560102/original/file-20231117-15-rfgwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560102/original/file-20231117-15-rfgwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560102/original/file-20231117-15-rfgwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women value live tracking of public transport to make them feel safer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-girl-passenger-longboard-standing-on-2027228648">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>4. Use ‘walking interviews’</h2>
<p>A walking interview, as opposed to a regular sit-down interview or focus group, can help communities understand what makes women feel safe.</p>
<p>This helps us develop an understanding not only of the physical nature of public places evoking concern, but also of the ways in which different women, and indeed different user groups, engage with each other in a physical place.</p>
<p>The development of <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-should-create-cities-for-slowing-down-75689">place-based strategies</a> – collaborative design to help build a sense of place – can encourage inclusion and safety for women from different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds, life stages and abilities.</p>
<p>By accompanying women on foot and discussing specific locations, we get a holistic understanding about how women move through these public places, or avoid them, and why.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-1-3-billion-for-womens-safety-in-the-budget-and-its-nowhere-near-enough-180256">There's $1.3 billion for women's safety in the budget and it's nowhere near enough</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>5. Survey the right people, with the right questions</h2>
<p>Understanding the way women perceive their communities is key to creating safer spaces.</p>
<p>Community safety surveys are particularly useful for understanding the prevalence of attitudes, sentiments and feelings at one point in time. They can then be repeated each year to track changes over time. </p>
<p>If designed well, community safety surveys can be an effective tool to understand perceptions and experiences of safety and inclusion for women from all backgrounds. </p>
<p>But the survey must be diverse and inclusive.</p>
<p>Our research, the <a href="https://www.monash.edu/mada/research/project/safe-spaces-understanding-and-enhancing-safety-and-inclusion-for-diverse-women">Safe Spaces Project</a>, set out to do just that. We surveyed more than 200 women from a variety of backgrounds.</p>
<p>By figuring out the best ways to engage with women in the research process, we can then empower councils and other community organisations to do the same. </p>
<p>We’ve done that in the form of <a href="https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/handle/10072/425310">toolkits</a>. </p>
<p>In the past couple of weeks we have had more than 400 registrations at the launch and more than 1000 downloads of the toolkits from across urban, regional and rural councils in Australia, North America, the United Kingdom, Italy and New Zealand. </p>
<p><a href="https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/handle/10072/425309">This research</a> has identified effective ways to engage with a diverse range of women. </p>
<p>To make our cities safer, we just have to listen to them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216531/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research project was funded by the Department of Justice and Community Safety, Victorian Government.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Wickes has received funding from the Australian Research Council, The Department of Justice and Community Safety and Wyndham City Council. </span></em></p>Women are most likely to feel unsafe in their cities or towns, but planning authorities have rarely listened to them. Here’s what we can do to change that.Nicole Kalms, Director, XYX Lab, and Associate Professor, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, Monash UniversityCharishma Ratnam, Research Fellow, Deakin UniversityGill Matthewson, Lecturer, Department of Design, Monash UniversityMurray Lee, Professor of Criminology, University of SydneyRebecca Wickes, Professor of Criminology, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2122172023-10-10T11:25:59Z2023-10-10T11:25:59ZBuilding on the greenbelt is central to solving the housing crisis – just look at how the edges of cities have changed<p>Amid <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/oct/08/labour-keir-starmer-new-homes-target-green-belt">new targets</a> of 1.5m new <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-67058848">homes</a> over five years, the Labour party has pledged to review the planning rules which dictate where housing in England can be built. The shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has said that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/oct/08/labour-keir-starmer-new-homes-target-green-belt">“a common-sense approach”</a> to deciding quite what land is worth protecting and what can sensibly be used to create more housing was crucial. </p>
<p>This may put Labour at odds with many Conservative politicians in the UK, who have long defended the greenbelt, the protected land that encircles the country’s largest cities, including London, Newcastle and Manchester. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’s latest long-term plans for housing <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/long-term-plan-for-housing-secretary-of-states-speech">prioritise</a> urban development of brownfield sites (abandoned or underutilised industrial land) over so-called greenbelt “erosion.”</p>
<p>The notion of “concreting over the countryside,” as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rishi-sunak-housing-plan-uk-michael-gove-b2380605.html">has put it</a>, is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/19/is-it-time-to-rethink-the-green-belt">politically loaded</a>. Yet, elements of the Conservative party itself are beginning to see that this oversimplifies the issue. As former housing minister Brandon Lewis <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66998512">has said</a> at a fringe event at the Tory conference, the concept “needs to be reviewed and changed”.</p>
<p>It no longer makes sense to prioritise the city centre over its peripheries because quite what is in the city, and what is outside it, is no longer clear. Multiple factors have seen the city extend into a continuous periphery. These include uneven urbanisation and geo-engineered landscapes, changing working patterns and locations and the perceived conflation of nature with culture. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://counterintuitivetypologies.com/Peripheries-Peripherocene">research looks at</a> how to rethink the urban-nature divide. We have found that design that focuses on <a href="https://punctumbooks.com/titles/analogical-city/">urban peripheries</a> in socially diverse and sustainable ways <a href="https://www.park-books.com/en/product/thinking-design/115">can benefit residents</a>, combat climate change and tackle the housing crisis. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A graphic showing suburban town planning." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548777/original/file-20230918-29-9wssmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548777/original/file-20230918-29-9wssmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=848&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548777/original/file-20230918-29-9wssmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=848&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548777/original/file-20230918-29-9wssmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=848&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548777/original/file-20230918-29-9wssmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1065&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548777/original/file-20230918-29-9wssmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1065&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548777/original/file-20230918-29-9wssmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1065&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Anthropocene has blurred the city’s boundaries.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joe Wojewoda | Cameron McEwan</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The politics of ‘urban sprawl’</h2>
<p>In his long-term housing policy, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove has made the connection between urban planning, aesthetic standards and climate change. He argues against what he and <a href="https://lirias.kuleuven.be/1684573?limo=0">many before</a> him have termed “urban sprawl”. Instead, making the city centre more dense, he says, will “enhance economic efficiency, free up leisure time and also help with climate change”. </p>
<p>In city planning terms, <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_698#:%7E:text=Definition,a%20defined%20unit%20of%20area.">“density”</a> refers to the degree of human activity and occupation in a defined unit of urban space. It is, of course, an important measure. Our research shows, however, that what matters most is not the numbers of people and businesses in a city, but the quality of the space in which they operate. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="Map of England's greenbelts" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551814/original/file-20231003-25-afdgj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551814/original/file-20231003-25-afdgj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=677&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551814/original/file-20231003-25-afdgj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=677&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551814/original/file-20231003-25-afdgj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=677&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551814/original/file-20231003-25-afdgj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=850&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551814/original/file-20231003-25-afdgj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=850&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551814/original/file-20231003-25-afdgj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=850&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">England’s greenbelts.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26130819">Hellerick|Wikimedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Housing is an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/25/the-guardian-view-on-housebuilding-michael-goves-urban-visions-cant-erase-his-partys-record">inherently political issue</a>. <a href="https://england.shelter.org.uk/what_we_do/our_strategy_2022-2025">Shelter</a>, the housing charity, states that 17.5 million people are trapped by the housing emergency. According to the <a href="https://www.centreforcities.org/publication/the-housebuilding-crisis/">Centre for Cities</a> thinktank, Britain has a backlog of 4.3 million homes missing from the national housing stock. This analysis shows that it would take at least 50 years to fill this deficit, if the government’s current target to build 300,000 homes a year in England is met. And it won’t be: homes are being built at approximately half this rate.</p>
<p>However, in 2013, the economist Paul Cheshire <a href="https://theconversation.com/greenbelt-myth-is-the-driving-force-behind-housing-crisis-17802">wrote</a> that what he termed “the greenbelt myth” was, in fact, driving the housing crisis. “Contrary to popular perception,” he said, “less than 10% of England is developed. And of what is developed much less than half is ‘covered by concrete’.” </p>
<p>Instead, Cheshire proposed that there be selective building on what he termed “the least attractive and lowest amenity parts of greenbelts.” Not only are these areas close to cities where people want to live, but building on brownfield land in the greenbelt or repurposing derelict buildings might begin to alleviate the housing crisis, including problems of affordability, for generations to come.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A graphic illustration of an interior." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548775/original/file-20230918-17-p7l0vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548775/original/file-20230918-17-p7l0vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548775/original/file-20230918-17-p7l0vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548775/original/file-20230918-17-p7l0vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548775/original/file-20230918-17-p7l0vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548775/original/file-20230918-17-p7l0vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548775/original/file-20230918-17-p7l0vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Building reuse has great potential.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Matthias Guger|Mihael Vecchiet|Andreas Lechner, Studio Counterintuitive Typologies, TU Graz</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How urban peripheries can work for people and the environment</h2>
<p>To combat climate change and tackle the housing crisis, cities need to be allowed to expand with coherent planning – that includes good public transport, well-designed public spaces and high-quality housing. </p>
<p>In Italy, the post-war district of <a href="https://www.archdaily.com/867165/ad-classics-gallaratese-quarter-milan-aldo-rossi-carlo-aymonino">Gallaratese</a>, which lies 7km north-west of the centre of Milan, features medium-scale apartment blocks, good social amenities and high-quality, well-connected public transport. People living there have access to small parks and public gardens, places to sit and shop. </p>
<p>This affords the public realm a certain dignity that is often lacking in in Britain. People benefit from better infrastructure for commuting into the city centres – not just traffic lanes for cars, but metro, tram and train connections, with coherently designed outdoor public space. </p>
<p>In Austria, <a href="https://www.aspern-seestadt.at/en/about_us/organisation">Seestadt Aspern</a>, a newly developed extension of Vienna, has been characterised as a “city within a city.” It is compact, yet full of public spaces. The project is conceived with job creation, housing and metro-line extension as priorities. </p>
<p>Our research suggests introducing, to <a href="https://counterintuitivetypologies.com/Studios">periphery design</a>, the kind of buildings more associated with inner-city design. To date, housing in suburban planning in England has largely revolved around the detached single-family home. This ultra-low density building type uses lots of land and is firmly reliant on fossil-fuel heavy private transport. </p>
<p>Focusing instead on what we have called the urban villa might be an alternative. The urban villa aims for a synthesis between the city apartment and the single-family home. Think, a number of apartments in a freestanding house, no more than five storeys, surrounded by a garden. </p>
<p>Suburban planning that centred on this type of housing – which combines urban density with a connection to green space and the public realm – could create a denser, more attractive and, crucially, more sustainable alternative to the way city outskirts are currently planned.</p>
<p>The housing crisis is <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/climate/climate-publications/built-environment/the-green-belt-sustainability-and-england's-housing-crisis.aspx">inextricable</a> from the climate crisis. The environment is <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/3554/JBA-9s9-00-FULL.pdf">most demonstrably in crisis</a> in urban peripheries. It is where the collapse of a coherent urban order takes place, where big bits of transport infrastructure meet fields and suburbs. It’s often where marginalised communities are pushed. </p>
<p>Ultimately, Cheshire was right. The dual housing and climate crises are exasperated by the failure to resolve the greenbelt argument. </p>
<p>What is built around urban cores is crucial to a truly sustainable and equitable solution – for both people and the environment. But, doing so in a way that is beneficial to both residents and the environment requires a shift in government policy and public imagination. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204614001522">more and more people</a> cluster around cities in search of work, or a better balance between home and work life, those areas that are now peripheral will become central. Quite under what conditions they live and work there is a matter that demands urgent attention.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212217/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The way we develop urban peripheries is central to tackling both the housing crisis and the climate emergency.Cameron McEwan, Associate Professor in Architecture, Northumbria University, NewcastleAndreas Lechner, Associate Professor, Graz University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2044712023-05-16T16:36:23Z2023-05-16T16:36:23ZWhat an exhibition by artists of the Vietnamese diaspora says about home and belonging<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525179/original/file-20230509-27-wofurb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Multiple works by KV Duong.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joseph Beeching</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Which objects create a feeling of home for you? A particular chair, a table, a teacup from your childhood kitchen? </p>
<p>Visitors to the current exhibition at London’s Museum of the Home are asked to bear this question in mind. Entitled <a href="https://www.museumofthehome.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions-and-installations/no-place-like-home/">No Place Like Home (A Vietnamese Exhibition) Part II</a>, the show brings together eight artists, born and raised all over the world, who share roots in Vietnam.</p>
<p>Many layers of memory can be derived from a single object. For me, a UK-based German-Vietnamese linguist, Vietnamese artist Duong Thuy Nguyen’s pile of rice bowls (entitled <em>Chúng ta là một thể hợp nhất</em> / We Are An Unmistakable Fusion) immediately recalls meals shared with family or friends. For Nguyen herself, however, that plaster crockery stack also evokes the layered high-rise architecture of her native Hanoi.</p>
<p>At the entrance to the show, KV Duong and Hoa Dung Clerget’s installation – entitled The Cityscape – recreates an urban skyline with white plastic chairs. At its highest points, these are stacked seven high, weighted down at their bases with sandwich bags full of dry rice. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A sculpture of a durian fruit painted green." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525186/original/file-20230509-20-9ic4sj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525186/original/file-20230509-20-9ic4sj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525186/original/file-20230509-20-9ic4sj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525186/original/file-20230509-20-9ic4sj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525186/original/file-20230509-20-9ic4sj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525186/original/file-20230509-20-9ic4sj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525186/original/file-20230509-20-9ic4sj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Gift, by Hoa Dung Clerget and Koa Pham.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joseph Beeching</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Plastic chairs, Vietnamese food – even the word “Vietnamese” itself – will, for many visitors, signify expensive holidays, beaches and islands. They will bring up memories of the safe taste of street life from the elected discomfort of a plastic chair, enjoying ice coffee or a bowl of soup to the soundtrack of motorcycle engines.</p>
<p>But for those in the Vietnamese diaspora, these same signifiers can conjure up far more complicated memories. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1075/ll.21004.ngu">My research</a> into public Vietnamese writing and imagery used by Vietnamese immigrants and their descendants in Manchester speaks to the experience of having to leave one home far away and make a new one elsewhere. </p>
<h2>Hidden histories</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1075/ll.21004.ngu">I have studied</a> Mancunian store signs and menus of establishments run by Vietnamese immigrants, in which Chinese writing can often be found alongside English and Vietnamese. This multilingualism references a hidden layer of meaning to which many customers with no Vietnamese connection will be oblivious. </p>
<p>It is tied to the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2020.1724414">traumatic displacement</a> of the Chinese minority of Vietnam during the <a href="https://research.aston.ac.uk/en/publications/asean-and-the-dynamics-of-resistance-to-sovereignty-violation-the">third Indochina war</a> (between 1978 and 1991) and to the contacts Vietnamese refugees made with Chinese communities in the host countries to which they fled.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Records and loudhailers on a white tabletop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525182/original/file-20230509-19-ruii7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525182/original/file-20230509-19-ruii7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525182/original/file-20230509-19-ruii7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525182/original/file-20230509-19-ruii7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525182/original/file-20230509-19-ruii7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525182/original/file-20230509-19-ruii7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525182/original/file-20230509-19-ruii7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">(Re)generative Mediations, by Cường Minh Bá Phạm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joseph Beeching</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>No Place Like Home features a series of sculptures by the artist KV Duong, who was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Chinese-Vietnamese parents and grew up in a mixed neighbourhood of Vietnamese and Chinese families in Canada. He renders these hidden layers of meaning visible by transferring a childhood family photograph, taken when he was six, on to the surface of a moon-shaped vase from the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25165269?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">Chinese Ming dynasty</a>, the last to rule Vietnam. </p>
<p>Elsewhere, in a bake of clay, concrete, wire and found candles, and painted with acrylic, Duong recalls his first memory of a birthday celebration – a memory set in Canada, the year he turned seven.</p>
<p>Within Asian diasporas, differences can lose their significance when it comes to carving out a place of their own. From the outside, Chineseness and Vietnameseness seem self-evidently separate; different foods, countries and languages. </p>
<p>This separation, however, collapses when you consider the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.1744614">complex stories</a> I have encountered in my research. Stories like that of an ethnically Chinese woman who fled Vietnam and opened a Vietnamese restaurant and store in England and whose shop is now managed by a British-born man who speaks Cantonese with his family but who learned Vietnamese through his work. </p>
<p>Things are blurred even further in the case of the barbershop next door, which features English, Vietnamese and Chinese on its storefront, and is run by a Vietnamese refugee who was told by his uncle to learn Cantonese before coming to England and who is now married to a British Chinese woman. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two sculptures on a white tabletop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525180/original/file-20230509-20-51431u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525180/original/file-20230509-20-51431u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525180/original/file-20230509-20-51431u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525180/original/file-20230509-20-51431u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525180/original/file-20230509-20-51431u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525180/original/file-20230509-20-51431u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525180/original/file-20230509-20-51431u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"><em>Chúng ta là một thể hợp nhất</em>/ We Are An Unmistakable Fusion, by Duong Thuy Nguyen (left) and Birthday Cake to My Younger Self (right), by KV Duong.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joseph Beeching</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Diasporic placemaking</h2>
<p>Diasporic <a href="https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17493">placemaking</a> is often a story of connection. But it is also a complicated story about who owns public spaces and decides who gets to use them.</p>
<p>At the exhibition opening, the French artist Carô Gervay told me that this was the first time Vietnamese diasporic artists had been given space by a publicly funded institution in the UK. The ambivalence she felt at this is further elaborated on in the work she has made in collaboration with the UK artist Cường Minh Bá Phạm.</p>
<p>Entitled No Place Like Home: a Metastory, this handbound book, printed on recycled paper and packaged in glassine, details the decision-making process that led to the Museum of the Home commissioning this exhibition. </p>
<p>Told through a mixture of text and photography, the story illustrates how those who own public spaces can strategically dole it out to play groups against another – or for the purpose of optics. Those on the margins have to constantly negotiate visibility and navigate the complex terms under which they can achieve it.</p>
<p>As a child growing up in Munich, Germany, the Lunar New Year was the one time in the year when I would be surrounded by people who looked like me and my family, when I would eat food like my mother cooked. </p>
<p>It was the one time in the year I heard the language of my parents and grandparents – in spirited conversations, in late-night karaoke sessions, in children’s voices as they wished adults a prosperous New Year in return for a small red envelope of money, <em>lì xì</em>, decorated with golden Chinese characters.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Concertina book sculptures." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525188/original/file-20230509-21728-cmgako.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525188/original/file-20230509-21728-cmgako.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525188/original/file-20230509-21728-cmgako.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525188/original/file-20230509-21728-cmgako.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525188/original/file-20230509-21728-cmgako.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525188/original/file-20230509-21728-cmgako.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525188/original/file-20230509-21728-cmgako.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">(re)Appearing Acts, by Carô Gervay.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joseph Beeching</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One step outside, though, and I would be back in front of an inconspicuous residential building on a German street, with “Asia-Restaurant” inscribed on a sign above the door. Back then, Vietnamese restaurants were often concealed behind the innocuous word “Asia”, so all-encompassing as to be rendered meaningless. They would be disguised as a “China-Restaurant”, or a Japanese sushi bar. These were places hidden to all except a select few.</p>
<p>For the Vietnamese diaspora, home is composed of such hidden places. A neighbourhood or a street, the inside of a restaurant, a family dinner table; pockets of Vietnameseness in France, Germany, Canada, the US or the UK. </p>
<p>Being part of the diaspora means being able to read a place’s hidden meanings, hidden histories of being on the outside, of journeys and goodbyes. But it also means making new and often unexpected connections with other cultures as well as with others with shared roots from all around the world.</p>
<p>More than any artwork, object or place, to my mind, what creates a sense of home is seeing such talented artists, their friends and family in tow – each with a unique background, each having grown up in their own little pockets of Vietnameseness – all come together in the same room to share their stories.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204471/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anh Khoi Nguyen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Diasporic placemaking is often a story of connections and hidden stories. It is also a complicated story about who owns public spaces and who decides who gets to use it.Anh Khoi Nguyen, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Linguistics, University of ManchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2025452023-04-19T15:58:31Z2023-04-19T15:58:31ZWhy London’s first Ramadan lights celebration has been so important for Muslims everywhere<p>On March 21 2023, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Hamza Taouzzale, lord mayor of Westminster, stood on Coventry Street in central London and switched on the capital’s first ever <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-65030988">Ramadan illuminations</a>.</p>
<p>Every evening throughout the holy month, 30,000 coloured lights have lit up this busy streetscape. “Happy Ramadan” is spelled out in a white florid script against a golden half-disc, supported by crescent moons, five-pointed stars and lanterns.</p>
<p>This marks the first time that <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-do-muslims-believe-and-do-understanding-the-5-pillars-of-islam-155023">Ramadan</a> has been celebrated this way – not just in London’s West End or the UK capital at large, but in any major European city. The significance of lighting up Piccadilly Circus during Ramadan for Muslims in Britain and around the world cannot be overstated. </p>
<p>Major news outlets across the Arab and Islamic world, including <a href="https://mubasher.aljazeera.net/news/miscellaneous/2023/3/23/%D9%84%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%84%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%AA%D8%B2%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8B%D8%A7">Al-Jazeera</a> and <a href="https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/03/22/London-s-Piccadilly-lights-up-with-Ramadan-decorations-for-first-time-ever">Al-Arabia</a>, have praised the initiative for the diversity and tolerance it signals within British society. </p>
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<p>Muslims worldwide observe the holy month of Ramadan – which this year ends on the evening of Friday, April 21 – as an opportunity to reflect on their relationship with God and strengthen their faith. It is a time for prayer, charity and kindness towards others. Fasting from sunrise to sunset is seen as a <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/culture/2019/05/ramadan-understanding-its-history-and-traditions">spiritual practice</a> that fosters self-discipline, patience and empathy. </p>
<p>In Britain, local <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/open-iftar-20032744430">open Iftars</a>, where Muslims break the day’s fast, have taken place for decades, with invitations to all – Muslims and non-Muslims alike – to join. Ramadan has always been an opportunity for Muslims to share their cultures with others, and for others to learn about Muslims and Islam. </p>
<p>In my research of Muslims’ participation in architecture and urban projects across the UK, I have found that empowering these communities <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/349">to co-design and shape</a> the area they live in, so they can see their cultural and religious practices taken into account, is crucial.</p>
<h2>Community involvement</h2>
<p>London’s Ramadan lights are the result of three years of community campaigning led mainly by the Ramadan Lights UK community group. Founder Aisha Desai set up the project <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/happy-ramadan-lights-up-londons-piccadilly-circus-for-the-first-time-ever-12839979">in 2021</a> with a lit-up structure in north London (Henlys Corner on the North Circular ring road). She cited childhood memories of travelling into central London to see Christmas decorations: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>As a proud Muslim, I wanted to bring some of that magic to my community.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A slightly larger structure followed in Trafalgar Square in 2022. </p>
<p>The current installation follows the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-53456508">cancellation</a>, in 2020, of proposals by the Aziz Foundation to turn part of the Trocadero building on Piccadilly Circus into a mosque. Westminster City Council received upwards of 6,000 comments supporting the project, but 2,800 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/may/22/plan-to-open-mosque-in-trocadero-in-london-sparks-objections">objected</a> with a high volume of these <a href="https://5pillarsuk.com/2020/08/04/proposal-for-piccadilly-circus-mosque-withdrawn-after-racist-complaints/">reportedly racist</a> in tone.</p>
<p>Lighting up a city for Ramadan is an invaluable opportunity for local governments nationwide to boost their Muslim communities’ sense of ownership over their localities. It affords Muslims greater visibility and a sense of inclusion in public spaces. </p>
<p>This is important. Research shows that Muslims in the UK feel excluded <a href="https://www.youthandpolicy.org/articles/young-muslims-and-exclusion/">most of the time</a>, yet also negatively over-exposed whenever a public crisis related to them occurs. This is particularly notable in cities and towns such as Bradford, Burnley and Oldham in the north of England that witnessed <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239466847_Community_Cohesion_a_Report_of_the_Independent_Review_Team">ethnic unrest</a> around the year 2000. </p>
<p>I have done extensive interviews and field work in Burngreave, Sheffield, where 60% of the population <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/religionenglandandwales/census2021">identifies as Muslim</a>. When a public space there, Ellesmere Green, <a href="https://archive.burngreavemessenger.org.uk/archives/2012/august-2012-issue-101/ellesmere-green-proposals/">was redesigned in 2013</a>, I found that local Muslims were not being engaged about it. The people I spoke to expressed their frustration at Christmas lights being put up without them being consulted. No similar effort was made by the local authorities to celebrate Ramadan.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A night scene of some Christmas lights in a green space." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519420/original/file-20230404-28-4ift4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519420/original/file-20230404-28-4ift4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519420/original/file-20230404-28-4ift4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519420/original/file-20230404-28-4ift4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519420/original/file-20230404-28-4ift4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519420/original/file-20230404-28-4ift4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519420/original/file-20230404-28-4ift4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Christmas lights on Ellesmere Green in Sheffield, December 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Farouq Tahar</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Such lack of engagement not only erodes Muslims’ sense of belonging to British society. It also precludes the community from having any sense of ownership over their local public spaces. </p>
<p>By contrast, the open iftars that have been organised during Ramadan by the Muslim community in Sheffield this year, in several public spaces around the city, have created a welcoming atmosphere for both Muslims and non-Muslims to share. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/linkfm967">Link FM</a>, a local community radio station, interviewed people who attended an iftar at the <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@linkfm967/video/7217556627111546139">Peace Garden</a>. One woman said: “It was open, obviously. I wouldn’t be comfortable going into a mosque, or going to something much more enclosed.” Another said: “I think it is really bringing people together, it was really lovely.”</p>
<p>And a Muslim attendee concurred: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>This open iftar brings people of all races together – showing that Sheffield is a very diverse community; showing that our diversity is our strength as a city.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Representatives from the <a href="https://twitter.com/DESA_Sheffield/status/1641543075033157632?cxt=HHwWgMDU7deu98ctAAAA">Darnall Education & Sports Academy </a>, where another open iftar was held, commented on a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/onlinesheffield">Sheffield Online</a> Facebook post saying: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Witnessing people from diverse backgrounds, both religious and non-religious, come together to share a meal was truly heartening. Such initiatives play an instrumental role in fostering understanding and cooperation, breaking down barriers and dispelling misconceptions. They make social cohesion, often perceived as a platitude, a tangible reality.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Similar benefits have been reaped in <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--sheffield/open-iftar-2023/">other cities</a> across the north, including Nottingham, Leeds, Manchester and Bradford. </p>
<h2>Official endorsement</h2>
<p>Any impact this kind of initiative can have, however, is minimised when not embraced by a local authority. Official endorsement, such as the mayor of London backing the city’s Ramadan lights, is necessary if the goal of bridging different communities and navigating commonalities is to be achieved. </p>
<p>It is highly likely that positive media coverage of London’s Ramadan lights encouraged other establishments to show their values of tolerance and inclusion through open iftars. Chelsea has become <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11906829/Chelsea-welcome-Muslims-Stamford-Bridge-Ramadan.html">the first Premier League football club</a> to host an open iftar on the grounds of its stadium. Similar open iftars <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-ae/sports/other/pitchside-prayers-and-joy-as-uk-breaks-ramadan-fast-at-public-iftars/ar-AA19jbId">are being held</a> in other venues around in London. Further afield, <a href="https://pennyappeal.org/news/open-iftar-2023">Bradford cathedral</a> and <a href="https://www.manchestercathedral.org/news-events/news/open-iftar-2023-at-manchester-cathedral/">Manchester cathedral </a> have followed suit.</p>
<p>Research shows that <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14687968221126196">Islamophobia is on the rise</a> in British society. Data published by the <a href="https://muslimcensus.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Islamophobia-and-the-Government.pdf">Muslim Census</a> found that 92% of Muslims believe Islamophobia exists within the UK <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-school-cat-stevens-built-how-conservative-politicians-opposed-funding-for-muslim-schools-in-england-161956">government</a>.</p>
<p>In its heightened focus on Muslim radicalisation, the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1134986/Independent_Review_of_Prevent.pdf">recent review</a> of Prevent, the UK counter-terrorism strategy, risks further exacerbating such <a href="https://theconversation.com/prevent-review-why-we-need-a-new-and-clearer-definition-of-islamist-extremism-200664">Islamophobic sentiment</a>. And a forthcoming independent report, commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, on how the UK government engages with faith organisations, is reportedly set to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/29/ministers-urged-to-be-more-aggressive-in-tackling-issues-within-religious-groups">call for stricter measures</a> to be implemented on Muslim groups. Pundits and scholars alike say this will deepen the divide between Muslims and the wider community. </p>
<p>In this context, any initiative that signals social inclusion within the public square – the urban environment that all communities share – is crucial.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202545/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Farouq Tahar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Ramadan is a time for prayer, charity and kindness to others. Having it celebrated in such a public way is empowering for Muslim communities across the country and beyond.Farouq Tahar, PhD Researcher in Architecture, University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1980692023-01-24T19:18:51Z2023-01-24T19:18:51ZWhy loneliness is both an individual thing and a shared result of the cities we create<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505296/original/file-20230119-26-3pzdvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C8674%2C5787&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you’re feeling lonely, you’re not alone. Loneliness is an <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en/loneliness-increase-worldwide-increase-local-community-support">increasingly common experience</a>, and it can have severe consequences. People who feel lonely are at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-010-9210-8">higher risk of serious health issues</a>, including heart disease, immune deficiency and depression.</p>
<p>Traditionally, loneliness has been viewed as an individual problem requiring individual solutions, such as psychological therapy or medication. Yet loneliness is caused by feeling disconnected from society. It therefore makes sense that treatments for loneliness should focus on the things that help us make these broader connections. </p>
<p>The places where we live, work and play, for example, can promote meaningful social interactions and help us build a sense of connection. Careful planning and management of these places can create <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-third-year/tackling-loneliness-annual-report-february-2022-the-third-year">population-wide improvements in loneliness</a>.</p>
<p>Our research team is investigating how the way we design and plan our cities impacts loneliness. We have just published a <a href="https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1gNq14pqpjtIuw">systematic review</a> of research from around the world. Overall, we found many aspects of the built environment affect loneliness. </p>
<p>However, no single design attribute can protect everyone against loneliness. Places can provide opportunities for social interactions, or present barriers to them. Yet every individual responds differently to these opportunities and barriers.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/4-ways-we-can-recover-from-the-loneliness-of-the-covid-pandemic-187856">4 ways we can recover from the loneliness of the COVID pandemic</a>
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<h2>What did the review look at?</h2>
<p>Our review involved screening over 7,000 published studies covering fields such as psychology, public health and urban planning. We included 57 studies that directly examined the relationship between loneliness and the built environment. These studies covered wide-ranging aspects from neighbourhood design, housing conditions and public spaces to transport infrastructure and natural spaces.</p>
<p>The research shows built environments can present people with options to do the things we know help reduce loneliness. Examples include chatting to the people in your street or neighbourhood or attending a community event. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/many-people-feel-lonely-in-the-city-but-perhaps-third-places-can-help-with-that-92847">Many people feel lonely in the city, but perhaps 'third places' can help with that</a>
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<p>However, the link between the built environment and loneliness is complex. Our review found possibilities for social interaction depend on both structural and individual factors. In other words, individual outcomes depend on what the design of a space enables a person to do as well as on whether, and how, that person takes advantage of that design.</p>
<p>Specifically, we identified some key aspects of the built environment that can help people make connections. These include housing design, transport systems and the distribution and design of open and natural spaces.</p>
<h2>So what sort of situations are we talking about?</h2>
<p>Living in small apartments, for example can increase loneliness. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10901-020-09816-7">For some people</a>, this is because the smaller space reduces their ability to have people over for dinner. Others who live in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X15000112">poorly maintained housing</a> report similar experiences.</p>
<p>More universally, living in areas with good access to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X19001569">community centres</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyab089">natural spaces</a> helps people make social connections. These spaces allow for both planned and unexpected social interactions. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-4-australians-is-lonely-quality-green-spaces-in-our-cities-offer-a-solution-188007">1 in 4 Australians is lonely. Quality green spaces in our cities offer a solution</a>
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<p>Living in environments with good access to destinations and transport options also protects against loneliness. In particular, it benefits individuals who are able to use <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glu069">active transport (walking and cycling) and high-quality public transport</a>. </p>
<p>This finding should make sense to anyone who walks or takes the bus. We are then more likely to interact in some way with those around us than when locked away in the privacy of a car.</p>
<p>Similarly, built environments <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21711">designed to be safe</a> — from crime, traffic and pollution — also enable people to explore their neighbourhoods easily on foot. Once again, that gives them more opportunities for social interactions that can, potentially, reduce loneliness.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505295/original/file-20230119-16-3pzdvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505295/original/file-20230119-16-3pzdvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505295/original/file-20230119-16-3pzdvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505295/original/file-20230119-16-3pzdvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505295/original/file-20230119-16-3pzdvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505295/original/file-20230119-16-3pzdvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505295/original/file-20230119-16-3pzdvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Neighbourhoods that make it easier to get around without a car also promote social interactions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Environments where people are able to express themselves were also found to protect against loneliness. For example, residents of housing they could personalise and “make home” reported feeling less lonely. So too did those who felt able to “<a href="https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2002-0010">fit in</a>”, or identify with the people living close by.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/designing-cities-to-counter-loneliness-lets-explore-the-possibilities-104853">Designing cities to counter loneliness? Let's explore the possibilities</a>
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</em>
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<h2>Other important factors are less obvious</h2>
<p>These factors are fairly well defined, but we also found less tangible conditions could be significant. For example, studies consistently showed the importance of socio-economic status. The interplay between economic inequalities and the built environment can deny many the right to live a life without loneliness.</p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19491247.2021.1940686">housing tenure</a> can be important because people who rent are less able to personalise their homes. People with lower incomes can’t always afford to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783320960527">live close to friends</a> or in a neighbourhood where they feel accepted. Lower-income areas are also notoriously under-serviced with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102869">reliable public transport</a>, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1471-2458-14-292">well-maintained natural spaces</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2007.11.002">well-designed public spaces</a>. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-really-have-thought-this-cant-go-on-loneliness-looms-for-rising-numbers-of-older-private-renters-118046">'I really have thought this can’t go on': loneliness looms for rising numbers of older private renters</a>
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<p>Our review reveals several aspects of the built environment that can enhance social interactions and minimise loneliness. Our key finding, though, is that there is no single built environment that is universally “good” or “bad” for loneliness. </p>
<p>Yes, we can plan and build our cities to help us meet our innate need for social connection. But context matters, and different individuals will interpret built environments differently.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198069/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jennifer Kent receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marlee Bower receives funding from the BHP Foundation. She is affiliated with Australia's Mental Health Think Tank.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily J. Rugel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A systematic review of thousands of studies around the world has found many aspects of our cities affect loneliness. But people’s relationship with their environment is complex and highly individual.Jennifer L. Kent, Senior Research Fellow in Urbanism, University of SydneyEmily J. Rugel, Honorary Adjunct Lecturer, Sydney Medical School, University of SydneyMarlee Bower, Research Fellow, Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1938602022-11-16T01:51:17Z2022-11-16T01:51:17ZHow superblocks can free up and improve CBD space for the people of Melbourne – a step-by-step guide<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494367/original/file-20221109-24-sts1xb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C2210%2C1055&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">frontispiece</span> </figcaption></figure><p>For 185 years, Melbourne’s <a href="https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/hoddlegridheritage">Hoddle Grid</a> – the ordered layout of CBD streets and blocks designed in 1837 – has dictated the flow of people and vehicles in the city centre. But how well does the grid serve 21st-century needs?</p>
<p>Melbourne faces three interconnected challenges that conflict with a business-as-usual, car-based grid. These are: how to end the dominance of cars; how to respond to the reality of the city centre as a residential area; and how to “<a href="https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/business/grow-business/business-events/Pages/reigniting-melbourne.aspx">reignite</a>” post-pandemic activity in the CBD. </p>
<p>Superblocks are an approach, pioneered in <a href="https://theconversation.com/superblocks-are-transforming-barcelona-they-might-work-in-australian-cities-too-123354">Barcelona</a>, to making urban areas more liveable and people-friendly. </p>
<p>A superblock covers an area of multiple city blocks – typically nine in a 3x3 format – that excludes through traffic. In this space, cyclists, walkers and residents have priority, though cars still have low-speed access to all buildings within the area. Superblocks transform formerly car-dominated streets into public spaces that can be used for a range of activities. </p>
<p>We have developed a step-by-step approach to introducing superblocks to Melbourne.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495512/original/file-20221115-17-zsbgg4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Diagram explaining the superblock concept" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495512/original/file-20221115-17-zsbgg4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495512/original/file-20221115-17-zsbgg4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495512/original/file-20221115-17-zsbgg4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495512/original/file-20221115-17-zsbgg4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495512/original/file-20221115-17-zsbgg4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=870&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495512/original/file-20221115-17-zsbgg4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=870&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495512/original/file-20221115-17-zsbgg4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=870&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/superblocks-are-transforming-barcelona-they-might-work-in-australian-cities-too-123354">Superblocks are transforming Barcelona. They might work in Australian cities too</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Colonialism lives on rent-free in our cities</h2>
<p>The Hoddle Grid was used an <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/4/3/77/htm">instrument of power</a> for expropriating land from peoples of the Eastern Kulin nation. It asserted formal control over lands that John Batman had acquired <a href="https://deadlystory.com/page/culture/history/Batman_treaty">illegally</a>. </p>
<p>The array of regular blocks would have helped with selling land to distant speculators by signalling equality among bidders, military control and efficient circulation of people and air. </p>
<p>For much of the 20th century, the grid has been open to vehicle through traffic. More recent developments have given nods to pedestrians, laneways and liveability. </p>
<p>Over <a href="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/hdp.au.prod.app.com-participate.files/9815/2635/8912/Transport_Strategy_Refresh_-_Background_paper_-_City_Space.pdf">60% of street space</a> in the grid is still given over to cars, although these account for less than 10% of all trips within the grid. As a result, it is still a significant <a href="https://public.tableau.com/shared/FRK3SNYZR?:display_count=y&:origin=viz_share_link&:embed=y">site of injury</a>, involving both road crashes and colonial dispossession.</p>
<p>While the grid has remained conceptually stuck in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the central business district, despite its name, has become a residential area. Promoted by the <a href="https://architectureau.com/articles/melbourne-releases-most-forward-looking-plans-since-postcode-3000/">Postcode 3000</a> project in the 1990s, there was a <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/from-doughnut-to-metropolis-how-melbourne-banished-its-tumbleweeds-20180216-h0w7gw.html">shift</a> from a “doughnut city” – populated suburbs around a hollow centre – to a cafe society. </p>
<p>The city centre went from <a href="https://www.routledge.com/City-Edge/Charlesworth/p/book/9780750663533">750 registered residential units</a> in the early 1980s to <a href="https://data.melbourne.vic.gov.au/Property/Residential-dwellings/44kh-ty54">more than 28,000</a> today. This spurred a rise in the number of bars, cafes and restaurants. </p>
<p>To reshape the city centre in ways that better meet the needs of Melburnians now and in the future, the grid must be redesigned. It is time, in <a href="https://www.academia.edu/54097541/Hospicing_Modernity_Facing_humamitys_wrongs_and_the_implications_for_social_activism">the words</a> of Canadian scholar <a href="https://ubc.academia.edu/VanessadeOliveiraAndreotti">Vanessa de Oliveira Andreotti</a>, to “wake up, smarten up, step up, own up, clean up, grow up, and show up”. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/density-sprawl-growth-how-australian-cities-have-changed-in-the-last-30-years-65870">Density, sprawl, growth: how Australian cities have changed in the last 30 years</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How can superblocks improve the grid for people?</h2>
<p>But how can superblocks be applied in car-dominated Melbourne? A staged and bespoke approach to gathering information and planning routes is needed. We suggest the following steps.</p>
<h2>1. Audit the grid</h2>
<p>Hoddle’s innovation was to have a mixture of little and main streets running parallel to one another. As a result, the sizes of junctions vary.</p>
<p>As well as assessing the locations of junctions and what they are like, in Melbourne we must also consider tram routes. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495349/original/file-20221115-21-zirg8v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map of the area of junctions from 200 to 2000 sqm" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495349/original/file-20221115-21-zirg8v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495349/original/file-20221115-21-zirg8v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495349/original/file-20221115-21-zirg8v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495349/original/file-20221115-21-zirg8v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495349/original/file-20221115-21-zirg8v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495349/original/file-20221115-21-zirg8v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495349/original/file-20221115-21-zirg8v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Locations of large and small junctions in the Hoddle Grid.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Map: Alexia Yacoubian and Mónica Suárez</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495351/original/file-20221115-19-wa1y1c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map of junctions, cars dominate alongside trams and buses" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495351/original/file-20221115-19-wa1y1c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495351/original/file-20221115-19-wa1y1c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495351/original/file-20221115-19-wa1y1c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495351/original/file-20221115-19-wa1y1c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495351/original/file-20221115-19-wa1y1c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495351/original/file-20221115-19-wa1y1c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495351/original/file-20221115-19-wa1y1c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Junctions categorised by vehicle types crossing at each intersection.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Map: Alexia Yacoubian and Mónica Suárez</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Work out what configurations are needed and where</h2>
<p>The rectangular form, mix of large and little streets, tram lines and existing pedestrian areas all suggest departures from the “classic” 3x3 superblock that looks like a hashtag. We’re looking at including some 2x3 superblocks. All these forms should be considered to increase and improve space for pedestrians. </p>
<p>We propose four different options. In the following maps the green dots are junctions that have been made highly accessible for pedestrians. The more green dots, the better. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495356/original/file-20221115-15-4qw9ls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map showing the largest number of superblocks for Melbourne" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495356/original/file-20221115-15-4qw9ls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495356/original/file-20221115-15-4qw9ls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495356/original/file-20221115-15-4qw9ls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495356/original/file-20221115-15-4qw9ls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495356/original/file-20221115-15-4qw9ls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495356/original/file-20221115-15-4qw9ls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495356/original/file-20221115-15-4qw9ls.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Option 1: Yields the largest number of superblocks by rerouting traffic along the roads with tramways. This involves sending traffic down Bourke Street Mall and rerouting Swanston Street trams along Russell Street.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Map: Alexia Yacoubian and Mónicá Suarez</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495360/original/file-20221115-21-6qlwcg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Option 2 with less green dots and superblocks" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495360/original/file-20221115-21-6qlwcg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495360/original/file-20221115-21-6qlwcg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495360/original/file-20221115-21-6qlwcg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495360/original/file-20221115-21-6qlwcg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495360/original/file-20221115-21-6qlwcg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495360/original/file-20221115-21-6qlwcg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495360/original/file-20221115-21-6qlwcg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Option 2: Yields fewer green dots and maintains the Bourke Street pedestrian mall, but moves the Swanston Street tram line to Russell Street.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Map: Alexia Yacoubian and Mónicá Suarez</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495365/original/file-20221115-21-jmwzqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Option 3: a more conservative proposal that works around the current pedestrianisation of Bourke and Swanston streets and maintains the tram where it is." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495365/original/file-20221115-21-jmwzqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495365/original/file-20221115-21-jmwzqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495365/original/file-20221115-21-jmwzqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495365/original/file-20221115-21-jmwzqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495365/original/file-20221115-21-jmwzqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495365/original/file-20221115-21-jmwzqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495365/original/file-20221115-21-jmwzqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Option 3: A more conservative proposal that maintains current tram locations. However, in a superblock plan the centre junctions should not be a location for movement.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Map: Alexia Yacoubian and Mónicá Suarez</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495367/original/file-20221115-22-je45wr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map of the most conservative approach, leaving everything as is and include trams in the superblocks" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495367/original/file-20221115-22-je45wr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495367/original/file-20221115-22-je45wr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495367/original/file-20221115-22-je45wr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495367/original/file-20221115-22-je45wr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495367/original/file-20221115-22-je45wr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495367/original/file-20221115-22-je45wr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495367/original/file-20221115-22-je45wr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Option 4: Acknowledges that some junctions may have to include trams in the centre of the superblock.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Map: Alexia Yacoubian and Mónicá Suarez</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Assess the success of different options</h2>
<p>Option 1 above increases the area of footpaths from around 169,000 square metres to 385,480 square metres - an increase of around 11 MCGs. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495371/original/file-20221115-17-6cpasl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map showing existing footpaths with an area of 169,076 square metres." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495371/original/file-20221115-17-6cpasl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495371/original/file-20221115-17-6cpasl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495371/original/file-20221115-17-6cpasl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495371/original/file-20221115-17-6cpasl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495371/original/file-20221115-17-6cpasl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495371/original/file-20221115-17-6cpasl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495371/original/file-20221115-17-6cpasl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Existing footpaths in the Hoddle Grid.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Map: Alexia Yacoubian and Mónica Suárez using data from City of Melbourne</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495369/original/file-20221115-19-w5cpj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map showing the footpaths in green" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495369/original/file-20221115-19-w5cpj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495369/original/file-20221115-19-w5cpj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495369/original/file-20221115-19-w5cpj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495369/original/file-20221115-19-w5cpj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495369/original/file-20221115-19-w5cpj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495369/original/file-20221115-19-w5cpj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495369/original/file-20221115-19-w5cpj0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Option 1 produces a 2.3 times increase in footpath space and greater pedestrian connectivity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Map: Alexia Yacoubian and Mónicá Suarez</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Placing open spaces in junctions radically changes the pedestrian experience. Using a <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.06.515356v1">method from ecology</a>, we can calculate a pedestrian connectivity index – the probability that a pedestrian can get from one point on a footpath to another in the grid without crossing a road. For the current grid, the probability is 0.2%. For the superblock model, it’s 4% – a 20-fold increase. </p>
<p>Even though pedestrians have more access, unlike a pedestrianisation plan, vehicle access to the buildings remains largely the same.</p>
<h2>4. Decide how to use all this new open space</h2>
<p>Once the questions shift from a matter of “if” to “how”, other questions come into play. What to do about car parking? We know <a href="https://assets.researchsquare.com/files/rs-1671673/v1_covered.pdf?c=1655396502">off-street garages within 200 metres</a> of on-street car parks could accommodate half of this parking. </p>
<p>How can these new spaces in junctions be used? The renderings below (by Mónica Suárez and Alexia Yacoubian using Google Street View images) provide some ideas. The first shows a “green dot” space where a car-only junction has been converted to pedestrian space. The second shows a “yellow dot” junction shared by trams and pedestrians.</p>
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<h3>Before and after: corner of Exhibition and Little Lonsdale streets</h3>
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<h3>Before and after: corner of Swanston and Lonsdale streets</h3>
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<p>These are pilot ideas - e.g. the discussion should continue to how the grid interacts with surrounding streets and with Birrarung. But it could also act as a template for other cities in Australia that are similarly modern, colonial and grid-based.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cars-have-taken-over-our-neighbourhoods-kid-friendly-superblocks-are-a-way-for-residents-to-reclaim-their-streets-187276">Cars have taken over our neighbourhoods. Kid-friendly superblocks are a way for residents to reclaim their streets</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>5. It’s a marathon not a sprint</h2>
<p>For more than 30 years, cities around the world from Curitiba to Barcelona have in effect been saying: thank you, dear car, for all you have given us in the 20th century, but now it is time to move on. </p>
<p>In practice, this needs to be a gentle and caring process with many steps, learning as we go. It is as de Oliveira Andreotti might argue, low-intensity activism and a marathon rather than a sprint.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Acknowledgments: The ideas in this article were developed as part of a workshop at RMIT. Participants included Zena Cumpston, Leanne Hodyl and representatives from City of Melbourne, Department of Transport, Yarra Trams, Infrastructure Victoria, RACV, RMIT, Melbourne and Monash Universities. Any errors remain the authors’.</em></p>
<p><em>Correction: This article has been updated to correct an error in the number of registered residential units in the central Melbourne area (postcode 3000). The figure of 96,000 should have been 28,000.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193860/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marco Amati receives funding from a variety of organisations including AURIN, ARC, Hort Innovation, State and Local Government. He is currently a co-convenor of this course: <a href="https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/green-corridors-for-clean-air">https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/green-corridors-for-clean-air</a> </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris De Gruyter receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC). He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Traffic Planning and Management (AITPM).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Salvador Rueda receives funding from multiple multilateral and national government sources. He is working pro bono on the Melbourne superblocks concept.</span></em></p>The Hoddle Grid that dictates the flow of vehicles and people in central Melbourne has had its day. It can be remade to reduce the dominance of cars and create a liveable city for the 21st century.Marco Amati, Associate Professor of International Planning, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT UniversityChris De Gruyter, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT UniversitySalvador Rueda, Co-Director, Maestría Online en Ciudades, Instituto de Arquitectura Avanzada de Cataluña (IAAC) Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1892762022-11-14T21:44:05Z2022-11-14T21:44:05ZRemembering Yi-Fu Tuan: The most influential scholar you’ve never heard of<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495191/original/file-20221114-12-sg6hw6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=44%2C0%2C729%2C468&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Yi-Fu Tuan at work in his office at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1998.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://news.wisc.edu/uw-madison-mourns-influential-beloved-geography-professor-yi-fu-tuan/">(Jeff Miller)</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Yi-Fu Tuan, who died in Madison, Wis. on Aug. 10, 2022, was known as the most <a href="https://news.wisc.edu/uw-madison-mourns-influential-beloved-geography-professor-yi-fu-tuan/">influential academic you never knew</a>. Referred to as <a href="https://www.aag.org/memorial/yi-fu-tuan/">the father of humanistic geography</a>, his most influential works dealt with the concepts of space, place and sense of place. </p>
<p>As we enter <a href="https://www.aag.org/geoweek-2022/">Geography Awareness Week</a>, it’s important to recognize Tuan’s lasting impact on the field of geography. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492582/original/file-20221031-24-is448u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An elderly East Asian man wearing a suit." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492582/original/file-20221031-24-is448u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492582/original/file-20221031-24-is448u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=698&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492582/original/file-20221031-24-is448u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=698&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492582/original/file-20221031-24-is448u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=698&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492582/original/file-20221031-24-is448u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=877&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492582/original/file-20221031-24-is448u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=877&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492582/original/file-20221031-24-is448u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=877&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Yi-Fu Tuan (1930-2022) was known as the father of humanistic geography.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Public domain/Wikimedia)</span></span>
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<p>Born in the Chinese city of Tianjin in 1930, his academic career took him around the globe, eventually leading him to the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1983 where he attained emeritus status in 1998. Tuan received several awards including the prestigious <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00291951.2012.682449">Vautrin Lud Prize</a> in 2012. </p>
<p>In his work, Tuan deals with spaces as general, objective areas, whereas places have meaning and memories. A sense of place is a deep emotional attachment to a place. In a world dealing with the challenges of the pandemic, refugee crises, political unrest and the impacts of climate change, his work is just as relevant as ever.</p>
<h2>Landscapes of Fear</h2>
<p>Tuan’s 1979 book, <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/landscapes-of-fear"><em>Landscapes of Fear</em></a>, is intensely pertinent for our current pandemic reality. It’s an exploration into spaces of fear and how these landscapes evolve during our lives and vary over time. Tuan talked of the human response to disease as being a combination of common sense and fear. He speaks about many past responses to disease being reasonable, but also often going beyond the bounds of reason. </p>
<p>COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions may have seemed acceptable but frequently created a terror of their own. Families desperate to see their older loved ones in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2020.1750543">long-term care facilities</a> were unable to visit in their final days of life. Closed businesses and empty streets became a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13604813.2022.2081004">source of anxiety</a> as many wondered if, once opened, these <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.05.040">spaces would be safe</a> to visit.</p>
<p>There was concern over whether <a href="https://theconversation.com/fear-of-travelling-canadians-need-to-put-travel-risk-into-perspective-171193">travel was safe</a>. Media was replete with a <a href="https://scholarworks.umass.edu/ttracanada_2021_conference/2?utm_source=scholarworks.umass.edu%2Fttracanada_2021_conference%2F2&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages">discourse of fear</a> that led many to question whether it was a good idea to travel. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fear-of-travelling-canadians-need-to-put-travel-risk-into-perspective-171193">Fear of travelling: Canadians need to put travel risk into perspective</a>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483067/original/file-20220906-4613-q6nt8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483067/original/file-20220906-4613-q6nt8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483067/original/file-20220906-4613-q6nt8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=928&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483067/original/file-20220906-4613-q6nt8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=928&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483067/original/file-20220906-4613-q6nt8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=928&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483067/original/file-20220906-4613-q6nt8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1166&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483067/original/file-20220906-4613-q6nt8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1166&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483067/original/file-20220906-4613-q6nt8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1166&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Landscapes of Fear by Yi-Fu Tuan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(University of Minnesota Press)</span></span>
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<p>But that reduction in visitors to certain spaces created renewed appreciation for the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1762115">places near our own homes</a>. As restrictions eased, these landscapes were no longer feared. Our love of place overtook our desire for protection.</p>
<h2>Transforming cityscapes</h2>
<p>Tuan’s analysis in the chapter <em>Fear in the City</em> is also timely. Recent attacks like those in <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/saskatchewan-stabbing-victims-1.6572821">Saskatchewan</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-june-6-2022-1.6476755/one-year-after-london-truck-attack-some-canadian-muslims-still-fear-for-their-safety-1.6479105">London, Ont.</a> and <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/norway-shaken-by-attack-that-kills-2-during-pride-festival-1.5962682">Norway</a> leave us anxious about streetscapes. </p>
<p>Tuan’s apt analysis showed us how those that govern cities focus more on economic and commercial activities, rather than social needs. And how the city itself can become a disorienting space. A labyrinth of disorder and social strife especially among those of different classes, races and ethnicities.</p>
<p>This disorder and social strife manifested itself visibly in the killings of George Floyd, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/breonna-taylor-police.html">Breonna Taylor</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/ahmaud-arbery-shooting-georgia.html">Ahmaud Arbery</a> fostering greater mistrust in urban public spaces.</p>
<p>To offset these landscapes of fear, a counter-narrative emerged, transforming streets into <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0084672419833448">spaces of sympathy</a> for vigils, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2056305118807911">protests</a> and marches. </p>
<p>That transformation is also apparent in the ongoing <a href="https://theconversation.com/iran-on-fire-once-again-women-are-on-the-vanguard-of-transformative-change-191297">protests in Iran</a>. The fight for freedom in public spaces has seen Iranian women leading protests against overbearing government control and many supporting these rights in public spaces around the world.</p>
<h2>Place is security</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/conversation-prof-yi-fu-tuan-coronavirus-pandemic-nature-smith/">Tuan’s concept of place</a> became all the more significant during lockdown. The sanctuary of our most important shelter, the home, was challenged by the threat of an invisible virus. </p>
<p>But home as a secure place is a privilege not all have. As COVID-19 spread, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ont-homeless-foi-1.6437578">hundreds fled homeless shelters</a>, for fear of contracting the virus. Our most vulnerable citizens, including those experiencing homelessness, lacked security in place. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/HCS-11-2020-0018">Government action</a> was needed, that for the time being, included <a href="https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/region-approves-first-ever-sanctioned-encampment-site-1.6033445">sanctioned encampment sites</a>. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Yi-Fu Tuan speaking at the University of California Santa Barbara in 2011.</span></figcaption>
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<p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2021/12/canada-welcomes-the-most-immigrants-in-a-single-year-in-its-history.html">Recent surges</a> in Canada’s immigration highlight how migrants too need safe spaces to develop a <a href="http://doi.org/10.1353/ces.2016.0001">sense of place</a>.</p>
<p>As a geographer, I have studied how people establish a sense of place through multicultural festivals, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14927713.2017.1366278">‘sensuous geographies’ and shared place identity</a>. These intimate connections of place and belonging contribute to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1853760">a sense of community</a>. But when so many events were cancelled throughout the pandemic it had a drastic impact on communities, affecting our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emospa.2022.100903">sense of place</a>, shared memories and emotional geographies.</p>
<p>Because of their loss of place and space, migrants especially need help to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2018.1552885">connect to places</a>. We could better assist them by understanding Tuan’s idea of <a href="http://cup.columbia.edu/book/topophilia/9780231073950">topophilia</a> — an intense sense of place based on social constructions and cultural identities.</p>
<p>Tuan said that we all have a <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/conversation-prof-yi-fu-tuan-coronavirus-pandemic-nature-smith/">deep need to connect</a> through our senses. The pandemic has highlighted our deep need to connect physically rather than virtually. We have yet to <a href="https://doi.org/10.5325/philrhet.53.3.0225">truly understand</a> its impact on our sense of place. With so many other sites closed, streets were re-imagined as places for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2020.1795386">dwelling, playing and connecting</a> rather than merely spaces of transport and mobility. </p>
<h2>Space is freedom</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/space-and-place"><em>Space and Place</em></a> is one of Tuan’s most highly referenced books. It’s a study about how people form emotional connections and attachments to their home, neighbourhood and nations, and how feelings about space and place are affected by time. What begins as undifferentiated space becomes place over time as we get to know it better and assign it value. A sense of place brings us security and safety, and we desire the need for openness and freedom in our space. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/timeline-of-convoy-protest-in-ottawa-1.6351432">The so-called freedom convoy in downtown Ottawa</a> highlighted Tuan’s notion of space being about freedom. While the encampment provided freedom to those who took part, it also <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8639780/freedom-convoy-ottawa-fear-future/">took freedom away</a> from residents whose everyday lives were suddenly restricted. </p>
<p>It took the safety and security away from residents who have a meaningful and deep sense of place there. The convoy raised questions about our democratic rights — whose freedoms were really being protected, whose were being denied and the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008423922000579">controversy over security and policing</a> in public places. </p>
<p>We could all learn from <a href="https://timcresswell.net/reflections-on-yi-fu-tuan/">Tuan’s thinking</a>. We must become humanistic caregivers of each other and the planet and avoid protectionist measures that perpetuate fear. Tuan was more concerned about what connected us, not what drove wedges between us. The intimate connection between space and place is highly nuanced. <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/space-and-place">“We are attached to one, and long for the other.”</a> </p>
<p>In these challenging times, we should all remember Yi-Fu Tuan and what makes us human first: the need for security in place and freedom in space.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189276/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kelley A. McClinchey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Yi-Fu Tuan, who died in August 2022, was considered the father of humanistic geography. His scholarship on our sense of space and place can tell us a great deal about the challenges we face today.Kelley A. McClinchey, Teaching Faculty, Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1813972022-09-08T12:31:30Z2022-09-08T12:31:30ZBuilding something better: How community organizing helps people thrive in challenging times<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483291/original/file-20220907-9329-1d1rn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=46%2C0%2C5184%2C3437&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Members of the Forward Marching Band perform at a HONK! Festival in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Oct. 7, 2017. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/members-of-the-forward-marching-band-perform-at-honk-news-photo/859831476">Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Americans don’t agree on much these days, but many feel that <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3609791-record-percentage-says-us-headed-in-wrong-direction-nbc-poll/">the U.S. is on the wrong track</a> and the future is bleak. In a time of <a href="https://www.ap.org/explore/divided-america/">unprecedented division</a>, <a href="https://equitablegrowth.org/the-u-s-economy-is-in-its-fourth-decade-of-rising-inequality-amid-the-need-for-more-accurate-data-on-its-consequences/">rising inequality</a> and intensifying <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/">climate change</a>, it’s easy to feel that progress is impossible. </p>
<p>In fact, models exist all around us for building safer and more equitable spaces where people can thrive. </p>
<p>We are sociologists who study <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=blnDgfIAAAAJ&hl=en">organizational systems</a>, political and economic institutions and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=9cA_KYAAAAAJ&hl=en">environmental justice</a>. In our new book, “<a href="https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/bucknell/building-something-better/9781978823686">Building Something Better: Environmental Crises and the Promise of Community Change</a>,” we explore how people adapt to crises and thrive in challenging times by working together.</p>
<p>The organizations that we profile are small, but they make big impacts by crafting alternatives to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/15/neoliberalism-ideology-problem-george-monbiot">neoliberal capitalism</a> – an approach to governing that uses austere economic ideas to organize society. Neoliberalism aims to put government in service of corporations through measures such as deregulating markets, privatizing industries and reducing public services.</p>
<p>Here are three groups we see building something better. </p>
<h2>Humans being, not humans buying</h2>
<p>Some groups build better systems by rejecting neoliberalism’s hyperindividualism. Individualistic logic tells people that they can make the biggest changes by <a href="https://medium.com/@parismarx/a-dollar-is-not-a-vote-53a194ebde44">voting with their dollars</a>. </p>
<p>But when people instead see how they can create real political changes as part of communities and collective systems, amazing things can happen. One example is the <a href="https://www.thundervalley.org/">Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation</a>, a nonprofit on the <a href="http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pwna_native_reservations_pineridge">Pine Ridge Reservation</a> in South Dakota, one of the poorest areas in the U.S. </p>
<p>This organization is led by and serves Lakota people who, like other Native nations, contend with <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/decolonize/2018/04/03/white-allies-lets-be-honest-about-decolonization">devastating structural inequalities</a> such as racism and poverty. These challenges are rooted in <a href="https://theconversation.com/settler-colonialism-helps-explain-current-events-in-xinjiang-and-ukraine-and-the-history-of-australia-and-us-too-176975">settler colonialism</a>, especially the Lakotas’ <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/11/02/1051146572/forced-relocation-native-american-tribes-vulnerable-climate-change-risks">loss of their tribal lands and displacement into less secure locations</a>. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation leaders describe how they are drawing on their people’s history and legacy to build a strong and healthy community .</span></figcaption>
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<p>Thunder Valley focuses on healing from daily traumas, such as poverty and high suicide rates. Its goals include <a href="https://www.thundervalley.org/initiatives/lakota-language-education">teaching the Lakota language</a> across generations, <a href="https://www.thundervalley.org/initiatives/youth-leadership">empowering young people</a> to become community leaders and promoting <a href="https://www.thundervalley.org/initiatives/food-sovereignty">food sovereignty</a> by raising food for the community in greenhouses and gardens. </p>
<p>Thunder Valley’s other programs are designed to create community and security in ways that lift up Lakota approaches. For example, its <a href="https://www.thundervalley.org/initiatives/housing-and-home-ownership">housing initiative</a> works to increase access to affordable housing and provides financial coaching. Homes are built and neighborhoods are designed according to Lakota traditions. The organization views home ownership as a way to strengthen community connections rather than simply building individual wealth. </p>
<p>Thunder Valley’s programs also include a demonstration farm and a <a href="https://www.thundervalley.org/initiatives/lakota-language-education">Lakota immersion Montessori school</a>. In 2015, President Barack Obama recognized the organization’s work to heal and build a multigenerational community as a <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2015/04/28/obama-administration-announces-eight-additional-promise-zones-build">Promise Zone</a> – a place building innovative collaborative spaces for community development. </p>
<h2>Claiming space by making music</h2>
<p>Brass and percussion street bands play for free in many U.S. communities. They form mainly in cities and are deeply linked to contemporary urban justice issues. </p>
<p>Acoustic and mobile, these bands play without stages to elevate them or sound systems separating musicians from audience. They invite crowds to join the fun. They may play alongside unions and grassroots groups at political protests, or in parades or community events. </p>
<p>The common factor is that they always perform in public spaces, where everyone can participate. Street bands create bridges across social divides and democratize spaces, while inviting play and camaraderie amid huge social challenges. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p45LoIJcPkQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Band leader and composer Jon Batiste leads a peaceful protest music march through the streets of New York on June 12, 2020, following the death of George Floyd while being detained by police in Minneapolis.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the 19th century, brass bands flourished all over the U.S. and Europe. In the U.S. South, street bands emerged from benevolent societies – social organizations that helped free and enslaved Black Americans cope with financial hardships. These groups eventually morphed into “<a href="https://musicrising.tulane.edu/discover/themes/social-aids-pleasure-clubs/">social aid and pleasure clubs</a>,” the forces behind New Orleans’ famous parades.</p>
<p>Today, the brass band movement convenes yearly through the <a href="https://honkfest.org/">HONK! Festival</a> in cities across the country such as Boston; Providence, Rhode Island; and <a href="http://honktx.org/">Austin, Texas</a>. Drawing on a <a href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2017/10/05/honk-fests-activist-roots">tradition of protest</a>, HONK! events are designed to assert that performers and ordinary people have a right to occupy public space, as well as to disrupt state or corporate events. </p>
<h2>Affordable community-based energy</h2>
<p>Other groups find ways to build economic systems that serve communities rather than private companies or industries. </p>
<p>That’s the goal of the <a href="https://indigenized.energy/">Indigenized Energy Initiative</a>, a community-owned, nonprofit solar cooperative in Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The organization was founded following protests on the Standing Rock Reservation against the <a href="https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/plains-treaties/dapl">Dakota Access Pipeline</a>, which carries oil from the Bakken formation in North Dakota to a terminal in Illinois. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.standingrock.org">Standing Rock Sioux Tribe</a> and its supporters opposed the pipeline, which crossed its ancestral lands and vital waterways, arguing that it violated treaties and <a href="https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/3/13/14854096/dakota-access-pipeline-tribal-sovereignty">tribal sovereignty</a>. The project was built, but opponents hope to shut it down through a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/22/us-supreme-court-dakota-access-pipeline">pending environmental review</a>.</p>
<p>Indigenized Energy’s executive director, Cody Two Bears, emerged from Standing Rock protests aiming to build the <a href="https://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/pv_solar/north-dakota-20190820">first solar farm in oil-dependent North Dakota</a>. The organization aims to provide low-cost solar energy for all community members, promoting energy independence. </p>
<p>Today, the Cannon Ball Community Solar Farm has 1,100 solar panels and a 300-kilowatt generating capacity – enough to power all of Cannon Ball’s homes. The farm sells its power into the state grid, earning enough to offset the electricity bills of the community’s veteran and youth centers. </p>
<p>Longer-term goals include building tribally owned transmission lines, installing solar panels on tribal homes and community buildings and expanding support for solar power in North Dakota. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1551976010924654597"}"></div></p>
<h2>Building better systems</h2>
<p>We see similarities among these organizations and others in our book. Initiatives like commmunity-owned solar cooperatives and collective models for home ownership and neighborhood planning aim to build economic systems that meet community needs and treat people equitably. Instead of finding answers in individual consumption or lifestyle changes, they build collective solutions. </p>
<p>At the same time, communities across the U.S. have different views of what constitutes a good life. In our view, acknowledging different experiences, goals and values is part of the work of building a shared future. </p>
<p>In recent years, many scholars have pointed out ways in which neoliberalism has failed to produce effective solutions to <a href="https://theconversation.com/neoliberalisms-failure-means-we-need-a-new-narrative-to-guide-global-economy-69096">economic</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-us-was-not-prepared-for-a-pandemic-free-market-capitalism-and-government-deregulation-may-be-to-blame-165295">health</a>, <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-environment-beyond-neoliberalism-delivering-sustainable-growth/">environmental</a> and other challenges. These critiques invite a deeper question: Are people capable of remaking the world to prioritize relationships with one another and with the planet, instead of relationships to wealth? We believe the cases in our book show clearly that the answer is yes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181397/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephanie Malin has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Colorado Water Center, the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (a branch of NIH), the Rural Sociological Society, and CSU School of Global Environmental Sustainability.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Meghan Elizabeth Kallman is a Democrat representing District 15 (Pawtucket, North Providence) in the Rhode Island Senate. She is a co-founder of Conceivable Future, a women-led network of Americans bringing awareness to the threat climate change poses to reproductive justice and demanding an end to US fossil fuel subsidies.</span></em></p>Organizers across the US are finding innovative grassroots strategies for helping people thrive. Many of these ventures emphasize working together as part of communities and collective systems.Stephanie Malin, Associate Professor of Sociology; Co-Founder, Center for Environmental Justice at CSU, Colorado State UniversityMeghan Elizabeth Kallman, Assistant Professor of International Development, UMass BostonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1880072022-08-16T20:04:28Z2022-08-16T20:04:28Z1 in 4 Australians is lonely. Quality green spaces in our cities offer a solution<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477162/original/file-20220802-22-th7gyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=69%2C2%2C1404%2C932&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Xiaoqi Feng</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00048674211031489">One in four</a> Australian adults feel lonely, and the impacts can be dire. Loneliness increases our risks of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764018776349">depression</a>, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00125-020-05258-6">diabetes</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568163718302472">dementia</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30789112/">self-harm</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29563886/">suicide</a>. But <a href="https://theconversation.com/loneliness-is-a-social-cancer-every-bit-as-alarming-as-cancer-itself-126741">likening it to a disease</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/26/pill-for-loneliness-psychology-science-medicine">proposals to treat it with a pill</a> miss the point: we’ve been building for loneliness over many decades and decision-makers have been asleep at the wheel.</p>
<p>Having studied the issue, we view loneliness as largely a product of our environment – what we call a “lonelygenic environment” – not a disease or a problem with any particular individual. So what is this “lonelygenic environment”? </p>
<p>Over decades, our cities have become sprawling low-density agglomerations. Many places are too far to walk from home. Short errands are routinely done by car, erasing opportunities to stop and chat with locals. </p>
<p>Large-scale felling of street trees has not only obliterated natural shade, but severed our connection with the “more than human” world. Car traffic dominates residential roads, which are also clogged with parked cars. </p>
<p>We have lost the people-friendly streets that we once used for regularly gathering, playing and celebrating with neighbours. No wonder we now <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-29/older-australians-more-likely-know-their-neighbours-by-name/100156872?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web">know so few by name</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/japans-old-enough-and-australias-bluey-remind-us-our-kids-are-no-longer-free-range-but-we-can-remake-our-neighbourhoods-187698">Japan's Old Enough and Australia's Bluey remind us our kids are no longer ‘free range’ – but we can remake our neighbourhoods</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>If the determinants of loneliness are largely environmental, so too must be the solutions. Yet we hear so little about this. </p>
<h2>How much difference can green space make?</h2>
<p>In a previous <a href="https://theconversation.com/peoples-odds-of-loneliness-could-fall-by-up-to-half-if-cities-hit-30-green-space-targets-161989">Conversation article</a>, we suggested investing in public green space is part of the solution to the epidemic of loneliness. The article was based on our <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/51/1/99/6289969">longitudinal study</a> that reported a greening target of 30% local landcover could cut the odds of becoming lonely by a quarter. Among people living alone, who tend to be more vulnerable to loneliness, green space cut those odds by up to a half.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1402817312185405445"}"></div></p>
<p>But how can green space reduce loneliness? That’s the focus of our new <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969722046198">review</a> of studies from around the world. Two-thirds of the studies found green space potentially protected people against loneliness. </p>
<p>Our review identified multiple pathways for reducing loneliness. These included:</p>
<ol>
<li>building capacities for connection with community</li>
<li>restoring our sense of belonging and connection with nature</li>
<li>reducing harms, such as <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1718503115">violence</a>, that may otherwise lead to loneliness.</li>
</ol>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479284/original/file-20220816-22-7kvf9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479284/original/file-20220816-22-7kvf9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479284/original/file-20220816-22-7kvf9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479284/original/file-20220816-22-7kvf9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479284/original/file-20220816-22-7kvf9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479284/original/file-20220816-22-7kvf9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479284/original/file-20220816-22-7kvf9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479284/original/file-20220816-22-7kvf9o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Domains of pathways linking contact with green space to the risk of loneliness.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969722046198?via%3Dihub">Excerpt from Figure 2 in Astell-Burt et al (2022)</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The quality of the green space matters</h2>
<p>During the COVID-19 pandemic we undertook a nationally representative <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/21/11028">survey</a> and found the odds of connecting with neighbours were five times higher for people who visited high-quality green space than for those who didn’t or couldn’t. </p>
<p>Related benefits were also much stronger if green spaces were higher quality. For example, exercise and relief from stress were both more commonly reported by people visiting higher-quality green spaces. </p>
<p><audio preload="metadata" controls="controls" data-duration="2043" data-image="" data-title="Callan Park – the green asylum, featuring an interview with Xiaoqi Feng (23:50-28:46 & 31:54-33:16)" data-size="49039822" data-source="Source: Inner West Icons" data-source-url="https://www.innerwesticons.com/episodes/callanpark" data-license="" data-license-url="">
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</audio>
<div class="audio-player-caption">
Callan Park – the green asylum, featuring an interview with Xiaoqi Feng (23:50-28:46 & 31:54-33:16)
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.innerwesticons.com/episodes/callanpark">Source: Inner West Icons</a><span class="download"><span>46.8 MB</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/audio/2571/callan-20park-20final-20mix-20update-converted.mp3">(download)</a></span></span>
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<p>Quality was defined by participants’ views on things such as access, aesthetics, facilities, incivilities (e.g. litter, disrepair) and safety. Perceptions are important because the qualities of a green space need to resonate for people to visit them. </p>
<p>Regular visits to green spaces foster attachment and belonging. These spaces permit quiet contemplation in solitude, but also bring people together and connect people with nature. They become revered as settings for gatherings, bonding, cheering and shared memory-making.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-we-find-making-new-friends-so-hard-as-adults-171740">Why do we find making new friends so hard as adults?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uH0WZZjHMBA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">World Urban Parks Congress presentations on NSW government investments in green space (by Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon) and associated health and community benefits (by Professor Thomas Astell-Burt)</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By encouraging relaxation and playfulness – which can be frowned upon in other settings – green spaces may also enable connection for people who otherwise find it difficult, such as those with highly introverted <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935121018922">personalities</a>. </p>
<p>The psychologically restorative benefits of green space are now <a href="https://landscapeaustralia.com/articles/evidencing-the-benefits-of-green-space/">well-documented</a>. Green spaces such as <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(06)69920-0/fulltext">healing gardens</a> can serve as therapeutic landscapes, offering refuge and respite for those experiencing loneliness, which can stem from some form of trauma. While usually provided for patients, these settings might also offer sanctuaries for health professionals experiencing <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1039856220965045">burnout</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/4-ways-we-can-recover-from-the-loneliness-of-the-covid-pandemic-187856">4 ways we can recover from the loneliness of the COVID pandemic</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The bottom line is that higher-quality green space maximises opportunities for both social connection and health. While our previous <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-14-292">research</a> and other studies highlight inequities in access to green space, we must pay even more attention to inequities in the quality of green space. </p>
<h2>Consult communities to get it right</h2>
<p>This may all sound like we think the impacts of green space are universally positive; we don’t. For instance, many studies in countries such as <a href="https://www.sjdr.se/articles/10.16993/sjdr.50/">Denmark</a>, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/4/2018">Poland</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33440760/">New Zealand</a> report that some people with disabilities, who are already vulnerable to loneliness, face significant barriers to visiting green spaces and may feel “out of place” within them. </p>
<p>Other research indicates that the creation or regeneration of green spaces in communities may be associated with <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0309132518803799?journalCode=phgb">disempowerment and dispossession</a>, by making nearby housing less affordable.</p>
<p>In other words, a nearby green space that is highly attractive and a source of joy for some people may for others be a symbol of processes that aggravate loneliness and perpetuate misery. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/In6JMOx47DE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">PBS News Hour: How ‘green gentrification’ is pricing out longtime East Boston residents.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That is why community views on the design of green space really matter. Consultation is key to ensure everyone feels meaningfully engaged in the process. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.powerlab.site/">program of work</a>, and our new <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969722046198">review</a> in particular, shows green space qualities depend on the context, preferences and needs of local residents. It is clear we need local networks of green spaces that provide something of value for everyone.</p>
<p>Finally, the process of urban greening itself can help counter loneliness by empowering communities to actively participate in creating and maintaining local green spaces. This has been done successfully over decades by the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney’s <a href="https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/learn/community-greening">Community Greening program</a>. By bringing people together to create green spaces, the garden has been quietly showing us the solution to our lonelygenic environment all along.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V-feCm1FDF8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Community greening activities at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.</span></figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188007/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Xiaoqi Feng works for the University of New South Wales and has received research funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the National Heart Foundation of Australia, and Hort Innovation Ltd.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Astell-Burt works for the University of Wollongong and has received research funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the National Heart Foundation of Australia, and Hort Innovation Ltd.</span></em></p>When the pandemic hit, green space was there for us at a time when others weren’t or couldn’t be. Urban greening might be the solution to the ‘lonelygenic environment’ that our cities have created.Xiaoqi Feng, Associate Professor in Urban Health and Environment; NHMRC Career Development Fellow, UNSW SydneyThomas Astell-Burt, Professor of Population Health and Environmental Data Science, NHMRC Boosting Dementia Research Leadership Fellow, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1840792022-07-05T09:04:51Z2022-07-05T09:04:51ZCities: how urban design can make people less likely to use public spaces<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/471166/original/file-20220627-24-rujbd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=41%2C0%2C4618%2C3055&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">We only feel free to use spaces that we can identify with. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-man-back-flip-parkour-urban-648917863">Vagengeim | Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Urban beautification campaigns are usually sold to local residents as a way to improve <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43028866">their daily lives</a>. Design elements – from lighting systems to signs, benches, bollards, fountains and planters, and sometimes even surveillance equipment – are used to refurbish and embellish public spaces. </p>
<p>Designers refer to these elements as “urban furniture”. And the projects they’re used in are usually aimed at increasing social interaction, heightening safety, improving accessibility and generally making life in the city better.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.03.004">Some research argues</a>, however, that such <a href="https://pure.port.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/21226980/2019.09.09_PhD_thesis_JALH_.pdf">beautification campaigns can result</a> in public urban spaces becoming <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330910459_Temporary_Appropriation_of_Public_Space_As_an_Emergence_Assemblage_for_the_Future_Urban_Landscape_The_Case_of_Mexico_City">more exclusive</a>. Despite the promises with which they are marketed, if these projects <a href="https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/publications/temporary-appropriation-of-cities-human-spatialisation-in-public-">disregard what local people need</a>, they can feel less able, or willing, to make use of these spaces.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An urban canal pathway seen at sunset." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/471146/original/file-20220627-23-615e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/471146/original/file-20220627-23-615e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/471146/original/file-20220627-23-615e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/471146/original/file-20220627-23-615e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/471146/original/file-20220627-23-615e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/471146/original/file-20220627-23-615e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/471146/original/file-20220627-23-615e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cheonggyecheon canal, in Seoul, South Korea.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/oct-27-2013-seoul-south-korea-1151130620">PixHound | Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Cities aren’t only identified by their monuments or signature buildings. You can tell New York City and Palermo apart just by looking at what people are doing in public. A New York scene is more likely to feature someone on a skateboard eating a burrito, while a Palermo image might include a group of men in a street watching a football match on television through a shop window. </p>
<p>Urban space is where city children learn and play, students read and people work, walk and relax. It is through these different activities that any single city’s urban culture is created. </p>
<p>Quite what city spaces <a href="https://theconversation.com/sunshine-coast-shows-the-way-to-create-good-design-loved-by-communities-and-put-an-end-to-eyesores-140348">look like</a> is down to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334374615_Urban_Design_and_Urbanism">urban design</a>, a powerful tool. </p>
<p>Architects, infrastructural and spatial designers carefully configure the built environment – the constructed fabric of our cities – and this has a lasting <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/83937579.pdf">effect</a> on how we use or inhabit them.</p>
<p>In cities around the globe – from Algiers, Auckland and Chicago to Hanoi, <a href="http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?pid=S0188-25032015000100001&script=sci_abstract">Mexico City</a> and Seoul – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.03.004">research shows</a> that transforming public spaces <a href="https://pure.port.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/21226980/2019.09.09_PhD_thesis_JALH_.pdf">markedly affects</a> the diversity of what people do in them, and whether they use them. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.journalpublicspace.org/index.php/jps/article/view/1254/767">In Algiers</a>, the Algerian capital, neighbourhoods were formally designed in the 1970s in a rigid modernist style. Design elements including shady trees, benches and lights at night made people feel comfortable carrying out activities such as playing cards or gathering to chat, but huge buildings, wide streets and large spaces also caused people to feel insecure and <a href="https://www.journalpublicspace.org/index.php/jps/article/view/1254">lost</a>.
Further, the land was landscaped in the kind of homogenous way characteristic of other big cities including Los Angeles, Auckland and Sydney. These <a href="https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/place-and-placelessness/book249276">large-scale and non-contextual</a> designs have also been linked to antisocial behaviour.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330910459_Temporary_Appropriation_of_Public_Space_As_an_Emergence_Assemblage_for_the_Future_Urban_Landscape_The_Case_of_Mexico_City">Research</a> conducted in the historic <a href="http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0188-70172013000200003">Alameda Central Park</a> neighbourhood of <a href="http://www.ub.edu/geocrit/coloquio2014/Victor%20Delgadillo.pdf">Mexico City</a> highlight similar patterns of <a href="https://theconversation.com/urban-planning-as-a-tool-of-white-supremacy-the-other-lesson-from-minneapolis-142249">exclusion</a> caused by how a neighbourhood was redesigned. </p>
<p>After the area was transformed in 2013, there was a notable decline in the diversity of the activities people undertook there (family and religious gatherings; street art; music; informal vendors). Instead, the law now prioritises touristic activity over local people’s everyday needs and allows the authorities to operate a zero-tolerance approach towards anything deemed disruptive. Vendors have become nomadic, packing up and hiding as soon as the police are nearby. </p>
<p>In the <a href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/progressingplanning/2021/11/29/claiming-their-right-to-the-city-resisting-redevelopment-induced-gentrification-in-seoul-korea/">Cheonggyecheon-Euljiro area</a> of Seoul, South Korea, meanwhile, redevelopment led to 50-year-old workshops being torn down. This in turn has threatened the historical and cultural values of the local population and disrupted social networks.</p>
<h2>How cities are co-created</h2>
<p>In his 1968 book, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328491674_Henri_Lefebvre_and_the_Right_to_the_City">The Right to the City</a>, the French Marxist philosopher and sociologist Henri Lefebvre described the city as a co-created space. This contrasts with the more capitalist definition in which urban space is <a href="https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/217887/1/217887.pdf">a commodity</a> to be bought and sold, Lefebvre saw it as a meeting place where citizens collectively built urban life. </p>
<p>This idea that public space is a public good that belongs to everybody has been increasingly challenged in recent years, with the rise of <a href="https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/art-architecture-design/you-cant-sit-us-rise-privately-owned-public-spaces">privately owned public space</a>. Most of the parks in London (roughly 42 kilometres squared) of green space in total) are owned by the City of London Corporation, the municipal body that governs the City of London, but increasingly squares within new developments are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jul/24/revealed-pseudo-public-space-pops-london-investigation-map">owned by corporations</a>. </p>
<p>Urban theorists have long noted the connection between how a city is designed and how life is conducted within it. The US scholar <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/11/the-prophecies-of-jane-jacobs/501104/">Jane Jacobs</a> is famous for highlighting that cities fail when they are not designed for everyone. And Danish architect <a href="https://gehlpeople.com/">Jan Gehl</a>’s output has consistently focused on what he has termed the “life between buildings”. </p>
<p>As Gehl <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL_RYm8zs28">has explained</a>, for a city to be good to its residents, those in charge of designing it have to be aware of how it is being used: what people are doing in its spaces. To be successful, urban designs have to be focused on and geared towards people’s daily lives. Gehl has explained that designing a city for pedestrians – at a walkable scale – is how you make it healthy, sustainable, lively and attractive.</p>
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<p>When we use public spaces, even if only on a short-term basis, we are effectively <a href="https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/temporaryappropriation(62a30252-cbb1-457a-b751-52b66176d8d7).html">appropriating them</a>: <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-32120-8">urban designers</a> and <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429331701-19/understanding-temporary-appropriation-streetscape-design-antonio-lara-hernandez-yazid-khemri-alessandro-melis">architects</a> talk about <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-32120-8">“temporary appropriation”</a> to describe the individual or group activities with which we invest these spaces. </p>
<p>Research has also highlighted how <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.71417!/file/7woolley.pdf">democratic</a> this can be. But it is contingent on those spaces being designed in consort with residents. When a public space, by contrast, is overly designed without people’s needs being taken into account, it does not get used.</p>
<p>Since the 1970s, urban theorists <a href="https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000055743">have highlighted</a> that we only make use of those public spaces where we feel <a href="https://core.ac.uk/reader/82653560">represented</a>. For urban design to work, paying heed to <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-how-to-give-people-a-greater-say-in-their-cities-62672">what local people actually think</a> of their city is crucial.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/184079/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Cities are defined as much by their buildings as what people do in between them. Designing them comes with great responsibility.Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez, Senior Researcher in Architecture, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1652832021-09-09T12:25:43Z2021-09-09T12:25:43ZHow to design a public play space where kids practice reading and STEM skills<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417893/original/file-20210825-19-1rw1oab.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C26%2C8674%2C5748&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A spinning wall puzzle helps kids develop spatial skills and understand how different objects relate to one another.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://playfullearninglandscapes.com/project/urban-thinkscape/">Sahar Coston-Hardy Photography</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A park bench can be so much more than just a place to sit and wait. Perhaps it has a puzzle built into it, or weights that allow children to make measurements. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=KhghzJQAAAAJ&hl=en">researchers</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5KTeq2UAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">who study the connections</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ldmeUl0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">between play and development</a>, we are interested in how reimagining public spaces can infuse playful learning opportunities into children’s time spent outside of school. </p>
<p>In a July 2021 article we wrote for the peer-reviewed journal Trends in Cognitive Science, we outline how experts can help communities create fun public spaces <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2021.07.001">where children can learn as they play</a>.</p>
<p>To support children’s learning, public play spaces need to be designed in line with the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2021.07.001">six principles of learning</a>, which reflect how children <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01124/full">absorb new information</a> most effectively.</p>
<p>According to the six principles, activities should be active or “minds-on,” not passive. They should require participants be engaged, not distracted. They should be meaningful, connecting to kids’ previous experiences and knowledge. They should prompt social interaction with caregivers and friends. They should be iterative – updating understanding based on new information – rather than repetitive. And finally, they should be joyful and generate positive feelings or a sense of surprise. </p>
<p>The following public space projects illustrate how these principles come to life. We provided scientific consultation for the first two projects, and this work helped inspire the creation of the nonprofit <a href="https://playfullearninglandscapes.com/">Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network</a>.</p>
<h2>Urban Thinkscape bus stop</h2>
<p>In the <a href="https://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Belmont-Philadelphia-PA.html">Belmont neighborhood</a> of Philadelphia, an installation called <a href="http://urbanthinkscape.com/">Urban Thinkscape</a> transformed a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2019.1673753">bus stop</a> into a space for playful learning. </p>
<p>In concert with a <a href="https://www.belmontalliance.org/">neighborhood civic association</a>, a group of psychologists and architect Itai Palti, director of architecture and design practice <a href="https://hume.space/">Hume</a>, teamed up with community members, city leaders and nonprofits to redesign a <a href="https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=82485">plot of land</a> where Martin Luther King Jr. led the <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/philly/blogs/attytood/320435182.html">Freedom Now rally</a> in 1965. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417896/original/file-20210825-19-6152jc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Boy jumps on path at playground" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417896/original/file-20210825-19-6152jc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417896/original/file-20210825-19-6152jc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417896/original/file-20210825-19-6152jc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417896/original/file-20210825-19-6152jc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417896/original/file-20210825-19-6152jc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417896/original/file-20210825-19-6152jc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417896/original/file-20210825-19-6152jc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">An updated version of hopscotch gets kids to jump in different patterns.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://playfullearninglandscapes.com/project/urban-thinkscape/">Sahar Coston-Hardy Photography</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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<p>“Stories” consists of a climbable wooden deck with embedded images of familiar objects, like a book and the sun, designed to help kids create and narrate original stories. “Hidden Figures” is a metal sculpture with hidden images like fruit and shapes designed to exercise spatial skills. By reading the shadows on the ground, families can find figures that shift as the sun moves across the sky. “Jumping Feet” is a version of hopscotch that requires executive function skills like attention, memory and self-control. And the “Puzzle Wall” is a series of four puzzles featuring different images of important figures and events chosen by the neighborhood civic association. It also fosters spatial skills. </p>
<p>The project involved hiring and training community members to observe adults and children using the space. They found that caregivers and children at the location <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2021.07.001">interacted more</a> – both with one another and with the space – than they did before the installation was created. In fact, the level of interaction was similar to that at a neighborhood playground a few blocks away.</p>
<h2>Play-and-Learn libraries</h2>
<p>Also in Philadelphia, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2020.101002">Play-and-Learn Spaces</a> reimagined three children’s library spaces.</p>
<p>The design process, led by <a href="https://www.studioludo.org">Studio Ludo</a> and <a href="http://www.digsau.com/">Digsau</a> and assisted by <a href="https://smithplayground.org/">Smith Playground</a>, began by inviting families who regularly visit the libraries to reenvision what a children’s library could be. One of the installations is a climbing wall where children create words by climbing different paths up the wall’s surface. Another involves seating with large movable puzzle pieces. And the third is a stage with <a href="https://www.studioludo.org/projects/Free-Library-Play-and-Learn-Spaces">magnetic letters</a> where children can create stories on the wall.</p>
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<span class="caption">A spelling climbing wall at the Cecil B. Moore public library in Philadelphia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://playfullearninglandscapes.com/project/play-and-learn/">Halkin Mason</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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<p>By observing how people used the spaces, researchers found that adults and children in the Play-and-Learn spaces <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2021.07.001">had more literacy-related conversations</a>, such as sounding out and spelling words, and used more spatial talk, such as talking about objects being “over” or “under” other objects, compared with libraries where Play-and-Learn Spaces were not installed. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2021.07.001">installations also increased</a> positive emotions and physical interactions, and decreased use of cellphones and tablets.</p>
<h2>MathTalk sidewalks</h2>
<p>A final example comes from the Port neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the nonprofit <a href="https://math-talk.com/">MathTalk</a> and community members co-designed six temporary play sites for a neighborhood sidewalk. For example, a Gigantic Number Line stimulated counting and measurement talk by presenting opportunities to measure the length of items in the environment and play games like Simon says. Sidewalk Math encouraged children to hop, jump and skip to learn more about counting and patterns.</p>
<p>MathTalk interviewed and observed community members using the site and documented how the activities supported math conversations and learning. Based on the project’s <a href="https://earlymath.erikson.edu/mathtalk-leaders-illustrate-how-efforts-can-transform-neighborhoods/">successes in encouraging families to find math in everyday places</a>, MathTalk has since expanded into libraries, health clinics and other spaces.</p>
<p>By working with local communities and basing designs on the six pillars of learning, these locations serve as models of how neighborhoods can create new family-friendly play sites in everyday spaces.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/165283/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brenna Hassinger-Das received funding from The William Penn Foundation for the Urban Thinkscape and Play-and-Learn spaces projects named in the article. She consults with the LEGO Foundation. She is a Science Adviser and consults with the Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jennifer M. Zosh received funding from The William Penn Foundation for the Play-and-Learn spaces project and was on the Project Advisory Board for the Urban Thinkscape project named in this article. She consults with the LEGO Foundation. She is a Science Adviser and consults with the Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kathy Hirsh-Pasek receives funding from NIH, NSF, LEGO and the William Penn Foundation. She is affiliated with the Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network. </span></em></p>Scientists and local communities can work together to design interactive play spaces that build math and literacy skills.Brenna Hassinger-Das, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Pace University Jennifer M. Zosh, Professor of Human Development & Family Studies, Penn StateKathy Hirsh-Pasek, Professor of Psychology, Temple UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1574242021-06-22T20:01:46Z2021-06-22T20:01:46ZSmart street furniture in Australia: a public service or surveillance and advertising tool?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407173/original/file-20210618-17-15ai7v7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4896%2C3239&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A smart light pole in the UK can also recognise faces and numberplates and detect speeding.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ekin_Spotter.jpg">Nazlika/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Smart street furniture – powered and digitally networked furniture that collects and generates data – is arriving in Australia. It comes in a variety of forms, including benches, kiosks, <a href="https://competition.adesignaward.com/design.php?ID=61809">light poles</a> and bus stops. Early examples in Australia include <a href="https://www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/Council/About-Your-Council/Smart-Cities/Smart-ChillOUT-Hubs">ChillOUT Hubs</a> installed by Georges River Council in the Sydney suburbs of Kogarah, Hurstville and Mortdale, and information kiosks and smart light poles in the City of Newcastle as part of its <a href="https://newcastle.nsw.gov.au/smarter-living">Smart City Strategy</a>. </p>
<p>The “smartness” of this street furniture comes from its new data and connectivity capabilities. The idea is that these can generate new products and services, and support real-time planning decisions in cities. Most offer free wi-fi in combination with other functions like advertising, <a href="https://segd.org/what-wayfinding#:%7E:text=Wayfindingrefers%20to%20information%20systems,educational%20campuses%2Cand%20transportationfacilities.">wayfinding</a>, emergency buttons, phone calling and device charging via USB. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sensors-in-public-spaces-can-help-create-cities-that-are-both-smart-and-sociable-93473">Sensors in public spaces can help create cities that are both smart and sociable</a>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404954/original/file-20210607-130403-puzf88.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404954/original/file-20210607-130403-puzf88.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=763&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404954/original/file-20210607-130403-puzf88.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=763&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404954/original/file-20210607-130403-puzf88.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=763&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404954/original/file-20210607-130403-puzf88.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404954/original/file-20210607-130403-puzf88.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404954/original/file-20210607-130403-puzf88.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A ChillOUT Hub installed in Timothy Reserve, Hurstville, by St Georges River Council.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Chris Chesher</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<h2>Smart, but controversial</h2>
<p>The promise of smart street furniture is that it will enhance public spaces and revitalise ageing infrastructure. By providing vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens with access to free connectivity services it can also bridge digital barriers. </p>
<p>Despite these benefits, some aspects of smart street furniture are controversial. In particular, its data collection and impact on public space have created concerns. </p>
<p>In New York City, the replacement of phone booths by <a href="https://www.link.nyc/">LinkNYC</a> digital kiosks has given rise to protest about <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/03/nyclu-raises-linknyc-privacy-concerns.html">data ownership and sharing</a> and <a href="https://gothamist.com/news/yes-linknyc-kiosks-are-giant-data-harvesting-surveillance-cameras-obviously">surveillance through built-in security cameras</a>. Other sources of tension are the kiosks’ physical footprint, visual impact and use for outdoor advertising with its double-sided 140cm digital displays.</p>
<p>In Australia, Telstra has been fighting a <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/telstra-loses-battle-to-install-supersized-phone-booths-across-major-cities-20210416-p57jri.html">long court case</a> against the cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane over plans to convert its phone booths into smart hubs equipped with digital advertising. Councils objected to these on the basis that they required local planning approval. Telstra argued the hubs were exempt as “<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2020C00305">low-impact facilities</a>”, but has had to delay installation. </p>
<h2>What can we learn from early adopters overseas?</h2>
<p>We don’t yet understand the public impact and value of smart street furniture, what service model is to be adopted at scale, or what kind of future it offers. To what extent are these facilities offering public services, or are they just enablers of more advertising and surveillance? </p>
<p>Australia can learn from the early examples of smart street furniture in other countries. Our <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/our-research/research-areas/literature-art-and-media/smart-publics.html">Smart Publics research project</a> investigated the design, use and governance of InLinkUK kiosks in Glasgow and Strawberry Energy smart benches in London with a <a href="https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/research/projects/smartpublics/">research team</a> at the University of Glasgow. (The final report is <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/content/dam/corporate/documents/faculty-of-arts-and-social-sciences/research/research-areas/literature-art-and-media/smart-publics-research-report.pdf">here</a>.)</p>
<p>We found the main users were those who were living rough, young people, students and gig workers. Smart furniture enabled these groups to stay digitally connected. They used these facilities to charge their phones and make free calls, which were especially valuable for those who didn’t own phones or lacked the credit to use them. (The InLinkUK kiosks offered free calls to any mobile or landline in the UK.)</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-we-stop-people-falling-through-the-gaps-in-a-digitally-connected-city-53810">How do we stop people falling through the gaps in a digitally connected city?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407366/original/file-20210621-35174-j5yk5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407366/original/file-20210621-35174-j5yk5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=930&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407366/original/file-20210621-35174-j5yk5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=930&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407366/original/file-20210621-35174-j5yk5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=930&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407366/original/file-20210621-35174-j5yk5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1168&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407366/original/file-20210621-35174-j5yk5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1168&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407366/original/file-20210621-35174-j5yk5g.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1168&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An InLinkUK kiosk in Glasgow city centre.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Smart Publics researchers</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Who is funding these facilities?</h2>
<p>Even though kiosks and smart benches could be used for community service information, we found it was commercial advertising that drove private investment in this infrastructure. Advertising revenue paid for the services offered by the InLinkUK kiosks and sponsorship for the Strawberry Energy benches. Advertising agency Primesight was one of the three main partners in InLinkUK (with <a href="https://www.bt.com/">British Telecom</a> and <a href="https://www.intersection.com/success-story/link/">Intersection</a>, the company responsible for LinkNYC). </p>
<p>Because advertising was so prominent in their design, many people were unaware of their other functions. Asked if they’d noticed the InLinks, one person replied: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Er no, I haven’t […] what’s it for? Is it to make free calls to anywhere in the UK? […] I just thought it was like an advertising board, I guess!”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>People recognised the wide public value of free wi-fi, device charging and phone calls. But we found the public as a whole didn’t understand the data-collection aspects. The marginalised groups who relied on these services were more exposed to corporate advertising, data collection and surveillance in public spaces.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-friendly-furniture-in-public-places-matters-more-than-ever-in-todays-city-83568">People-friendly furniture in public places matters more than ever in today's city</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Councils were also limited in their ability to leverage the benefits that came from the data. The Strawberry Energy benches, for example, collected environmental data such as temperature, noise level and air quality from inbuilt sensors. However, these data weren’t being used to inform planning or policy. </p>
<p>Reliability of the data was another issue. We found inaccuracies when we tested the environmental data.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404957/original/file-20210607-121132-1w1293v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404957/original/file-20210607-121132-1w1293v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404957/original/file-20210607-121132-1w1293v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404957/original/file-20210607-121132-1w1293v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404957/original/file-20210607-121132-1w1293v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404957/original/file-20210607-121132-1w1293v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404957/original/file-20210607-121132-1w1293v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Strawberry Energy smart bench in Southwark, South London.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Smart Publics researchers</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Where to now in Australia?</h2>
<p>These issues highlight some of the challenges councils encounter when embarking on smart street furniture initiatives with private companies. These include data-sharing contract arrangements as well as the need to upskill council staff to manage new kinds of data capabilities and systems.</p>
<p>The examples we studied in the UK had been rolled out in public-private partnerships. However, some of the models emerging suggest a different kind of civic implementation. </p>
<p>Local governments that have been early adopters of smart furniture in Australia have envisioned it as an extension of council services without added advertising or compromising heritage values. These have typically begun as experimental initiatives funded by <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/cities/smart-cities/plan/index.aspx">federal</a> and state government grants. The City of Newcastle, for example, is planning to integrate smart city technologies into regular council operations. </p>
<p>Smart street furniture is not going away. If anything, it will become pervasive as technology advances and becomes more integrated into our physical surroundings. </p>
<p>The issues raised by smart street furniture warrant close inspection and further research. It is crucial that governments and private actors are transparent about its use for advertising and data collection. To ensure the benefits of smart street furniture are realised, they need to:</p>
<ul>
<li>emphasise the public value of smart street furniture, including its use for community-based information</li>
<li>collaborate with the public on its design and placement</li>
<li>in the case of councils, take a pro-active approach to access, ownership and stewardship of data</li>
<li>ensure marginalised citizens are not exposed to increased risk of surveillance and data harms.</li>
</ul><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157424/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Justine Humphry received funding for the Smart Publics research project from the University of Sydney-University of Glasgow Partnership Collaboration Award.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Chesher received funding for the Smart Publics research project from the University of Sydney-University of Glasgow Partnership Collaboration Award.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sophia Maalsen receives funding from the Australian Research Council and for the Smart Publics research project from the University of Sydney-University of Glasgow Partnership Collaboration Award.</span></em></p>Smart street furniture can do a lot of things at once. Some of these functions offer the public clear benefits, but the data collection and surveillance capabilities raise a number of concerns.Justine Humphry, Senior Lecturer in Digital Cultures, University of SydneyChris Chesher, Senior Lecturer in Digital Cultures, University of SydneySophia Maalsen, ARC DECRA Fellow and Lecturer in Urbanism, School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1622362021-06-21T12:21:25Z2021-06-21T12:21:25ZAs urban life resumes, can US cities avert gridlock?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407086/original/file-20210617-15-1jy2mcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=58%2C0%2C6479%2C4248&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It's back: Rush-hour traffic in Los Angeles on June 15, 2021.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/los-angeles-californiajune-15-2021traffic-has-returned-to-news-photo/1233490475">Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Traffic is so ubiquitous in U.S. cities that until recently, imagining urban life without it meant <a href="https://archive.curbed.com/2020/1/29/21112477/car-free-in-america">looking to other nations for examples</a>. Then, in 2020, COVID-19 closures and lockdowns took drivers off the roads. The thought experiment became real. </p>
<p>The main impacts are clear. First, public transit ridership plummeted by 80%, leaving mainly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242476">lower-income workers in jobs declared essential</a> riding buses, subways and commuter trains.</p>
<p>Second, <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/coronavirus-has-shown-us-a-world-without-traffic-can-we-sustain-it/">private vehicular traffic declined</a> by more than 50% in most metro areas, and by more than 75% in some tech-oriented cities such as San Francisco, where more people could work from home. With less traffic, cities became quieter, less polluted. People could hear birdsong for the first time. Air quality improved. Skies were clearer. </p>
<p>Surprisingly, however, <a href="https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813115">traffic accidents did not lessen</a>. Though fewer people were driving, average speed levels increased with emptier roads. Distracted driving also increased, with more drivers <a href="https://allongeorgia.com/georgia-public-safety/study-32-of-drivers-admit-texting-emailing-while-driving/">texting, emailing</a> and <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191204005623/en/Holiday-Drivers-Unable-to-Resist-Shopping-While-Driving-Says-New-Root-Report">shopping</a> while behind the wheel. Overconfidence, speed and distraction led to an increase in accidents.</p>
<p>Third, quiet roads provided an opportunity to reimagine and create less car-centric cities. From Boston to Los Angeles, <a href="https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/somerville-journal/2021/06/09/somervilles-street-cafes-stay-for-now/7544689002/">street eateries blossomed</a>. Diners, pedestrians and cyclists <a href="https://theconversation.com/city-dwellers-gained-more-access-to-public-spaces-during-the-pandemic-can-they-keep-it-155016">reclaimed outdoor spaces</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man and child ride bikes past a street closure sign." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407091/original/file-20210617-19-zjxhnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Oakland, California, closed 74 miles of streets in the spring of 2020 to give people safe spaces to get outdoors and exercise.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VirusOutbreakCaliforniaClosures/9b811b7262214271ab6fe8399fd3fa54/photo">AP Photo/Jeff Chiu</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As states lift pandemic restrictions and workers debate <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/09/1004862350/-why-do-we-have-to-go-back-to-the-office-employees-are-divided-about-returning">whether to return to office settings</a>, will these trends continue? As a scholar who <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=oMPNYhQAAAAJ&hl=en">researches cities</a>, I expect the following key factors to shape what post-pandemic traffic looks like. </p>
<h2>Public transit in crisis</h2>
<p>Public transportation finances <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22168191/public-transit-funding-future-covid">took a big hit</a> during the pandemic as ridership shrank. Many cities responded by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/06/nyregion/mass-transit-service-cuts-covid.html">reducing bus and train service, eliminating routes and laying off employees</a>. Whether urban public transportation can recover over the longer term is a critical question. </p>
<p>So far, surveys suggest that more affluent riders are <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci4040050">less willing to return</a>, especially if they can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2020.100216">work productively from home</a>.
There is still a lingering sense that public transportation, and indeed all ride-sharing, is riskier than walking, cycling or personal auto travel.</p>
<p>Any longer-term declines in the quality of public transportation will be disproportionately shouldered by lower-income workers, who have less choice and will be forced to navigate more expensive, less reliable services. The ripple effects on <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-17/where-pandemic-cuts-to-subways-and-buses-persist">access to employment opportunities</a>, commuting times and general quality of life could be severe, adding yet another layer to mounting inequality in U.S. society. </p>
<p>Public transportation already was <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-u-s-unwilling-to-pay-for-good-public-transportation-56788">chronically underfunded</a> in the U.S. before 2020, and the pandemic only added to these fiscal woes. However, the scale of the current crisis may be changing attitudes, especially at the federal level. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Subway car with two riders." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407092/original/file-20210617-25-1x36mc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Passengers on a Metro train in Washington, D.C., on April 23, 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/PublicTransitsFuture/31c13ab7955b4b8782872a94e4108f0f/photo">AP Photo/Patrick Semansky</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Public transportation received a <a href="https://www.transit.dot.gov/cares-act">fiscal boost</a> from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act, that Congress passed in March 2020. And President Joe Biden has proposed US$85 billion for <a href="https://theconversation.com/pandemic-stricken-mass-transit-would-get-85-billion-in-biden-stimulus-plan-a-down-payment-on-reviving-american-cities-158589">capital investments in public transit</a> in his infrastructure plan.</p>
<p>The details of potential investments are still taking shape, and much depends on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/us/politics/infrastructure-biden-senate.html">congressional negotiations</a>. But although the traditional American road and car mentality remains strong, the pandemic may have finally made clear that urban public transportation has a vital social and economic role in making cities fairer, as well as more efficient. </p>
<h2>Traffic is rebounding</h2>
<p>The increase in walking and bicycling during the pandemic was good news for many reasons. With less surface traffic, cities <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/22/upshot/coronavirus-quiet-city-noise.html">became quieter</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2006853117">less polluted</a>. People could hear birds singing in many places for the first time and walk on streets free from busy traffic.</p>
<p>Cities traditionally plagued with gridlock, such as Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., all saw <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/covid-traffic-congestion/2021/03/08/92fcd2e8-8029-11eb-81db-b02f0398f49a_story.html">less congested roads</a>. But it’s not clear whether this will be a lasting change or a short-term response. </p>
<p>By mid-June 2020, while many states and cities were still under COVID-19 restrictions, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/us-traffic-has-rebounded-to-about-90-percent-of-pre-pandemic-levels-analysts-say/2020/06/19/5f498cce-b190-11ea-8758-bfd1d045525a_story.html">traffic had rebounded</a> across the country to almost 90% of pre-pandemic levels. Washington, D.C., was at 70% of its normal level, New York City was at 82%, and Los Angeles was at 85%. Now, as vaccines and the end of pandemic controls make people freer to move around, many cities are quickly returning to prior traffic levels. </p>
<p>Somewhat counterintuitively, having more cars on the road could actually improve safety. With more traffic, average speed may decline to safer levels. </p>
<p><iframe id="uV8Xz" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/uV8Xz/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>However, distracted driving could offset this trend. We live in an <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-value-of-unplugging-in-the-age-of-distraction-43572">age of distraction</a>, where many people feel it is OK to drive while texting and tweeting. As traffic returns to pre-pandemic levels, cities and states will need to refocus attention on measures such as restricting cellphone use in cars.</p>
<h2>Making city streets more people-friendly</h2>
<p>Perhaps the most encouraging traffic-related news is that many cities are forging ahead with plans to reduce car travel and make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. </p>
<p>The pandemic offered a unique opportunity to reimagine the city as a place where drivers had to share space with others. This also was a trend that predated COVID-19 but accelerated in 2020 when streets were relatively empty. </p>
<p>[<em>Over 106,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=100Ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>Many cities are now implementing initiatives like free public transportation, protected bike lanes, bike-sharing initiatives, congestion pricing, regular street closures, priority bus lanes, quiet streets and reduced traffic speeds. These cities include <a href="https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/boston-pilots-free-public-transit-MBTA-equitable-covid-recovery/597584/">Boston</a>, <a href="https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdot/provdrs/future_projects_andconcepts/news/2021/may/cdot-announces-the-return-of-shared-streets-for-summer-2021-with.html">Chicago</a>, <a href="https://ladot.lacity.org/coronavirus/apply-slow-street-your-neighborhood%20New%20York">Los Angeles</a>, <a href="https://www.saferstreetsny.org">New York</a>, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/seattle-will-permanently-close-20-miles-of-residential-streets-to-most-vehicle-traffic/">Seattle</a>, <a href="https://walksf.org/2021/03/04/groups-across-san-francisco-demand-action-for-safe-streets/">San Francisco</a> and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/06/11/dc-roads-transportation-budget/">Washington, D.C.</a> </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CQOJ9m6F3A7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>But there are competing interests and political counterpressures. One <a href="https://www.surveyofmayors.com/reports/menino-survey-of-mayors-2020-covid-report.pdf">survey of mayors</a> found that many endorsed changes to street space, but relatively few were planning to make them permanent. City leaders realize that powerful economic interests want consumers and workers to have downtown access by private car. </p>
<p>The coming months could well be a key pivotal point. The pandemic gave Americans a tantalizing glimpse of what less car-oriented cities would look like. The pandemic saw the reclamation of urban streets for public use, the emergence of a less car-centric city and the reimagining of a safer, slower, quieter city with streets shared among a variety of users. But many interests want a quick return to the status quo. </p>
<p>The outcome will depend on how effectively urban dwellers and advocacy groups make their case for <a href="https://apps.bostonglobe.com/opinion/graphics/2021/03/superblocks/">more people-centered city streets</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162236/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Rennie Short does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The pandemic offered a tantalizing look at city life with fewer cars in the picture. But with traffic rebounding, there’s limited time to lock in policies that make streets more people-friendly.John Rennie Short, Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1595342021-05-03T20:07:11Z2021-05-03T20:07:11ZWhat next for parklets? It doesn’t have to be a permanent switch back to parking<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398254/original/file-20210503-18-t83h1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C25%2C1871%2C1237&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Outdoor dining on former parking spaces – generally known as <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-love-parklets-and-businesses-can-help-make-them-happen-87172">parklets</a> – has proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reduced demand for parking coincided with increased demand for outdoor space – but when the pandemic subsides, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-mulls-making-outdoor-dining-parklets-permanent-20210430-p57nv4.html">cities must decide</a> what comes next. Is this a temporary change before we return to the car-dependent city, or can it help us create a better city? </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A map of parklets across Melbourne in April 2021." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A map of parklets across Melbourne in April 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What has happened is that one kind of temporary private appropriation of public space (parking) has been traded for another (dining). This has been a very effective adaptation to the need for spatial distancing and to avoid indoor spaces. It has helped many hospitality businesses to survive. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-let-coronavirus-kill-our-cities-heres-how-we-can-save-urban-life-137063">We can't let coronavirus kill our cities. Here's how we can save urban life</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Parklets are concentrated in locations where restaurants and bars front onto walkable streets with limited footpath capacity and permanent strips of parking space. It is the future of these strips that is most immediately at stake. Where do public interests lie as we decide between a return to parking, retention of parklets, or some other uses?</p>
<p>To be sure, the use of public space for alfresco dining and drinking has a public benefit that parking does not. Parklets contribute to the atmosphere, vitality and sense of place of the street. Increased social activity also <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-the-new-normal-look-like-for-womens-safety-in-cities-140169">makes the area safer</a>. </p>
<p>Yet street parking is a public amenity too. Our cities’ long-standing dependency on private cars will not vanish overnight. As the pandemic abates, the demand for parking will return, along with the <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/outdoor-dining-under-a-cloud-as-cash-strapped-council-misses-parking-fees-20210210-p5714a.html">lure of parking revenue</a> for local councils. </p>
<p>However, the costs and benefits of urban driving and parking are rapidly changing due to lower speed limits, congestion charging, ridesharing and ultimately autonomous vehicles.</p>
<h2>It’s not an either-or choice</h2>
<p>A first point here is that we do not need to choose between parking and parklets because they are highly interchangeable. With a standard area of about 2 metres by 5 metres, parklets can be created and removed flexibly and in stages. Parking and parklets can be complementary: the two functions could interchange according to user preferences over daily, weekly and seasonal cycles.</p>
<p>Parklets <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-15/a-brief-history-of-park-ing-day">first emerged</a> in San Francisco, as an urban guerrilla movement briefly turned parking spaces into public parks while feeding the meter. These parklets were defiantly public – turning private parking into publicly accessible space. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-love-parklets-and-businesses-can-help-make-them-happen-87172">People love parklets, and businesses can help make them happen</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>If we decide to retain parklets, then should they only be available for commercial appropriation, or also for pocket parks and mini-plazas with free and open access? And what other <a href="https://thebolditalic.com/san-franciscos-weird-and-wonderful-parklets-8859f5dd736a">uses and designs</a> are possible?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="parklet set up for streetside eating" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hotham Street in Collingwood, Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We might re-imagine the parking strip as a territory that is variously available for uses ranging from picnics, parties, market stalls, street vendors and urban greening to parking, restaurants and bars. Uses that involve private appropriation could continue to be a source of local government revenue. </p>
<p>However, the key is identifying the planning and design frameworks that maximise public benefit from scarce and valuable public spaces. While local businesses and residents have often become dependent on nearby street parking, there is no natural right to such private appropriation. On what basis should a business proprietor or resident have first access to a parking space if there is a better public use?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/parking-isnt-as-important-for-restaurants-as-the-owners-think-it-is-74750">Parking isn't as important for restaurants as the owners think it is</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Don’t forget bike lanes</h2>
<p>The other key competitor for this space is cycle lanes. Cycling is the best prospect for <a href="http://h2020-flow.eu/uploads/tx_news/FLOW_REPORT_-_Portfolio_of_Measures_v_06_web.pdf">easing pressure on roads</a> and public transport. With driving in our cities <a href="https://covid19.apple.com/mobility">above pre-pandemic levels</a>, the case for dedicated cycle lanes is now overwhelming. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="chart showing levels of driving, walking and public transport use from January 2020 to April 2021" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Levels of driving across Australian cities are now consistently higher than before the pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://covid19.apple.com/mobility">Apple Mobility Trends</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For trips of up to 20 minutes, cycling enables access to an area <a href="https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/handle/11343/230636">about nine times greater than walking</a> and often gives better access than driving or public transport. As bike lanes make cycling safer and faster, many more of us ride bikes instead of driving. Safe cycling requires lanes about 2m wide, the same as a parking strip – but in many streets they are in competition for the same space.</p>
<p>The question of what comes next for parklets requires us to take a detailed look at the structure of each particular street. Some streets already have wide footpaths and the parklets are a bonus. Others have more traffic lanes than needed, and that width might be reallocated for parklets. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-forget-the-footpath-its-vital-public-space-115151">Don't forget the footpath – it's vital public space</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Main streets often have buses and trams that provide additional benefits and constraints. Adjacent, quieter and safer streets might be better for cycle lanes.</p>
<h2>Flexible solutions are likely to work best</h2>
<p>Innovative options will likely involve dynamic outcomes involving both parking and parklets. The parking strip might morph incrementally into a mix of parking, parklets, mini-parks and mini-plazas, with local demand determining the outcome. Another prospect is a mix of expanded footpath, cycle lane and calmed traffic. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="a streetside parklet set up for outdoor dining" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C2830%2C2109&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gertrude Street in Fitzroy, Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The different mixes may change with daily or seasonal rhythms, much as parking already yields to rush-hour clearways. Parklets might compete with car parking on a pay-as-you-go basis.</p>
<p>Rather than determining fixed outcomes, we should encourage a diversity of experiments from which we learn and adapt. Indeed, the proliferation of parklets can be seen as an experiment that works in many ways and not in others. Perhaps understandably, far too many are makeshift with minimal design and hampered by bureaucratic conventions. Many are little used for much of the time, just like parking spaces.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/of-all-the-problems-our-cities-need-to-fix-lack-of-car-parking-isnt-one-of-them-116179">Of all the problems our cities need to fix, lack of car parking isn't one of them</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The pandemic has presented the best opportunity we will see for transformative change in our streets. There is huge scope for imaginative design and planning as we explore the possibilities. </p>
<p>After a century or so of surrendering public space to the car, large amounts have been reclaimed for active social use. Public space was allocated for car parking in an earlier era when cars represented the freedom of the city. But when times change we should <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-let-coronavirus-kill-our-cities-heres-how-we-can-save-urban-life-137063">change the city</a>. </p>
<p>If we hope for something better than a return to car dependency or further privatisation of public space, then the thinking about what happens next needs to start now.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159534/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kim Dovey receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Merrick Morley receives a stipend from the City of Melbourne for his PhD candidature </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Quentin Stevens receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Roadsides have long been reserved for parking cars, but the pandemic led to many experiments with other ways of using scarce and valuable public space. We can put it to better and more flexible uses.Kim Dovey, Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, The University of MelbourneMerrick Morley, PhD Candidate, Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of MelbourneQuentin Stevens, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Urban Design, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1596382021-04-28T20:05:28Z2021-04-28T20:05:28ZPlanning shake-up needed to help those whose job it is to make NSW a healthy place<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396997/original/file-20210426-19-fyjust.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=348%2C0%2C2479%2C1651&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Image: Ryan van den Nouwelant</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>You’d be forgiven for asking if living in some parts of New South Wales is actually good for your health. In the past 18 months Australia’s most populous state has been challenged like never before. Unprecedented bushfires, a global pandemic and recent flooding have posed huge questions, which sit alongside other 21st-century challenges such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/one-in-four-australians-are-lonely-which-affects-their-physical-and-mental-health-106231">increasing loneliness</a>, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2019-10-11/obesity-rates-depend-on-where-you-live/10196154">rising levels of obesity</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-08/food-deserts-have-serious-consequences-for-residents-experts/6605230">unequal access to affordable, healthy food options</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/some-suburbs-are-being-short-changed-on-services-and-liveability-which-ones-and-whats-the-solution-83966">Research has shown</a> where you live shapes how easy it is to make social connections, keep physically active, enjoy green spaces and buy healthy food. <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Planning-Australias-Healthy-Built-Environments/Kent-Thompson/p/book/9780367670924">The evidence is clear</a>. But how do we create places that help promote good health and well-being for all?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-your-experience-diet-making-you-unwell-105370">Is your 'experience diet' making you unwell?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In line with <a href="https://theconversation.com/with-health-assuming-its-rightful-place-in-planning-here-are-3-key-lessons-from-nsw-94171">recent reforms</a>, the NSW government has put delivering healthy and thriving communities at the heart of a new consolidated <a href="https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/design-and-place-sepp#:%7E:text=Our%20shared%20responsibility%20to%20care,to%20infrastructure%20and%20public%20space">Design and Place State and Environmental Planning Policy</a>.</p>
<p>According to the government’s <a href="https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/design-and-place-sepp#:%7E:text=Our%20shared%20responsibility%20to%20care,to%20infrastructure%20and%20public%20space">planning website</a>, the policy will apply to the creation of places at all scales: “from precincts to significant developments and buildings, to infrastructure and public spaces”.</p>
<p>But our <a href="https://rebrand.ly/MakingHealthyPlaces-FullReport">newly published research</a> shows it’s not easy to deliver healthy places. In particular, it shows the practitioners responsible for making healthy places – from designers and planners to community service providers – just don’t have the regulatory framework they need to achieve the results now demanded.</p>
<p>Our report highlights the stark realities of implementation falling short of rhetoric. Those designing this policy need to understand the realities built environment practitioners face.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/with-health-assuming-its-rightful-place-in-planning-here-are-3-key-lessons-from-nsw-94171">With health assuming its rightful place in planning, here are 3 key lessons from NSW</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This study was prompted by <a href="https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/asset/document/Healthy_Placemaking_Report.pdf">similar research</a> by the UK Design Council. That study found a critical gap between aspirations for places that support healthy living and the actual delivery of those places. We sought to find out whether built environment practitioners in NSW experience similar problems.</p>
<h2>What did the study find?</h2>
<p>We conducted a state-wide survey to better understand any barriers, as well as enablers, these professionals face in making healthy places and how any challenges can be overcome.</p>
<p>Some 350 practitioners across Greater Sydney and regional NSW responded, just ahead of the 2020 global pandemic. Forty-two took part in a follow-up <a href="https://rebrand.ly/PrioritisingHealthyPlacemaking">workshop</a> in late 2020 to further explain their key needs, priorities and recommendations.</p>
<p>The participants were heavily drawn from the strategic planning profession and the local government sector. Nearly half had more than ten years’ experience. </p>
<p>Six out of ten said they incorporate health and well-being into their everyday language and in documents they deliver. However, we found a clear lack of interaction across the different professions involved in place-making, as well as with those in health promotion.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, only one in five directly engage with the local community about how to improve people’s health in their area. Yet collaborative work and local insights are crucial for the success of any place-making project.</p>
<p>We asked what barriers professionals faced to ensure delivery of healthy places against other competing interests. The most common responses (identified by over two-thirds of those surveyed) were:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>a lack of regulatory requirements</p></li>
<li><p>a lack of clarity as to who is responsible</p></li>
<li><p>developers lack motivation to provide healthy places of their own accord.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>But the greatest barrier of all (cited by 68%) was the lack of prioritised budgets for making healthier places.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Four people chatting as they walk through a park" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397455/original/file-20210428-13-1nxyqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397455/original/file-20210428-13-1nxyqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397455/original/file-20210428-13-1nxyqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397455/original/file-20210428-13-1nxyqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397455/original/file-20210428-13-1nxyqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397455/original/file-20210428-13-1nxyqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397455/original/file-20210428-13-1nxyqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Well-planned neighbourhoods promote health and well-being by providing opportunities for physical activity and socialising.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/smiling-senior-friends-wearing-knitted-sweaters-744007168">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/some-suburbs-are-being-short-changed-on-services-and-liveability-which-ones-and-whats-the-solution-83966">Some suburbs are being short-changed on services and liveability – which ones and what's the solution?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We undertook the study with the South West Sydney Local Health District, with funding from <a href="https://www.thesphere.com.au/">Maridulu Budyari Gumal</a> and support from Planning Institute Australia NSW and the Heart Foundation. </p>
<h2>Public health needs must shape policy</h2>
<p>As the government develops its new policy, it can be bolstered by the call from our respondents for stronger statutory mechanisms. A strong consensus was that only through stricter planning regulations and policy frameworks will health outcomes finally be integrated into planning, urban design and construction standards.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/level-crossing-removals-a-case-study-in-why-major-projects-must-also-be-investments-in-health-149820">Level-crossing removals: a case study in why major projects must also be investments in health</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Another pertinent finding was that government guidance is not widely consulted. Many resources are available, but very few respondents regularly made use of them or recommended them to colleagues. </p>
<p>A notable exception was the NSW government architect’s <a href="https://www.governmentarchitect.nsw.gov.au/resources/ga/media/files/ga/strategy-documents/better-placed-a-strategic-design-policy-for-the-built-environment-of-new-south-wales-2017.pdf">Better Placed</a> design policy – 69% referred to and recommended it. This bodes well for the new policy, with the government architect to oversee its delivery.</p>
<p>Our research has a bearing on two key government needs and aspirations:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>the creation of better places to live and work</p></li>
<li><p>a progressive reduction in future public health costs through supporting healthy population lifestyles, as suggested in a recent Treasury <a href="https://www.treasury.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/2021_igr_ttrp_-_ageing_and_health_expenses_in_new_south_wales_-_revisiting_the_long-term_modelling_approach.pdf">background paper</a> for the next <a href="https://www.treasury.nsw.gov.au/nsw-economy/intergenerational-report">NSW Intergenerational Report</a>.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The final policy is due to go on exhibition later in 2021. This will allow for further public feedback. </p>
<p>We advocate that everyone takes up this opportunity. Let us properly shape this review and help ensure NSW is truly a healthy state to live in. </p>
<p>The health of individuals and communities needs to be strongly embedded in state legislation. COVID-19 has reinforced the importance of putting health at the centre of all that we do, and in all states and territories.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159638/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicky Morrison receives funding from LGNSW and Maridulu Budyari Gumal. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Greg Paine received funding from Maridulu Budyari Gumal for the research referred to in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ryan van den Nouwelant currently receives funding from the Australian Urban and Housing Research Institute (AHURI) and Maridulu Budyari Gumal.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Thompson receives funding from a range of government funding bodies and is currently working on research projects funded by the NHMRC and the ARC. Susan is a member of the NTEU. </span></em></p>NSW is developing a comprehensive new planning policy with the goal of creating healthy places. A new study finds those people who work as placemakers want these goals embedded in laws and budgets.Nicky Morrison, Professor of Planning, Western Sydney UniversityGregory Paine, Research Officer, City Futures Research Centre, City Wellbeing, UNSW SydneyRyan van den Nouwelant, Lecturer in Urban Management and Planning, Western Sydney UniversitySusan Thompson, Professor of Planning and Head, City Wellbeing Program, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1550162021-03-31T12:15:40Z2021-03-31T12:15:40ZCity dwellers gained more access to public spaces during the pandemic – can they keep it?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392618/original/file-20210330-13-1koum8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=49%2C0%2C5509%2C3653&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-walk-down-16th-street-after-volunteers-with-news-photo/1246560762">Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Through a year of pandemic shutdowns and protests, Americans have rediscovered their public spaces. Homebound city dwellers sought havens in <a href="https://www.tpl.org/sites/default/files/Parks%20and%20Pandemic%20-%20TPL%20special%20report.pdf">parks, plazas and reclaimed streets</a>. Many of these places also became stages for protests against police violence and systemic racism in the U.S.</p>
<p>Mayors around the world have used this time to reimagine the use of public space. Will cities revert to familiar car-centric patterns, or build on the past year to create more outdoor spaces that are accessible and welcoming for all of their residents?</p>
<p>Beginning in June 2020 and continuing throughout the summer, our team at Boston University interviewed mayors in cities across the country as part of our annual <a href="https://www.surveyofmayors.com/">Menino Survey of Mayors</a>. We wanted to understand how they were grappling with the unprecedented challenges and stark inequities laid bare in 2020, and how they were thinking about repurposing the public realm. </p>
<p>Our newly released report, <a href="http://www.bu.edu/ioc/2021/03/31/2020-menino-survey-parks/">Urban Parks and the Public Realm: Equity & Access in Post-COVID Cities</a>, supported by Citi, The Rockefeller Foundation and The Trust for Public Land, offers new insights into how the disruptions of this unprecedented year have shaped mayoral perspective on parks and streets.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zXqdCqrdYRU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Partial street closures early in the pandemic gave people in cities like Oakland, California, a taste of urban life less dominated by cars.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Whose spaces?</h2>
<p>COVID-19 and racial protests have highlighted pervasive inequities in the U.S. One issue we examined was how mayors think about investing for equity in parks and green spaces.</p>
<p>Among the 130 mayors we interviewed, 70% believed all their residents, regardless of race, ethnicity or income, live within easy walking distance of a park or green space. This view may be somewhat optimistic. </p>
<p>Data developed by The Trust for Public Land shows that, on average, 64% of residents in the cities we surveyed live within a 10-minute walk of a park or green space. Our analysis of The Trust’s <a href="https://www.tpl.org/parkserve">ParkServe</a> data for all U.S. cities with more than 75,000 residents showed that on average, 59% of white residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park or green space, compared with 61% of Black or Hispanic residents and 57% of Asian residents. Mayors, particularly those in Northeast cities, acknowledged that not all neighborhoods had equal access to high-quality parks. </p>
<p>Another important question is how welcome residents feel in local public spaces. In our interviews, 77% of mayors believed their cities’ parks were safe for all users. A similar proportion believed Black residents could use parks without fear of police.</p>
<p>But physical safety is not the only measure of accessibility. Racial and ethnic minorities may be discriminated against or feel socially and culturally excluded in some parks and public spaces. Widely publicized <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/14/nyregion/amy-cooper-false-report-charge.html">false assault charges</a> by a white woman against a Black birder in New York’s Central Park in October 2020 presented one prominent example. </p>
<p>Past surveys of residents of color and immigrants in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0339-1">Minneapolis</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2011.10.002">Los Angeles</a> have found similar tensions. Minneapolis now has a <a href="https://www.minneapolisparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/MPRB-Racial-Equity-Action-Plan-January-2021.pdf">Racial Equity Action Plan</a> expressly for parks and recreation. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1265654609881829377"}"></div></p>
<h2>Most likely to gain: Diners, walkers and bikers</h2>
<p>Some local leaders capitalized on empty streets to accelerate long-planned projects or initiate new ones. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo made headlines with her decision to remove <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/12/paris-parking-spaces-greenery-cities/">half of all street parking</a> in Paris, add <a href="https://www.francetoday.com/travel/paris/the-paris-bicycle-boom/">50 kilometers (31 miles) of bike lanes</a> and convert a major central roadway, Rue di Rivoli, to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/business/paris-bicycles-commute-coronavirus.html">a cycling thoroughfare</a>. These steps mark a fundamental shift toward a public realm that centers on people, not vehicles.</p>
<p>Similarly, one East Coast mayor told us that the need to maintain physical distance between people had prompted a call for more outdoor space: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Fewer cars means more opportunities for public space. We’re learning a lot about how to share public space and not just use it for cars – we worked to close roadways and people want to keep them.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Nearly half of the mayors we surveyed closed some roads to through traffic during the pandemic, and just under a third closed select streets to nearly all traffic. One prominent example is Washington, D.C.’s <a href="https://washington.org/visit-dc/black-lives-matter-plaza">Black Lives Matter Plaza</a>, commissioned by Mayor Muriel Bowser along two blocks of 16th Street NW. This new pedestrian promenade has quickly become a landmark that embodies a convergence of protest and pride. </p>
<p>New York City undertook an expansive “open streets” initiative, temporarily closing more than <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pedestrians/openstreets.shtml">100 miles of roadway</a> to cars to provide more space for outdoor recreation in all five boroughs. Like most cities we surveyed, New York did not have a plan or process for retaining these changes after the pandemic. But the city’s Department of Transportation, responding to <a href="https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/09/14/queens-pol-makes-it-official-demands-34th-avenue-open-street-be-made-permanent/">public pressure</a>, has signaled its commitment to <a href="https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/open-street-for-34th-ave-to-be-permanent/article_74d386f8-8d03-5a1c-b37f-43b9d02aa2f8.html">making some changes permanent</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392610/original/file-20210330-19-qpow2y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="New York City has allowed communities to partially or fully close street to traffic." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392610/original/file-20210330-19-qpow2y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392610/original/file-20210330-19-qpow2y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392610/original/file-20210330-19-qpow2y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392610/original/file-20210330-19-qpow2y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392610/original/file-20210330-19-qpow2y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392610/original/file-20210330-19-qpow2y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392610/original/file-20210330-19-qpow2y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Typical setup for temporary limited local access under New York City’s Open Streets initiative.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pedestrians/openstreets.shtml">NYC DOT</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The most popular new use of public space, and the one most likely to endure after the pandemic, was outdoor dining. Among the mayors we surveyed, 92% created new space for outdoor dining, with 34% noting they planned to make these changes permanent. Locations varied across cities and neighborhoods: Some communities <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/cities-plan-increase-outdoor-dining-restaurants-reopen/story?id=70952012">claimed sidewalk space, while others reallocated on-street parking or repurposed empty parking lots</a>. Other cities <a href="https://philly.eater.com/2020/7/20/21330313/outdoor-dining-old-city-philadelphia-restaurants-street-closure">closed entire streets </a> for dining.</p>
<p>Other new uses of public space included widening sidewalks and creating new bike lanes. About 40% of the mayors in our survey pursued each of these changes. In Boston, permitting for new outdoor dining was part of a multifaceted “<a href="https://www.boston.gov/departments/transportation/healthy-streets">Healthy Streets</a>” initiative that also accelerated creation of dedicated bus lanes and new bike lanes – including expansive new protected lanes around the city’s historic central green space, Boston Common. </p>
<p>Ambitious projects require resources, and financial pressures still loom. Almost 40% of mayors we surveyed anticipated “dramatic” financial cuts to their parks and recreation budgets. That threat could be offset by the recently enacted <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/fact-sheet-the-american-rescue-plan-will-deliver-immediate-economic-relief-to-families">American Rescue Plan</a>, which provides <a href="https://www.nlc.org/article/2021/03/12/everything-you-need-to-know-about-covid-relief/">direct funds for cities of all sizes</a>.</p>
<h2>People-centered public spaces</h2>
<p>Our survey indicates that Americans’ newfound enthusiasm for public spaces isn’t likely to fade. Among the mayors we surveyed, 76% believe their residents will visit parks and green space more frequently in the future than they did before the pandemic, 70% anticipate that residents will be walking more, and 62% believe they will be cycling more frequently.</p>
<p>Speaking recently about the future of cities, renowned Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye asserted that high-quality public space “has now become <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrOyIn7HcMs&list=PLOOk6Nnx8t1teQwvx2MJ8PKTmuJjUESrg&index=4">the treasure that people are completely addicted to</a>. If you took for granted a park, now you realize that it’s a very important part of the quality of life [in] cities.”</p>
<p>As the U.S. emerges from a long and challenging year, perhaps more American mayors – spurred on by residents – will find the will to forever transform urban spaces into the treasures they can be.</p>
<p>[<em>Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=100Ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155016/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katharine Lusk receives funding from Citi, The Rockefeller Foundation, and The Trust for Public Land. She has also been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. </span></em></p>COVID-19 has underscored the value of parks and public spaces. A new survey shows that US mayors have gotten the message, but post-pandemic plans for public spaces remain largely undefined.Katharine Lusk, Co-Director, Initiative on Cities, Boston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1565912021-03-18T19:01:58Z2021-03-18T19:01:58ZIs temporary the new permanent? COVID street experiments open our eyes to creating better cities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/389984/original/file-20210316-21-1dnmzoc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2048%2C1370&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Elissa McMillan</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over the past year, many of us have enjoyed outdoor dining in spaces that would otherwise have been car parks or part of the road. These spaces are one example of the temporary projects that popped up to help cities in Australia and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2020/04/22/paris-to-create-650-kilometers-of-pop-up-corona-cycleways-for-post-lockdown-travel/?sh=3936edb754d4">around the world</a> adapt to COVID. These quickly installed projects have met our changing needs for space for walking, <a href="https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/popup-covid-19-infrastructure/index.html">cycling</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-let-coronavirus-kill-our-cities-heres-how-we-can-save-urban-life-137063">public space</a> and, of course, <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-ways-our-streets-can-rescue-restaurants-bars-and-cafes-after-coronavirus-139302">dining</a> to help businesses to stay afloat. </p>
<p>While these temporary projects were driven by the necessity for short-term fixes, we can draw deeper lessons from these experiences. They have been, intentionally or not, a large-scale experience with experimentation in cities, and short-and long-term impacts should flow. In the short term, some of these experiments can be become permanent. In the long term, wider-scale urban experiments can become a permanent feature of how we shape cities. </p>
<p>Experiments can help us navigate change in cities. They can also make us braver by allowing us to test out ideas that might fail or that not everyone seems to like. If the past year has made us more comfortable and confident with experimenting, all the better to help our cities meet the challenges ahead.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/4-ways-our-streets-can-rescue-restaurants-bars-and-cafes-after-coronavirus-139302">4 ways our streets can rescue restaurants, bars and cafes after coronavirus</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Opening our eyes to new possibilities</h2>
<p>At their simplest, of course, experiments test things. The projects that popped up during COVID have helped meet our short-term needs (well, we hoped they would be short-term) for different ways to live and get around, like <a href="https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/traffic-and-road-use/cycling/pop-up-bike-lanes">pop-up bike lanes</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="pop-up bike lane alongside a busy road" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A pop-up bike lane created along Heidelberg Road in inner Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In making these short-term changes, we tried something new and perhaps we’ve found we like the results. </p>
<p>During COVID, I meandered down Lygon Street, Carlton, full of <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-unveils-16-covid-safe-outdoor-dining-precincts-20201001-p560z2.html">new al fresco dining areas</a> making the street feel even more European. Along the Victorian coast, I sipped <a href="https://www.therip.com.au/news/lets-go-al-fresco">coffee in Skiplets</a>. It could always be this nice, I thought. </p>
<p>These projects are already sparking debate about the future use of streets and bringing the trade-offs into focus. One example is the <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/outdoor-dining-under-a-cloud-as-cash-strapped-council-misses-parking-fees-20210210-p5714a.html">trade-off between parking revenue and outdoor dining</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="tables and chairs in a pop-up 'skiplet' set up in a parking space" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Skiplets were installed in parking spaces as pop-up eating places in the Victorian towns of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Helen Rowe</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What more can we gain from ‘tactical ubanism’?</h2>
<p>Well before COVID, cities started using temporary projects to test changes. From <a href="https://vimeo.com/22886687">New York</a> to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-16/yarraville-pop-up-park-becomes-permanent-after-singing-protest/5970092">Yarraville</a>, cities used experiments to test out risky ideas and balance competing street uses. This is often referred to as <a href="http://tacticalurbanismguide.com/guides/tactical-urbanism-volume-2/">tactical urbanism</a> . </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-let-coronavirus-kill-our-cities-heres-how-we-can-save-urban-life-137063">We can't let coronavirus kill our cities. Here's how we can save urban life</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Benefits gleaned from these experiences show we have much to gain from more experimenting beyond COVID. City experiments get things moving and let us figure out if an idea is a good one. </p>
<figure>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/22886687" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">New York City has remade its streets, seeking a better balance by providing more space for walking, biking and transit services.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the aptly titled book <a href="http://www.jsadikkhan.com/streetfight-the-book.html">Street Fight</a>, former New York City transport commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan describes turning the tangled intersection at Times Square into a pedestrian plaza. It began as a temporary experiment. A lower-cost, temporary version meant getting the project on the ground right away, rather than spending years convincing everyone to build it permanently. The added advantage was collecting data during the trial to prove it actually worked. </p>
<h2>Overcoming suspicion of change</h2>
<p>Experiments help navigate change, which we don’t always like. Based on my <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/59916">own research</a>, street experiments help cities work with, not against, some people’s tendency to dislike change. </p>
<p>People’s hackles can go up in response to change. They prefer to stick with what’s familiar over something new. This is the type of status quo bias Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman discusses in <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/thinking-fast-and-slow-9780141033570">Thinking Fast and Slow</a>. </p>
<p>A temporary experiment can help disarm this response. As one of my interviewees put it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>“If change is worrisome, then it’s not that big a deal if we can come back to where we are today.”</em> </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Through experimenting, people allow themselves to try it. Often they also get to see their fears aren’t realised.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-forget-the-footpath-its-vital-public-space-115151">Don't forget the footpath – it's vital public space</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="pop-up eating space with shade umbrellas and bike stand outside a cafe" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parking space becomes a pop-up eating area in Brunswick, an inner Melbourne suburb.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Helen Rowe</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Experiments let us tweak projects to get them right. In 2008, Copenhagen rolled out a bold <a href="https://urban-leds.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/resources/case_studies/UrbanLEDS_case_story_Copenhagen_2015_Web.pdf">experiment on Nørrebrogade</a>, providing wider bike lanes and bus-only sections painted with huge red dots. Experimenting, they found, helped them have a better <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/59916">conversation with the community</a>. They were able to tweak the design in response to community feedback and evaluation.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-time-to-embrace-the-edge-spaces-that-make-our-neighbourhoods-tick-138826">A time to embrace the edge spaces that make our neighbourhoods tick</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Experiments also do the imagining for us. My current research (as yet unpublished) looks at ways city transport planners try to effect change. </p>
<p>One barrier to change planners discussed is that people often struggle to imagine how things could be different. Without this, they tend to happy to stick with the status quo. Experiments show us how streets can be different. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="streetside pop-up parklet with artificial grass, potted plants, tables and chairs" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A pop-up parklet transforms the street in the inner Melbourne suburb of Ascot Vale.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Helen Rowe</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-love-parklets-and-businesses-can-help-make-them-happen-87172">People love parklets, and businesses can help make them happen</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What stands in the way of more street experiments?</h2>
<p>My research suggests many city planners are striving to find new and better ways to explore change and help cities adapt to challenges. Many are starting to experiment with temporary projects, but it’s not always easy. </p>
<p>A number of transport planners I’ve talked with say doing temporary projects can be hard. That’s not because they are difficult to build but because the rules about what can be done on streets are set up for building things permanently. This can be a barrier to temporary experimenting. </p>
<p>However, after delivering many temporary projects during the pandemic, cities should now be well placed to embed processes that make street experiments easier. </p>
<p>Given COVID is just one of the many looming challenges facing our cities, being braver and adaptable is going to be more important that ever. Experimenting can help pave the way.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The impact of temporary projects is the focus of the <a href="https://mpavilion.org/program/">MPavilion</a> event, <a href="https://mpavilion.org/program/is-temporary-new-permanent/">Is Temporary the New Permanent?</a>, on March 22.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/156591/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helen Rowe receives an Australian Government Research Training Program Stipend Scholarship. She undertakes projects as an independent consultant occasionally alongside her doctoral research, mainly consulting to government. She is a member of Planning Institute of Australia and on the board of three not-for-profit organisations: Loci Environment & Place and two neighbourhood house related organisations. </span></em></p>Many people prefer the status quo as they struggle to imagine the alternatives. The pandemic has been the catalyst for urban experiments that have opened our eyes to new possibilities.Helen Rowe, PhD Candidate, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1531192021-02-22T13:46:23Z2021-02-22T13:46:23ZFacebook’s free speech myth is dead – and regulators should take notice<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385404/original/file-20210221-19-18q8ra9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C0%2C4479%2C2775&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.alamy.com/facebook-logo-seen-on-the-smartphone-and-blurred-australian-flag-on-the-background-screen-concept-stafford-united-kingdom-february-18-2021-image405794748.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=8C906DAB-C458-4A6D-90AB-AD9DBE690C0C&p=1396470&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3dfacebook%2520australia%26qt_raw%3dfacebook%2520australia%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3dGB%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d0%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d">mundissima/Alamy Stock Photo</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Facebook’s recent decision to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/facebook-blocks-australia-news-access-fed95e78e8bf30f167eb1a2d893ac89c">block its Australian users</a> from sharing or viewing news content provoked a worldwide backlash and accusations of hubris and bullying. Although the company has now reversed its decision following an agreement with the Australian government, the row has exposed the fragility of Facebook’s founding myth: that Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild is a force for good, providing a public space for people to connect, converse and cooperate.</p>
<p>An inclusive public space in the good times, Facebook has yet again proved willing to eject and exclude in the bad times – as a private firm ultimately has the right to do. Facebook seems to be a bastion of free speech up to and until the moment its revenue is endangered. At that point, as in the case of the Australian news ban, it defaults to a private space.</p>
<p><a href="https://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/10603/9549">My recent paper</a> explores social media’s spatial hybridity, arguing that we must stop seeing companies like Facebook as public spaces and “platforms” for free speech. Equally, given their ubiquity and dominance, we shouldn’t see them solely as private spaces, either. Instead, these companies should be defined as “corpo-civic” spaces – a mixture of the two – and regulated as such: by internal guidelines as well as external laws.</p>
<p>Facebook’s disagreement with the Australian government was over a <a href="https://www.crn.com.au/news/accc-warns-google-facebook-laws-are-just-the-start-559690">new set of laws</a> drawn up there to counter big tech’s monopoly power. The law in question responds to news companies’ complaints that they are losing advertising revenue to dominant content-sharing platforms such as Facebook and Google. <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/ems/r6652_ems_2fe103c0-0f60-480b-b878-1c8e96cf51d2/upload_pdf/JC000725.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf">The law</a> compels Facebook to agree a fee with news companies in an effort to reimburse them for the advertising revenue they lose to Facebook.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385401/original/file-20210221-19-xbv39x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A graph showing how Facebook have a growing share of display advertising in Australia" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385401/original/file-20210221-19-xbv39x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385401/original/file-20210221-19-xbv39x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385401/original/file-20210221-19-xbv39x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385401/original/file-20210221-19-xbv39x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385401/original/file-20210221-19-xbv39x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385401/original/file-20210221-19-xbv39x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385401/original/file-20210221-19-xbv39x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Facebook’s growing share of display advertising revenue in Australia is one reason for the new law.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/ACCC%20Digital%20Platforms%20Service%20Inquiry%20-%20September%202020%20interim%20report.pdf">ACC Digital Platforms Services Inquiry: Interim report, September 2020</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite threatening to withdraw from Australia, Google eventually chose to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/17/technology/facebook-google-australia-news.html">agree to those fees</a>. Facebook didn’t follow suit. Instead, as if by the flick of a switch, the company turned off the news in Australia. Caught in the crossfire and also finding themselves blocked on Facebook were <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/18/facebook-blocked-charity-and-state-health-pages-in-australia-news-ban.html">charities and government organisations</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/19/facebooks-australia-ban-threatens-to-leave-pacific-without-key-news-source">Pacific communities</a> outside of Australian jurisdiction. </p>
<p>The news block has played poorly for Facebook. Having claimed impotence in the face of growing disinformation for years, Facebook’s new-found iron fist <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/facebook-australia-rupert-murdoch">has raised eyebrows</a>. But this apparent inconsistency can be explained – though perhaps not justified – when we see Facebook as a public space with private interests.</p>
<p>Social media firms aren’t the only organisations straddled between the private and the public. Shopping centres are a common example in the offline world. So are some apparently public spaces like New York’s Zuccotti Park where, in 2011, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2011/nov/25/occupy-wall-street-eviction-inevitable">Occupy Wall Street protesters</a> found themselves evicted both by police and by the park’s private owners, Brookfield Properties.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A busy shopping centre with many people walking around, some blurred" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385531/original/file-20210222-17-tmyhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/385531/original/file-20210222-17-tmyhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385531/original/file-20210222-17-tmyhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385531/original/file-20210222-17-tmyhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385531/original/file-20210222-17-tmyhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385531/original/file-20210222-17-tmyhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/385531/original/file-20210222-17-tmyhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Shopping centres are a common example of spaces that are both public and private.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/shopping-198234164">estherpoon/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Social media platforms operate similarly. Just as a shopping centre relies on footfall, Facebook profits from active users on its platform. For Facebook, this profit is generated <a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/what-facebooks-revenue-breakdown-2019-03-28-0">almost entirely</a> via the revenue provided by online advertising. </p>
<p>It shouldn’t surprise us that, when confronted with a law that could force Facebook to part with an unspecified amount of its revenue, the company showed resistance – even if that deprived Australian users of news content and a <a href="https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/2852/protecting-civic-spaces">civic space to share and discuss it</a>. </p>
<h2>Nazis and nipples</h2>
<p>Facebook’s brief Australian news block is the latest example of a social media company falling short of its own principles. Governed by “community standards” that are <a href="https://www.justsecurity.org/70035/the-republic-of-facebook/">effectively in-platform laws</a>, platforms such as Facebook have a history of enforcing their rules on an ad-hoc basis. For years, researchers have <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461444809342738?journalCode=nmsa">argued</a> that this system is inadequate, inconsistent and open to abuse.</p>
<p>Most glaring is social media’s inconsistent enforcement of its own community standards. Facebook and Instagram’s moderation has previously targeted <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14680777.2020.1783805?journalCode=rfms20">women’s nipples</a> and has <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-50222380">forced sex workers offline</a>, while self-professed Nazis were only forced from Facebook after their participation in the US Capitol riots on January 6 2021.</p>
<p>During the run-up to the US election in 2020, Mark Zuckerberg actually <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-facebook-aspen-zuckerberg-regulation-20190626-story.html">invited regulation from the government</a>, which seemed to be an admission that Facebook had grown beyond its ability to regulate itself. Yet, as we’ve seen with events in Australia, the corporate half of these online civic spaces baulks at any external regulation that might be bad for business.</p>
<h2>Corpo-civic spaces</h2>
<p>So how should we regulate these hybrid spaces with competing and sometimes contradictory interests? My recent paper turns to “<a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803103943995">third space theory</a>” for answers. Third space theory has been used to understand spatially ambiguous places, like when people’s homes become their workplaces, or when people feel a tension between their <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40647476">ancestral and adopted homes</a>.</p>
<p>When applied to ambiguous spaces between the “corporate” and the “civic”, third space theory can help us better understand the unique regulatory challenges associated with social media companies. Facebook, for instance, is neither a wholly corporate nor a wholly civic space: it’s a corpo-civic one.</p>
<p>A corpo-civic governance approach would recognise that to heavily penalise and restrict social media companies would be to risk dismantling valuable civic spaces. At the same time, to see Facebook solely as a platform for free speech gives it licence to place maximising profits above ethics and human rights. </p>
<p>Instead, a corpo-civic governance model could apply international human rights standards to content moderation, putting the protection of people above the protection of profits. This is not dissimilar from the standards we expect of shopping centres, which may have their own private security policies but which must nevertheless abide by state law. </p>
<p>Because social media platforms are global and not local like shopping centres, it will be important for the laws that govern them to be transnational. Facebook may have briefly blocked the news for Australians, but it wouldn’t make the same decision for hundreds of millions of users across several different countries.</p>
<p>Australia might be “<a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/09/australia-google-regulation-internet-big-tech-silicon-valley-media/">Ground Zero</a>” for laws aimed at reining in big tech, but it’s certainly not the only country drafting them. Having those state regulators work together on transnational policies will be crucial. In the meantime, events in Australia are a warning for tech companies and state regulators alike about social media’s hybrid nature, and the tension between people and profits that emerge from corpo-civic spaces.</p>
<p><em>This article was updated on February 23 2021 after Facebook agreed a compromise with the Australian government to reverse the news block.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153119/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carolina Are does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Facebook’s choice of profits over the people is difficult to reconcile with its commitment to free speech.Carolina Are, Researcher and visiting lecturer, City, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1505262021-02-04T21:28:51Z2021-02-04T21:28:51ZHow cities can unlock the potential of laneway housing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382357/original/file-20210203-23-1qd1oii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=21%2C11%2C737%2C497&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">After an extensive renovation, an old house in a laneway in Toronto became a new two-bedroom home.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(LGA Architectural Partners, Ben Rahn/A Frame)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Cities across North America are experiencing a housing affordability crisis. Key workers such as teachers, nurses and social workers are <a href="https://workforcehousing.trbot.ca/">being forced out of large cities because they can’t pay rent</a>. </p>
<p>In Toronto, someone making $50,000 can only afford a one-bedroom unit in <a href="https://workforcehousing.trbot.ca/mapping-toronto/">three of the city’s 140 neighbourhoods</a>, forcing one-in-five renters to live in overcrowded shared apartments. To combat this issue, cities are building taller and taller condo towers to create more units. However, these towers are radically changing the surrounding neighbourhoods <a href="https://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/cur/pdfs/Projects/TRREB/CUR_Upbeat_Outlook_for_GTA_Economy_to_Continue_to_Stoke_Home_Prices_and_Rents.pdf">without improving affordability</a>.</p>
<p>One solution may be to increase urban density and the number of rental units through laneway housing that maintains the character of a neighbourhood.</p>
<p>Cities are increasingly interested in unlocking the potential of laneways and <a href="https://www.togetherdesignlab.com/lanewaystoolkit">transforming these underused, historically utilitarian corridors, into thriving public places</a>. Building homes along laneways is a crucial ingredient in this goal. </p>
<p>Our research focuses on locating eligible lots and how to unlock and maximize their potential. </p>
<h2>The importance of laneway suites</h2>
<p>In contrast to laneway houses, laneway suites are tethered to a separate, primary residence on the same lot. Laneway suites can increase the number of housing units in stable neighbourhoods that are dominated by closely spaced, detached and semi-detached homes. </p>
<p>They take advantage of established infrastructure, such as schools, parks, roadways and transit, and increase sustainability by adding living units into central neighbourhoods. They can also enable multigenerational living by allowing residents to <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/seniors/forum/aging.html">age in place</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/community-partners/affordable-housing-partners/laneway-suites-program/">Toronto legalized laneway suites in 2018</a> in an effort to ease the city’s housing crisis. Laneway suites could increase rental stock in established neighbourhoods without affecting their character. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376512/original/file-20201223-15-oaa0zg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376512/original/file-20201223-15-oaa0zg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376512/original/file-20201223-15-oaa0zg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376512/original/file-20201223-15-oaa0zg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376512/original/file-20201223-15-oaa0zg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376512/original/file-20201223-15-oaa0zg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376512/original/file-20201223-15-oaa0zg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Laneway suite development in Vancouver has significantly outpaced that of Toronto. Data from Housing Vancouver, 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shelagh McCartney)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Toronto is not the first city to explore laneway housing. It has been successfully adopted in Vancouver and Calgary, and several cities in the United States. Vancouver has <a href="https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/housing-vancouver-report-2020.pdf">approved over 4,000 laneway suite permits since 2009</a>, while Calgary has similar numbers of <a href="https://secondarysuites.calgary.ca/">backyard suites</a>. </p>
<p>Toronto, by comparison, has lagged behind, issuing only 24 per cent of the permits that Vancouver did in its early years. Why have laneway suites had lower uptake in Toronto despite the steep need for housing?</p>
<h2>Barriers to development</h2>
<p>Current emergency access requirements are a source of frustration for would-be builders. Toronto grants laneway suite building permits if the plans meet zoning requirements and are in compliance with <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/building-construction/apply-for-a-building-permit/building-permit-application-guides/renovation-and-new-house-guides/new-laneway-suite/providing-access-to-a-new-laneway-suite/">fire and emergency service (EMS) access requirements</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Map of Toronto showing lots eligible for laneway housing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376466/original/file-20201222-13-nx1xi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C15%2C2093%2C1380&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376466/original/file-20201222-13-nx1xi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376466/original/file-20201222-13-nx1xi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376466/original/file-20201222-13-nx1xi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376466/original/file-20201222-13-nx1xi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376466/original/file-20201222-13-nx1xi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376466/original/file-20201222-13-nx1xi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Locations of lots eligible for laneway suites, their potential to unlock new, unconventional housing types in Toronto’s ‘Yellowbelt,’ the areas zoned for detached and semi-detached housing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our research found these emergency access requirements reduce the total number of laneway suite eligible lots in Toronto to less than 28,000 from 47,000. However, recently adopted updates will increase lot eligibility by 30 per cent to 36,000. </p>
<p>This is a step in the right direction, but still overestimates the total number of eligible lots because of another significant barrier: neighbours.</p>
<p>Where neighbours need to share the side lot space between their homes to meet the required one-metre-wide passage for emergency services, builders need to acquire a Limiting Distance Agreement (LDA). Negotiating this can be a tall order, requiring legal consultation and registration on title, adding risk and uncertainty for the neighbour. An LDA can also benefit neighbours, however, as it could streamline the implementation of their own future laneway suite.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376468/original/file-20201222-13-16w4h4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Schematic showing the required distances between buildings for eligible properties" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376468/original/file-20201222-13-16w4h4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376468/original/file-20201222-13-16w4h4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376468/original/file-20201222-13-16w4h4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376468/original/file-20201222-13-16w4h4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376468/original/file-20201222-13-16w4h4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376468/original/file-20201222-13-16w4h4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376468/original/file-20201222-13-16w4h4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Emergency access requirements significantly reduce the number of lots eligible for laneway suites in Toronto. (Adapted from Lanescape, 2020)</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shelagh McCartney)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2020/ph/bgrd/backgroundfile-156421.pdf">Toronto could decrease the minimum clearance</a> required between houses to 0.81 metres, as other cities have done, to limit LDAs. This is the minimum front door size required by the Ontario Building Code. But this would not prevent unwilling neighbours from halting projects if an LDA is needed. </p>
<p>Most successful laneway suites in Toronto have been completed on narrow lots, seven to nine metres wide, and likely required an LDA. In comparison, the minimum size of an eligible lot in Vancouver is <a href="https://bylaws.vancouver.ca/bulletin/bulletin-laneway-housing-guide.pdf?_ga=2.230008415.234086744.1608302815-1475814971.1606840060&_ga=2.230008415.234086744.1608302815-1475814971.1606840060">10.7 metres (32.15 feet) wide</a>, and doesn’t likely require an LDA because the extra width allows for extra clearance. </p>
<p>To mitigate this barrier, Toronto should adopt alternatives to side access by increasing the maximum distance for emergency access along laneways, reducing the required clearance or purchasing <a href="https://www.hamilton.ca/government-information/news-centre/news-releases/hamilton-fire-re-engineer-fire-trucks-better">smaller fire trucks for denser areas</a>.</p>
<p>Additionally, our research noted that problems can occur with neighbours during the minor variance process <a href="https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/nimby/">if they express NIMBYism</a>. Some people have negative perceptions of renters and their perceived effects on the character of the neighbourhood, causing delays and increasing cost of development.</p>
<h2>Public places</h2>
<p>Preliminary research suggests laneway suites benefit both homeowners and the neighbourhood by <a href="https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/facultyresearchandpublications/52383/items/1.0376805">increasing property value and rental income</a>, as well as catalyzing the transformation of laneways into high-quality public places.</p>
<p>The Toronto neighbourhoods with the highest number of eligible lots have aboveaverage walkability scores and relatively underused social infrastructure. Laneways provide connections between public amenities and could promote walking and cycling to schools, libraries, commercial streets and parks through alternative routes with less vehicular traffic. The best way to transform laneways into thriving parts of the public realm is by investing in a mix of uses for housing, work and socialization.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382666/original/file-20210205-16-443z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Maps of Toronto showing eligible lots under different scenarios" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382666/original/file-20210205-16-443z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382666/original/file-20210205-16-443z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382666/original/file-20210205-16-443z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382666/original/file-20210205-16-443z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382666/original/file-20210205-16-443z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382666/original/file-20210205-16-443z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382666/original/file-20210205-16-443z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Toronto properties eligible for Laneway Suite development, the hopeful, actual and adopted numbers of suites based on the policy and the potential legacy for the extensive ‘Yellowbelt,’ and activation of laneways as unrealized public park space.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shelagh McCartney)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Laneway suites are more than an opportunity to provide housing. They are a first step towards fulfilling laneways’ potential as vibrant and sustainable connections within/between neighbourhoods. </p>
<p>The legacy of laneway suites is to unlock the potential for new, unconventional housing types, such as <a href="https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2020/12/garden-suites-could-be-coming-soon-toronto">garden suites</a>, increasing housing units in underused spaces in Toronto’s “<a href="http://www.mapto.ca/maps/2017/3/4/the-yellow-belt">Yellowbelt</a>” — zones of residential, detached homes — where there are 10 times more potential lots to add units and address the need for housing.</p>
<p><em>Michelle Senayah, executive director of the Laneway Project, co-authored this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150526/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shelagh McCartney works with The Laneway Project, a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to bringing laneways to life, on research projects of mutual interest.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ellen Molloy, Ely DeSandoli, Frances Grout-Brown, Laura Lebel-Pantazopoulos, Paul Arkilander, Puneh Jamshidi-Moghadam, Riley Malthaner, and Sally Nicholson do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Laneway suites could increase rental stock in established neighbourhoods without affecting their character. Toronto has lagged behind other cities in Canada and North America.Shelagh McCartney, Associate Professor, Urban and Regional Planning, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityEllen Molloy, Master of Urban Development Student, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityEly DeSandoli, Master of Urban Development Student, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityFrances Grout-Brown, Master of Urban Development Student, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLaura Lebel-Pantazopoulos, Master of Urban Development Student, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityPaul Arkilander, Master of Urban Development Student, Ryerson University, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityPuneh Jamshidi-Moghadam, Master of Urban Development Student, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityRiley Malthaner, Master of Urban Development Student, Toronto Metropolitan UniversitySally Nicholson, Master of Urban Development Student, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1475592020-10-13T18:47:08Z2020-10-13T18:47:08ZOur cities are full of parks, so why are we looking to golf courses for more open space?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362899/original/file-20201012-17-1t64n1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C276%2C1493%2C1089&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wendy Walls</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The recent <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/locals-want-covid-normal-to-include-turning-golf-course-into-parkland-20200925-p55zea.html">opening of a golf course to the public</a> in the inner north of Melbourne caused a flurry of excitement. Since then, thousands of visitors have explored the expanse of manicured rolling greens, fairways and rough. Under <a href="https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/second-step-coronavirus-road-to-recovery">COVID restrictions</a> that require Melbournians to stay within 5km of their homes, access to a very large and beautiful open space has provided welcome relief from the <a href="https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2020/sep/map-shows-melbourne-parks-will-struggle-in-next-stage-of-lockdown">well-worn tracks</a> up and down local creeks and around local ovals. </p>
<p>But beyond just exploring somewhere new, the meticulously crafted landscape of the Northcote public golf course offers a rare experience in Melbourne’s ever more densely developed inner suburbs.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/340-000-melburnians-have-little-or-no-parkland-within-5km-of-their-home-144069">340,000 Melburnians have little or no parkland within 5km of their home</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The past six months of lockdowns have sparked many discussions about our cities and lifestyles. And the importance of local parks has come to the fore. There are issues of <a href="https://theconversation.com/340-000-melburnians-have-little-or-no-parkland-within-5km-of-their-home-144069">equity in access to parks</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-urban-density-is-good-for-health-even-during-a-pandemic-142108">walkability</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-might-covid-19-change-what-australians-want-from-their-homes-145626">housing</a>, and the measured health and well-being <a href="https://theconversation.com/twitter-posts-show-that-people-are-profoundly-sad-and-are-visiting-parks-to-cheer-up-139953">effects of being outdoors</a>. </p>
<p>These target-driven discussions fit with the dominant planning methods of Australian cities. From <a href="https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0031/428908/Creating-a-more-liveable-Melbourne.pdf">walking times</a> to <a href="https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/community/greening-the-city/urban-forest/Pages/urban-forest-strategy.aspx">tree cover targets</a>, function has long dominated quality when defining urban open space. But this planning approach to open space significantly limits how parks are conceived. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1305077434954383366"}"></div></p>
<h2>Why the pressure on golf courses?</h2>
<p>Now, as people swarm to urban parks and gardens in record numbers, we need to give open space the same status as other valued urban assets such as roads and rail. And we need to work out what government, the private sector, design professionals and the community can contribute to create better public open space over the next decade.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/twitter-posts-show-that-people-are-profoundly-sad-and-are-visiting-parks-to-cheer-up-139953">Twitter posts show that people are profoundly sad – and are visiting parks to cheer up</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Returning to the Northcote golf course, a community group is <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/locals-want-covid-normal-to-include-turning-golf-course-into-parkland-20200925-p55zea.html">lobbying for ongoing community access</a>. It’s part of a wider discussion about the future of urban golf courses across Australia. In <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-18/marrickville-golf-club-vote-to-go-before-inner-west-council/12672562">Sydney</a>, the Inner West Council recently <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/inner-west/marrickville-golf-club-plan-to-turn-18-holes-into-9-rejected/news-story/07deba9839c2d88bf682a729f9808d53">voted down</a> a hotly debated plan to give over half the Marrickville golf course to public green space. In <a href="https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/things-to-see-and-do/council-venues-and-precincts/parks/victoria-park">Brisbane</a>, the Victoria Park Golf Course is being converted to public parkland.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1308355184968347648"}"></div></p>
<p>Urban golf courses are in the spotlight because of their <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/11/undraining-the-swamp-how-rewilders-have-reclaimed-golf-courses-and-waterways">rarity as large green open spaces with mature plantings</a>. The golfing community is <a href="https://www.australiangolfdigest.com.au/a-battle-for-survival/">under pressure</a> to justify why so much precious city space is being reserved for their sport. </p>
<p>This discussion masks the underlying issue of inadequate urban planning. Successive governments have failed to set aside enough open space to cater for population growth.</p>
<p>For decades, the planning of our cities has occurred through growth models that give priority to economic development. Missing are significant large parks – the modern equivalents of the much-loved colonial layers of the Domains in <a href="https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/Visit/The-Domain">Sydney</a> and <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/melbourne-domain-parkland-memorial-precinct">Melbourne</a>, <a href="https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/parks/hyde-park">Hyde Park</a>, <a href="https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/royal-park">Royal Park</a> or <a href="https://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/kings-park">Kings Park</a> – to offset this growth. </p>
<p>The issue of open space quality becomes even more pressing when we turn to the outer suburbs. Lacking access to bays and beaches, the outer suburbs <a href="https://www.foreground.com.au/parks-places/garden-cities-no-australias-leafy-urban-centres-pressure/">no longer have</a> the “Australian dream” of the quarter-acre block as a counterbalance. Houses are constructed gutter to gutter, cars crowd the front yards, and the local park is often a footy oval with a playground. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/vanishing-australian-backyards-leave-us-vulnerable-to-the-stresses-of-city-life-81479">Vanishing Australian backyards leave us vulnerable to the stresses of city life</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Playground in front of a football oval." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362883/original/file-20201012-20-hbg3rt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362883/original/file-20201012-20-hbg3rt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362883/original/file-20201012-20-hbg3rt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362883/original/file-20201012-20-hbg3rt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362883/original/file-20201012-20-hbg3rt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362883/original/file-20201012-20-hbg3rt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362883/original/file-20201012-20-hbg3rt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For many suburbs, their most substantial public open space is a football oval and playground.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BaroogaFootballGround%26Playground.JPG">Mattinbgn/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Time to make open space a priority</h2>
<p>COVID and the slowing economy provide an important opportunity to rethink our models for open space. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/reclaiming-the-streets-we-all-can-have-a-say-in-the-new-normal-after-coronavirus-137703">Reclaiming the streets? We all can have a say in the 'new normal' after coronavirus</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We need to challenge the binaries of competing values – public versus private, environment versus community – that structure our cities. Our parks should not emerge through a debate over the best use of limited green space: biodiversity, community gardens, bike paths, wetlands, sport facilities, playgrounds and dog walking. None of these agendas are wrong, but there is a limit to how much space can be shared. </p>
<p>There are, of course, many examples of councils wanting to add more open green space. But it is important to have larger-scale and longer-term perspectives that can operate independently of local and state politics. </p>
<p>Global examples of open-space governance reveal shifts towards alternative funding models and public-private relationships for delivering quality, not just quantity. For example, in New York, the NGO <a href="http://designtrust.org/">Design Trust for Public Space</a> works across government, community groups and the private sector to guide public space development. In Australia, the appointment of a <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/public-spaces-minister-plans-to-buy-sydney-s-forgotten-land-for-open-space-20190504-p51k0z.html">minister for public spaces</a> in Sydney and the <a href="https://resilientmelbourne.com.au/living-melbourne/">Living Melbourne</a> strategy both acknowledge the importance of overarching spatial governance. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-minister-for-public-spaces-is-welcome-now-here-are-ten-priorities-for-action-115152">New minister for public spaces is welcome – now here are ten priorities for action</a>
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<p>The private sector is responsible too. Enabling large and high-quality open space across our cities means reviewing our expectations of funding and exploring new models led by the private sector. This includes not just funding construction but finding cash for ongoing park maintenance. </p>
<p>COVID has highlighted why the scale of open space is important. It’s needed for maintaining distance between users but also for providing a sense of escape from increasing urban density, compounded by the many hours spent indoors. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-radical-nature-based-agenda-would-help-society-overcome-the-psychological-effects-of-coronavirus-147324">A radical nature-based agenda would help society overcome the psychological effects of coronavirus</a>
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<p>It is widely recognised that an experience of <a href="https://theconversation.com/biodiversity-and-our-brains-how-ecology-and-mental-health-go-together-in-our-cities-126760">nature is valuable for health and well-being</a>. It’s now time to link this directly to a diversity of high-quality park experiences. </p>
<p>All parks have not been created equally. Let’s use this moment to determine a more ambitious future for our urban open spaces.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147559/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>All parks are not equal. The response to the opening of golf courses to the public during the COVID pandemic shows the quality of green open space is a big issue for city residents.Wendy Walls, Lecturer in Landscape Architecture, The University of MelbourneJillian Walliss, Associate Professor in Landscape Architecture, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1464282020-10-07T17:17:19Z2020-10-07T17:17:19ZNuit Blanche Toronto goes virtual to change how people see art and public space<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361738/original/file-20201005-20-152z0r7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C16%2C1464%2C503&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Artist Joi T. Arcand explains 'Never Surrender,' 'translates a ...1980s Canadian pop song into the Cree language and recontextualiz[es] the lyrics as an anthem of Indigenous sovereignty.' Here, the image layered over a photo of a Winnipeg sidewalk.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Noor)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In streets and kitchens across Canada, viewers and participants can interact with virtual public art to be reminded of diverse histories and communities. This is through <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/nuitblanche/2020-program/nuit-in-your-neighbourhood/">Nuit In Your Neighbourhood</a>, a new virtual component of Toronto’s ongoing <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/nuitblanche/">Nuit Blanche festival</a>, which runs until Oct. 12. </p>
<p>Nehiyaw text-based artist Joi T. Arcand’s artwork celebrates just this when she <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/nuitblanche/2020-program/nuit-in-your-neighbourhood/never-surrender/">writes “Never Surrender” in Cree syllabics</a> to honour her own heritage and efforts of solidarity-building between Indigenous communities.</p>
<p>The neon words are delivered to viewers’ spaces in three dimensions through virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. Viewers visit the Nuit in Your Neighbourhood site on a smartphone or tablet, click on avatars of the images, and then can use their device <a href="https://nowtoronto.com/culture/art-and-design/what-you-cant-miss-at-virtual-nuit-blanche-2020">to photograph artists’ works wherever they direct their cameras</a> (some versions of devices may require users to download an app).</p>
<p>Nuit Blanche’s <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/nuitblanche/2020-program/artistic-director-julie-nagam">artistic director, Julie Nagam</a>,
brings an approach to curating art that focuses on coalition-building through dialogues and collaboration. I am a research assistant to Nagam <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/nuitblanche">working on Nuit Blanche programming</a> and I research Islamic art histories and transcultural curatorial practices.</p>
<p>Both the COVID-19 pandemic and recent debates around public heritage and public monuments shape how Nuit Blanche Toronto is seeking to remap cities. The festival features artists who imagine different futures for BIPOC communities that have been marginalized, and whose work realizes a more liveable present through remapping what an urban space and a community can be. </p>
<h2>Re-visioning community & public space</h2>
<p>Now, when many people globally are facing another COVID-19 lockdown and the unknowns of stepping into yet another pandemic month, it would be a cliché to state that most of us are exhausted. Many of us are feeling disconnected from what we might have once called community and connection. Both social distancing measures imposed at the outbreak of COVID-19 and vigilant transformations of shared public spaces seen in the <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/canada-addresses-its-monumental-problem">removal of colonial monuments</a> have led some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ddnNfSE_sd&feature=youtu.be">people to announce the end of public spaces</a>. </p>
<p>Our societies are reckoning with the fact that public spaces marked by these monuments are not accessible or desirable for everybody. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-activists-are-vandalizing-statues-to-colonialism-129750">Why activists are vandalizing statues to colonialism</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>While we’re witnessing the end of a public space as we know it, it is certainly not the end of its possibilities. A recent panel discussion, “Thinking Through Public Space in the Time of COVID,” was part of <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/nuitblanche/nuit-talks/">Nuit Talks</a>, a series of in-depth conversations with Nuit Blanche artists, scholars and curators. During the discussion, Mazyar Mortazavi, board chair for <a href="https://www.thebentway.ca/about/">The Bentway, a public art space and park located under Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway</a>, said: “<a href="https://www.thespacebetweenus.ca/programming/thinking-through-public-space-in-the-time-of-covid-and-how-people-will-return-to-public-space-and-public-art">Grief is the first step for recovery</a>.” </p>
<p>There are infinite possibilities for how viewers might engage with Nuit in Your Neighbourhood artworks, from the safety of their own homes or walking through public space. </p>
<h2>Nuit in Your Neighbourhood</h2>
<p>A common thread that ties together the commissioned works in Nuit in Your Neighbourhood is the artists’ engagement with virtual technologies to critically elevate marginalized histories. Such practices are also seen where Indigenous <a href="https://canadianart.ca/issues/spring-2019-spacetime/">artists</a>, <a href="https://hyperallergic.com/449951/biennale-dart-contemporain-autochtone-baca-montreal/">curators</a> and <a href="https://canadianart.ca/essays/making-space-in-indigenous-art-for-bull-dykes-and-gender-weirdos/">writers</a> make and imagine space in art exhibitions and in contemporary arts commentary. </p>
<p>Nagam has approached decolonial curating through similar gestures of affirmation and presence. Alongside curator Jaimie Isaac, Nagam curated the groundbreaking exhibition, “<a href="https://wag.ca/art/stories/insurgence-resurgence-wag/">INSURGENCE/RESURGENCE</a>” at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2017 that created opportunities for a young cohort of artists and BIPOC communities in the city. To this day, it has been the largest exhibition on contemporary Indigenous art in the country.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GwuuFj2mpx0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">‘INSURGENCE/RESURGENCE’ exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Space making</h2>
<p>With Nuit in Your Neighbourhood images, a person might interact with artists’ images in their domestic or shared public space.</p>
<p>Consider <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/nuitblanche/2020-program/nuit-in-your-neighbourhood/when-the-fam-lose-faith-hold-them-up/"><em>When The Fam Lose Faith, Hold Them Up</em></a>, by Toronto-based photographic artist <a href="https://yungyemi.com">Yung Yemi</a>. Viewers could choose to mark the distance <a href="https://theeyeopener.com/2020/07/egerton-ryerson-statue-defaced-by-protesters">gained through Black Lives Matter protests against colonial monuments</a>
by photographing the disgraced statue of <a href="https://theeyeopener.com/2020/07/egerton-ryerson-statue-defaced-by-protesters/">Egerton Ryerson</a> in Toronto with this image layered overtop.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two heads facing away from each other and connected at the hair." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361692/original/file-20201005-14-1sgqkxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361692/original/file-20201005-14-1sgqkxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361692/original/file-20201005-14-1sgqkxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361692/original/file-20201005-14-1sgqkxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361692/original/file-20201005-14-1sgqkxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361692/original/file-20201005-14-1sgqkxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361692/original/file-20201005-14-1sgqkxd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Yung Yemi, ‘When The Fam Lose Faith, Hold Them Up’ (2020).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Yung Yemi)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the digital medium, the artist’s depicted Afro-futurist figures can travel and establish their own relations, and are both ephemeral and fluid. They bring into reality what Toronto’s own philosopher and communications theorist Marshall McLuhan prophesized: “<a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/The_Medium_is_the_Massage.html?id=_1kNAQAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y">The medium is the message</a>.”</p>
<p>Another artist whose work invites people to mark space is video and performance artist <a href="https://www.rah-eleh.com">Rah Eleh’s</a> <em>#Bluegirl</em>. This work is an immersive video that <a href="http://www.rah-eleh.com/bluegirl/">considers self-immolation practices</a> involving young women in the Middle East and <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/nuitblanche/2020-program/nuit-in-your-neighbourhood/bluegirl-supernova/">Persian-speaking</a> nations in Central Asia.</p>
<p>In <em>#Bluegirl</em>, Eleh visualizes alternatives of survival for these figures that massage out the possibilities of not only the present, but the cosmic past and future.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="(A woman playing a stringed instrument sits against a purple night environment)" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361707/original/file-20201005-16-1repeai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361707/original/file-20201005-16-1repeai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361707/original/file-20201005-16-1repeai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361707/original/file-20201005-16-1repeai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361707/original/file-20201005-16-1repeai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361707/original/file-20201005-16-1repeai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361707/original/file-20201005-16-1repeai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Detail from Rah Eleh’s ‘#Bluegirl’ (2020).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Memories of origins</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.maureengruben.com">Maureen Gruben’s</a> <em>Kagisaaluq</em> visualizes cultural traditions to demonstrate their vitality and survival. <em>Kagisaaluq</em> presents a “<a href="https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/nuitblanche/2020-program/nuit-in-your-neighbourhood/kagisaaluq/">fox stretcher</a>,” an Inuvialuit tool to stretch and preserve animal skins carved by Gruben’s father to help the family and community thrive in the Arctic. In reproducing this, <em>Kagisaaluq</em> feels as if it reorders space and time to honour traditional forms of survival and knowledge. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A fox stretcher, an Inuvialuit tool." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361696/original/file-20201005-20-1or1caq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361696/original/file-20201005-20-1or1caq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361696/original/file-20201005-20-1or1caq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361696/original/file-20201005-20-1or1caq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361696/original/file-20201005-20-1or1caq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361696/original/file-20201005-20-1or1caq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361696/original/file-20201005-20-1or1caq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Maureen Gruben, ‘Kagisaaluq’ (2020).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Artist Chun Hua Catherine Dong has discussed the idea that tradition needs to be expanded. <a href="https://chunhuacatherinedong.com"><em>Skin Deep</em> is</a> the artist’s most recent exploration in an <a href="https://www.aceart.org/visual-poetics-of-embodied-shame-chun-hua-catherine-dong">ongoing series</a>, where faces are wrapped by different Chinese silk fabrics. </p>
<p>Dong has noted she <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/nuitblanche/2020-program/nuit-in-your-neighbourhood/skin-deep">is not only challenging patterns of sexism in China, but also the “othering” of Chinese Canadian subjects through racism in Canada</a>. </p>
<p>When explored in its augmented reality construction, threads in the form of a fluttering butterfly start to lift from the face. For me, this signals a slow but enduring deconstruction of tradition.</p>
<h2>Solidarity across cultures, peoples</h2>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A square image of fluttering silks superimposed atop a backyard fence." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361937/original/file-20201006-16-1w8fdvp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361937/original/file-20201006-16-1w8fdvp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361937/original/file-20201006-16-1w8fdvp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361937/original/file-20201006-16-1w8fdvp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361937/original/file-20201006-16-1w8fdvp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361937/original/file-20201006-16-1w8fdvp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/361937/original/file-20201006-16-1w8fdvp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Chun Hua Catherine Dong’s image ‘Skin Deep,’ is layered over an image of a fence in the author’s backyard, Sept 28, 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nagam’s prioritization of BIPOC artists living in diverse cultural conditions generates solidarities across diverse cultures and peoples. From an esthetic perspective, what is of lasting remembrance is an encounter between the artwork and audience. </p>
<p>In the expanded universe of augmented reality and virtual reality, the artworks engender what curator and artist Amalia Mesa-Bains has referred to as “<a href="https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/9581566">inter-ethnic intimacy</a>,” borne out of exchange. </p>
<p>Within processes of play and exploration, audience members are invited to understand and feel the different layers and propositions of how space is made. When we are longing for the rush of the Nuit crowd, we are, instead, offered deep connections with other people and other communities, where multiplicity is the work.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/146428/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Noor Bhangu works as a Research Assistant for Nuit Blanche Toronto. She receives funding from Ryerson University and the Manitoba Arts Council. </span></em></p>Both the COVID-19 pandemic and urgent debates around public heritage and monuments shape how Nuit Blanche Toronto is seeking to engage artists and viewers in remapping cities.Noor Bhangu, PhD student, Communication and Culture, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1431212020-08-04T11:40:26Z2020-08-04T11:40:26ZCoronavirus: using crowd simulation to encourage social distancing<p>As Europe faces a resurgence of coronavirus, having loosened strict lockdowns, one of the most important policy questions is how people can safely social distance in crowded places. Our ability to accommodate maximum safety and capacity has been greatly reduced during the pandemic, raising concerns about the future layout of public spaces.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.uu.nl/staff/RJGeraerts">My research and development</a> group at Utrecht University along with start-up <a href="https://www.ucrowds.com">uCrowds</a> have deployed a crowd simulation framework to help manage groups of people in this new world of public space under coronavirus. </p>
<p>The software allows users to create and run models for simulating realistic crowd behaviour, including how people move around a space and how they avoid collisions within environments. Simulations are run in realistic environments to study the effectiveness of their methods.</p>
<h2>How does the software work?</h2>
<p>Simulated pedestrians in the software do not move around randomly; they have one or more destinations. They can either be alone or in groups.</p>
<p>One relatively recent addition we have made is that a certain percentage of the simulated people take up more space, for example those who are travelling in small, social groups. The pedestrians then walk to their destinations in a realistic manner, avoiding other people and obstacles.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JZ0C7m8ym_8?wmode=transparent&start=54" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<p>We modelled the way people move in the simulations using 13 years of data on how real people move. We collected some of this from students who carried trackers while walking across hallways and other spaces. We also conducted experiments with groups of students at festivals, where much larger groups of people moved alongside each other. </p>
<p>Since our model is based around individuals and social groups, we have now been able to add effects of social distancing. All their interactions lead to the kinds of emergent behaviours we are observing in real crowds. Examples include lane formation (pedestrians following the people who walk in front of them when crowds got too busy), pressure waves, and more anticipation because individuals are trying to keep a greater social distance between one another. </p>
<h2>Practical applications</h2>
<p>How do we use this information to help with coronavirus planning? Crowd simulation models can be scaled up immensely. If you have a sufficiently fast computer, our simulation engine can simulate up to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/314159-roland-geraerts/">550,000 people in real time</a>. </p>
<p>The software can also make projections: for example, if you simulate 20,000 people, you can fast forward the simulation to 35 times the actual speed. That means that the software can also look into the future and warn officials to close off access routes in areas that are becoming too busy. </p>
<p>If governments use this kind of software, they can send text messages to people’s mobile phones to direct pedestrians to take other route options to their destinations. A pilot project is running at <a href="https://www.rssb.co.uk/Insights-and-News/Blogs/real-time-digital-twin-of-St-Pancras-station-and-journey-to-create-an-emotion-optimised-railway">St Pancras railway station</a> in the UK which demonstrates this technology. </p>
<p>The software has been previously used for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in 2015, which brought 800,000 spectators to Utrecht. Simulations in a virtual Utrecht supported the municipal government in planning the surroundings of the cycling course and testing the prognoses for the <a href="https://www.uu.nl/en/news/virtual-polka-dots-predict-spectator-flows-for-grand-depart">flows of the spectators</a>. One of the scenarios included computing the maximum number of individuals that would safely fit on a square. When this number was reached in reality, the entrance to this square could be safely closed in time. </p>
<h2>Simulating social distance</h2>
<p>We have recently updated the simulation to reflect the social distancing measures in place in the Netherlands which require people to <a href="https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/tackling-new-coronavirus-in-the-netherlands">stay 1.5 metres apart</a>. </p>
<p>The simulation does not simply set the minimum distance between simulated people to 1.5 metres, but takes into account the fact that people make imperfect estimations. Even the fact that people are becoming tired of coronavirus measures and are hence paying less attention to distancing is considered. The software also simulates groups containing members of the same household, which are moving closer together.</p>
<p>As the pandemic unfolds, this model can be used to get insights in the daily operation of train stations, airports, high streets or even festivals in this new 1.5-metre world. By simulating crowds at this distance, we hope to contribute to helping open up the economy in these bizarre times.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143121/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Roland Geraerts is with Utrecht University and is founder of uCrowds. He receives funding from The Dutch Research Council (NWO). </span></em></p>By using computer crowd simulations, we can figure out how large numbers of people can move around public space while maintaining social distancing.Roland Geraerts, Assistant professor in Computer Science, Utrecht UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1401692020-07-15T19:58:48Z2020-07-15T19:58:48ZWhat does the ‘new normal’ look like for women’s safety in cities?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347051/original/file-20200713-50-1yfxwna.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C4%2C3169%2C1992&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sydney-australia-may-1-2020-warning-1722752575">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Women’s safety in public space is very complex. Women’s perception of safety – as opposed to their risk of experiencing gendered violence or crime – very much determines how they interact with public space. This issue of perception makes measuring and evaluating women’s experiences difficult.</p>
<p>The passing of the <a href="https://www.vic.gov.au/gender-equality-bill">Gender Equality Act 2020</a> in February 2020 created a legal imperative in Victoria to shift urban politics, policies, design and research towards understanding how gender affects needs and experiences. This is generally poorly understood by those who determine how places are designed, developed, governed and maintained. </p>
<p>Tackling the inclusion of women in all aspects of public spaces will be paramount, but it cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. Nuanced thinking and multiple gender-sensitive strategies are required.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/crowd-mapping-gender-equality-a-powerful-tool-for-shaping-a-better-city-launches-in-melbourne-105648">Crowd-mapping gender equality – a powerful tool for shaping a better city launches in Melbourne</a>
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<p>In local streets, parks, squares and walkways across Australia we saw a marked increase in the numbers of people walking and cycling under COVID-19 restrictions that allowed people to leave their homes for exercise. Coupled with the big drop in car traffic, these public spaces may have felt like they had never been safer. </p>
<p>But are these spaces safer for women? And how will we measure women’s perceptions of safety in a (post-)COVID world?</p>
<h2>What makes women feel safe or unsafe?</h2>
<p>For women, safety considerations not only involve the physical aspects of spaces, but also how memories and mental images are triggered. For instance, the <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/women-s-safety-an-issue-for-every-day-20191206-p53hh3.html">many high-profile cases</a> of women who have been viciously attacked, raped and murdered mean many women are on alert every time they leave home. <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/chapter-3-extent-sexual-harassment-australia-sexual-harassment-serious-business#3_2">Daily sexual harassment</a> maintains those high levels of fear because it reminds women of their vulnerability to sexual violence.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/have-you-ever-wondered-how-much-energy-you-put-in-to-avoid-being-assaulted-it-may-shock-you-65372">Have you ever wondered how much energy you put in to avoid being assaulted? It may shock you</a>
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<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07352166.2016.1255526">Research</a> has shown experiences of public space are individual and unique. Women from different racial backgrounds and of different ages, sexuality, disabilities and socio-economic class have very different experiences. Indeed, one woman’s experience of a place as “bad” might be contradicted by another’s account of the same location. </p>
<p>This means we must also consider how women’s differing and intersecting identities shape their individual and collective experiences – and thus perceptions of safety in public space. </p>
<p>Understanding these complex experiences for women in greater depth means gathering more gender-specific data. Right now, we have far too little data about women’s experiences and knowledge. Or, rather, the information is in a format that is too general and too easily dismissed. </p>
<p>Every place is a little different. The women who use those spaces are different too. We need data that target precise areas.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/safe-in-the-city-girls-tell-it-like-it-is-72975">Safe in the City? Girls tell it like it is</a>
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<h2>Women’s safety audits on the rise</h2>
<p>One key method of gathering such data is women’s safety audits. The <a href="http://mirror.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/7381_86263_WICI.pdf">Metropolitan Toronto Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children</a> developed the first of these audits in the late 1980s. This approach has since been adopted and adapted to suit local conditions and changing technologies. </p>
<p>At the heart of these audits is users of a public space noting the factors that make them feel unsafe or safe, and identifying ways to make the space better and safer. It is a process of co-design – women are viewed as experts in their lived experience.</p>
<p>Typically, an audit will consider different kinds of spaces – such as streets, residential areas, parks, markets and public transport – and offer a checklist of matters to consider. Part of any audit are issues like lighting, surveillance and sightlines. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276654/original/file-20190527-193531-gkzk8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276654/original/file-20190527-193531-gkzk8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276654/original/file-20190527-193531-gkzk8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276654/original/file-20190527-193531-gkzk8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276654/original/file-20190527-193531-gkzk8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276654/original/file-20190527-193531-gkzk8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276654/original/file-20190527-193531-gkzk8l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Bright light is not necessarily enough to make a space feel safer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/single-person-walking-on-street-dark-493126720?src=6sSXtP3DLGjo-9xyP9vBRA-1-0">grafxart/Shutterstock</a></span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-lighting-alone-does-not-create-safer-cities-look-at-what-research-with-young-women-tells-us-113359">More lighting alone does not create safer cities. Look at what research with young women tells us</a>
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<p>Women are also asked to consider matters such as how many women are in the space and what they are doing. Are they taking their time? Are there reasons and opportunities for women to gather in the space? </p>
<p>Simply, are women inhabiting the public space, not just quickly passing through it, <a href="https://theconversation.com/have-you-ever-wondered-how-much-energy-you-put-in-to-avoid-being-assaulted-it-may-shock-you-65372">keys in hand as a ready weapon</a>? This makes a big difference to perceptions of safety and to the sense that women actually belong and are entitled to take up space in public.</p>
<h2>What’s being done locally?</h2>
<p>Audits now come in different forms. Digital crowdmapping platforms, such as <a href="https://safetipin.com/">Safetipin</a> and <a href="https://www.plan.org.au/freetobe">Free to Be</a>, allow women to use geolocation software to pinpoint precisely where they feel safe and unsafe, and why. Safetipin now generates safety scores for very localised parts of the cities where it is active. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347231/original/file-20200714-50-1g0ebsi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347231/original/file-20200714-50-1g0ebsi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347231/original/file-20200714-50-1g0ebsi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347231/original/file-20200714-50-1g0ebsi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347231/original/file-20200714-50-1g0ebsi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347231/original/file-20200714-50-1g0ebsi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347231/original/file-20200714-50-1g0ebsi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347231/original/file-20200714-50-1g0ebsi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A ‘Free to Be’ map of Sydney. Each spot is a woman’s shared story of her experience of a place. The orange bad spots greatly outnumber the blue good spots.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.plan.org.au/freetobe">Plan International/Free To Be</a></span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-design-safer-parks-for-women-city-planners-must-listen-to-their-stories-98317">To design safer parks for women, city planners must listen to their stories</a>
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<p>Online survey audits and tailored checklists are also becoming increasingly useful for local governments as they tackle merging traditional crime prevention through environmental design strategies with a gender lens.</p>
<p>With the Gender Equality Act in place, many local governments are leading the way. As a part of its <a href="https://www.casey.vic.gov.au/policies-strategies/family-violence-prevention-strategy">Family Violence Prevention Strategy</a>, the City of Casey has been working with Monash University XYX Lab to develop the “Safe in Her City” gender audit tool. Another XYX Lab partnership with Moreland City Council is an <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Safety_for_Women_Merri_Creek">online safety survey</a> to shed light on women’s experiences of a short stretch of Merri Creek. </p>
<p>Both these initiatives build upon global good practice by applying a gender lens and incorporating the voices of women and girls into city design and evaluation. In this way, cities can promote safety and belonging in their public places and spaces.</p>
<h2>Navigating the ‘new normal’</h2>
<p>While instances of <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/domestic-violence-isolation-and-covid-19">gender-based violence rose frighteningly</a> in private and domestic realms during COVID-19 lockdowns, it is equally important to track what is happening now – in the “new normal” – when public space is changing and <a href="https://www.monash.edu/mada/research/navigating-economic-uncertainty-in-post-covid-cities">communities must navigate uncertainty</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-are-in-a-bubble-that-is-set-to-burst-why-urgent-support-must-be-given-to-domestic-violence-workers-141600">'We are in a bubble that is set to burst'. Why urgent support must be given to domestic violence workers</a>
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<p>Women’s safety audits in their various forms are a means to meet the objectives of the Gender Equality Act. But, more than that, they amplify women’s voices and help them claim their right to feel safe and actively occupy public space.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140169/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole Kalms is Director of the Monash University XYX Lab and is currently undertaking research with Moreland City Council and Casey City Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Georgia May Johnson and Gill Matthewson do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Gender Equality Act in Victoria creates an obligation to understand how gender affects needs and experiences, and to design, assess and manage public spaces so women feel safe in those places.Nicole Kalms, Director, XYX Lab, and Associate Professor, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, Monash UniversityGeorgia May Johnson, Research Support Officer, XYX Lab:Gender and Place, Monash UniversityGill Matthewson, Lecturer, Department of Design, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.