A livable community that puts people first—Lecture9 Liveable Neighbourhoods-Ben Coleman

The theme of this lecture is Livable Neighbourhoods.The speaker shared many cases from design to practice. How to explore urban design and transportation planning to improve improve the livability of communities.It is worth mentioning that the concept of people first is very important.So, I have a few things I’d like to say in summary and some reflections.

1.Background and inspiration

1.1Through the German concept of “Woonerf” and Plato’s “ideal city” theory, the theme is introduced, we cam see lecturer emphasize that streets should be living Spaces rather than just for traffic.

1.2Donald Appleyard’s Livable Streets and William Whyte’s research also show the importance of street vitality and community function.

2.Integration of transportation planning and urban design

2.1In most cities, streets usually make up 80% of public area.Therefor, transportation planning in community function is the most important aspect(Key).

2.2The case of Low Traffic Neighbourhood be widely discussed. There are many other projects like this in many parts of the world,they restrict cars pass to improve walking and cycling environment.

3. practical case

Windmill Drive project:Through collaborative design and public participation to build a community that meets the needs of its residents.

Old York Road renovation:Combined with site tree survey, drainage renovation and other multidisciplinary cooperation to improve the environment of the historic district(public space).

Doha Pedestrian Movement Programme: This project analyse about 800 city center location. Coping with private car dependence and different culture background to made specific suggestions and very triumph.

4. Challenges and opportunities in design

There are some key elements of livable community design(Convenience, the combination of data and emotion, and the value of public space) I think it is very crucial.

We can see if in a compact historic urban design, people always should find a balance between vehicle access and pedestrian facilities in a limited space.

The importance of critical thinking

There are many cases also reminds us should be critical in our design. Many projects fail because they are divorced from real needs(Especially the locals.) The designer should have sufficient insight for a project context, user needs, and potential problems. So this make us improve our

Analytical skills and critical thinking.

Thinking and inspiration

1. We should think about the concept of community design with people at its core.

The key of livable communities is provide convenience for different groups of people in some limited space. We should think about always consider the actual needs of the user instead of formal beauty in street,building and space.

2. I think it’s very important to invite the public to participate.

In the lecture cases(Windmill Drive and Old York Road) we can see public support and feedback are key to the success of the project. That reminds me in many cases we should listen to the voices of local residents as much as possible to ensure scheme success.

3. Multidisciplinary collaboration and data-driven design.

These project use many technical means to support design decisions. We can see design should not be isolated from technology. This is means that project should collaborate with other areas to Form  comprehensive solutions.

4. Facing social and cultural challenges.

In many cases we face many different culture background and social conventions, so designers should flexible adjustment design.This is a important enlightenment.

Conclusion

To be honest, through this lecture, I have a better understanding and feeling of the design principles and practices of “livable community”. It also made me re-examine the nature of design – it is not only to solve the surface functional problems, but also to respond to people’s emotional needs and future life expectationsand. I see the importance of multidisciplinary cooperation and people-oriented design. I recognize that the design needs to be adapted to different locations and ensure its practical viability through public engagement In the future study, I hope to integrate these concepts into my own design practice.

Reference List:

1. Donald Appleyard, M. Sue Gerson, Mark Lintell.(1981). Livable Streets. Berkeley: University of California Press.
2. Manual for Streets(2007). UK Department for Transport.

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