“Reviving Cities: The Economic Story”

Introduction

Urban design will be the process for developing areas that are inclusive from a social and economic point of view, not just aesthetic. This blog discusses how urban design can address various socioeconomic issues while considering equity and sustainability. The focus is on real examples and case studies that bring out the essence of embedding economic viability into urban design, drawing from ideas presented in Danny Oswell’s talk and the Urban Design Economic Assessment Toolkit.

In other words, good urban design is a delicate balance between aesthetic appeal and social and economic considerations. This blog will discuss how designers might achieve that sweet spot, with the help of resources like the Economic Assessment Toolkit.

What Is Economic Viability in Urban Design?

Economic viability refers to the ability and/or extent of an urban center effectively supporting the same community and promoting economic viability. This point of view places particular emphasis on developing areas in ways that yield investment opportunities and business enterprise across the spectrum to meet all sorts of demands for residents. Demographic, cultural, and economic variables therefore need to be factored within the realm of urban design for building locations that foster inclusiveness yet are practical as well.

Danny Oswell is the founder of the Economic Assessment Toolkit, a methodology that helps the urban designer in assessing the fundamental socio-economic factors, market potential, resources, site and location, culture and heritage, income and wealth and demography.

Important Aspects of Economic Viability

1. Demographics and Inclusivity 

It is essential to comprehend the requirements of various demographic groupings. For example, healthcare services and accessibility should be the main priorities of urban areas created for senior citizens. In a similar vein, playgrounds and schools might be given priority in areas designated for young families.

Case Study: The relocation of long-term residents caused dissatisfaction against the renovation of London’s Elephant and Castle neighborhood, which attempted to modernize the neighborhood (Lees et al., 2018). This emphasizes how crucial it is to take the current population into account when planning metropolitan areas.

Figure 1:The overall scheme transforms a key London interchange (Allies and Morrison, n.d)

2.Identity, Heritage, and Culture

The cultural and historical background of a community needs to be respected and integrated into the urban design. Failure to do so may result in angry residents and a compromised project.

Case Study: New York City’s High Line transformed an abandoned railroad into a public park while maintaining its industrial heritage. This project did not compromise the local identity but brought financial investments without destroying it (Lindner & Rosa, 2017).

Figure 2 : The High Line, New York (Friends of the High line, 2019)

3.Sustainability and Resources

Urban initiatives need to take into consideration short-term, medium-term, and long-term uses of resources. Sustainable management of resources ensures the perpetuity of urban areas.

Case Study: The BedZED eco-village in London merges sustainable building, renewable energy, and community-oriented space for both environmental and economic sustainability (Bioregional, 2015).

Figure 3: BedZED eco-village in London (Angel, H. , 2017)

The Role of the Economic Assessment Toolkit

The Economic Assessment Toolkit provides a formalized process of considering the socio-economic drivers for urban design. It enables the detailed understanding of the satisfaction of needs in the urban areas in light of the following six domains: demography, income and wealth, culture and history, site and location, resources, and market potential. This toolbox can help urban designers make sure that projects will meet the needs of local people, attract investment, and create sustainable and inclusive public space. For instance, the “Tyne Brand” project showed that cultural factors supported by demographic studies can help communities in their development process.

Challenges and Opportunities

Although resources such as the Economic Assessment Toolkit provide valuable guidance, use of such resources requires consideration of local contexts. A designer has to balance economic objectives with considerations of social equity in order not to have projects that end up favoring profitability over inclusivity.

Technology in Urban Design: While GIS and data analytics by all means improve the toolkit, the real value is derived from how these technologies provide current demographic and economic data. With these technologies, designers have to consider ethical issues, such as the privacy of data.

Conclusion

Urban design is an interdisciplinary field that brings together socio-economic sustainability, functionality, and aesthetics. The presentation by Danny Oswell and the Economic Assessment Toolkit both offer some valuable information on how urban planning can address such thorny issues.

Equitable, sustainable, and culturally sensitive in emphasis, practice can be done by urban designers in designing environments that take into consideration both present needs and those of an uncertain future. When incorporated with urban planning, economic viability would assure inclusive resilient and long-term community growth-promoting areas.