Reviving Public Spaces: The Impact of Digital Placemaking

Reviving Public Spaces: The Impact of Digital Placemaking Since the global digital boom, social interaction has becoming rapidly digitalised, generating a contemporary society that’s increasingly detached from the traditional uses of urban public spaces. Figures show that over 90% of households now have access to the internet, and at least 87% use smartphones. With conversations Read the full article…

REWILDING THE CITY: DESIGNING URBAN SPACES FOR NATURE

Blog entry published by Georgina Walker on 07 December 2023 [FIG. 1] Ventus Naturalised Gardens, Singapore (Joson, 2022) Theorists and urban designers, such as Ebenezer Howard, have long understood and promoted the benefits of the integration of nature into the urban setting to move towards a healthy urban environment. The benefits extend beyond the visual Read the full article…

HOW TO MOVE TOWARDS SMARTER CITIES

INTRUCTION A smart city is a technologically modern urban area that uses different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect specific data. In other words, smart cities are responsive cities that are able to receive, process and return efficient information and services. The way to make a smart city successful is to capture the soul Read the full article…

Those cities that are at the forefront of smart cities

Figure1 Smart city

Introduction With the development of big data and the popularization of informatization, more and more countries have entered the era of smart cities. Therefore, this blog selects several cities that have been recognized as doing well in the field of smart cities. So that, it can help us understand some of their typical practices. Figure1: Read the full article…

FIVE STAR PUBLIC SPACE

five star public space

Five-Star Public Spaces in Urban Design introduction Public spaces are the heart and soul of a community. They provide a sense of place, a space for social Interaction, and a platform for cultural expression. They are essential for the health and well-being of individuals and the community as a whole. A well-designed public space can Read the full article…

CHILD-FRIENDLY URBAN DESIGN: NATURALISTIC PLAYGROUNDS AS AN ACTIVE LEARNING CLASSROOM

Blog entry published by Georgina Walker on 10 November 2023   Understanding Child-Friendly Urban Design Child-friendly urban design is not a new concept, and neither is the variations in the definitions of what signifies ‘child-friendly’ design and how to measure the impact. However, as noted in the lecture by Dr Alkistis Pitsikali, the overarching connection Read the full article…

What kind of public spaces are successful?

good public space

What kind of public spaces are successful? Before turning to how to assess the effectiveness of a quality public space, it’s important to note that public space is an area or place that provides access to all members of the community or the wider public. Therefore, public space is usually assessed whether it is positive Read the full article…

FIVE-STAR PUBLIC SPACE: WHAT MAKES A GREAT PUBLIC SPACE?

A public space is a place that is open and accessible to the general public (wikipedia). It is an important aspect of urban design. Creating a suitable physical framework can encourage people to use public spaces, engage in social activities, and spend more time outdoors . Therefore, the design and quality of public spaces are essential in Read the full article…

Icebreaker: Engineering to Urban Design

Coming from a STEM-focused engineering background, urban design initially felt completely different to what I was used to. Throughout my undergraduate degree, I mainly studied maths, sciences and programming within different engineering fields. I specialised in civil engineering, which featured investigating ground conditions, conducting site surveys, learning design codes and structural analysis. However, civil engineering Read the full article…

CHILD FRIENDLY URBAN DESIGN

BACKGROUD Over the past few centuries, most designers have failed to take children’s needs into consideration. But it is very necessary to build a child-friendly city, which plays a vital role in the healthy development of children. HOW TO ACHIEVE THIS Our cities need to have the following characteristics. Safety Reducing pollution, increasing green space Read the full article…