For his new film, ‘The Human Scale’, Andreas Dalsgaard drew inspiration from Gehl Architect’s  approach to human centered planning. This move in turn inspired us to create a series of topic-based video shorts featuring some of  the footage from the film. We want to use these video short as a platform for people to share their thoughts and opinions on varying city-based topics.  In this fourth video short, ‘Life from the edge’, Camilla Van Deurs discusses how public spaces act as the glue that provide social cohesion, understanding and compassion between people in cities.

We have reached ‘peak car’ in much of the western world. Now is the time to think how to create innovative government policies beyond building infrastructure for cars.

‘If policy-makers are confident that car-use is waning they can focus on improving lives and infrastructure areas already blighted by traffic rather than catering for future growth.’ – Economist 2012

Prenzlauer Allee, Berlin 

In the month following the first Danish congestion commission we consider what are the questions raised in terms of making the city more multi modal, as this month ‘peak car’ was reported by the Economist and km travelled in steady decline in the OECD is set to continue.

The average number of miles driven in a car in Europe and Japan has gone into decline suggesting that car-use has peaked in many developed societies. This trend is shown in a number of metrics pre-dating the economic crisis, decline in km travelled, a shift in the age of license holders towards older generations and a decrease in car sales.

If car-use is declining and multi-modal transit is coming into a more centralized political focus then how should we be helping governments change their policies accordingly? Having been advocating for cities for people ‘from the sidelines’ in a sense, from a marginal position, we are thrilled that the reality of a decline provides an  opportunity for governments to think beyond this.  We must turn our attention to supporting governments to innovate around this opportunity, to make sure the collective benefit as much as possible that we ‘lock in’ the benefits of declining car use and increase quality of life in our cities.

Average km travelled by cars 1990 -2010 and Licensed drivers as % of age group 1983 and 2010. Economist October 2012

Potential sites of policy innovation for OECD countries;

1.       Re-population of central urban areas

Historically, one hour has been the pain threshold for commuting.  The car and freeway construction has extended the distance one can travel in one hour but this is slowing as we approach the ‘sprawl wall’.  As lifestyle choices move away from the ‘lifestyle house’ towards the ‘lifestyle city’ or neighborhood we need to seize the opportunity to invite people back to the central city with good affordable housing policies.

2.       Car manufacturers moment of innovation for the future

From improving fuel efficiency to electric cars, manufacturing companies have already began to innovate automobile hardware.  Now the struggle will be to find new markets in the developed and to find models that re-explore how private transit can be shared and how public transit can be personalized.

3.       Government tax structures

Governments will have to re-think how much economic growth they depend on from car sales per se and look more widely at the industry for growth and innovation. In addition how they invest in infrastructure needs change, at the moment most governments work towards a model where car growth is infinite, while in the US infrastructure is partly funded by gasoline tax.  If people buy less gas there is less revenue available for improving infrastructure.

4.       Urban Planning

Mainstream urban planning has for half a century focused on the car, will this be the sea-change shift to focusing on people?

The Danish suburbs

Despite having the world’s highest taxes on cars, private vehicle ownership has been steadily increasing in Denmark at a rate of 3% per year. Denmark is an 85% urbanized country so this growth can be accounted for largely by the suburbs as inner city journey shares have a balanced modal split.  The Danish congestion commission brought together a very diverse group of interested parties and workshopped around ideas or alternatives to congestion charging. Yet in this discussion focus did shift to the suburbs, and how to support multi modal mobility there. Policy innovation that integrates urban planning issues with wider government considerations needs to happen to create a joined up approach to mobility futures as the centre ground consent that our shared future is not a car-dominated one.

Grand Theater Copenhagen, from top left; David plays with The Human Scale, Foyer buzzing before screening, presentation to Gehl architect’s who featured in the film, film goers.

Last night we celebrated the premiere of The Human Scale at CPH:DOX, a film by Final cut for Real, directed by Andreas Dalsgaard inspired by the work of Jan Gehl and Gehl Architects. After the screening there was a Q and A session with the director Andreas and Gehl architects’ CEO Helle Søholt. The ways that film can influence and affect architecture as a discipline became the focus of discussions (Andreas for one has already made a film about the politically led urban changes in Bogota). Helle pointed out that film can frame the larger societal and political effects of design and invoke an emotional response which drawings, technical reports and even isolated finished projects cannot. Reports are technical and film is emotional. In a sense it humanizes the subject bringing it closer to our everyday experiences.

Discussions continued after the screening at Fortunen Bar where we were kindly hosted by the Australian ambassador James Choi. One attendee noted ‘when you read Jan’s books, the content rings trues as rational common sense, why wouldn’t you plan with people in mind? What the film achieves is to place the principles thematically and to visually contextualize them in the city with all its complexity brought to the fore.’ The effect is a powerful look at reality, a dilemma of human endeavor and human principle. Another attendee suggested that young people – teenagers should be shown the film, that it they actively consider how their demands and expectations will determine the shape of cities in the future it could shift the wider approach. Of course something which the form of the documentary brings to this ongoing  work is that it makes it accessible to a much wider audience.  An audience beyond silos of building and political disciplines  an audience of citizens who are effected by the urban conditions under consideration but who perhaps don’t necessarily know the circumstances that lead to them. And, most importantly that we have a choice in the kind of conditions that we create.

Something we are very excited about is that for those of you  in Denmark that can’t make it to CPH:DOX it will be screened on Danish television DRK in 2013, but for those that can tickets are available for the following dates.

THE HUMAN SCALE : GRAND THEATER THIS SUNDAY 4.NOV. 16:00

This Sunday at 16:00 in Grand theater  the documentary “The Human Scale” by Andreas Dalsgaard  followed by a debate on how we can design cities accommodating a people perspective.

And also at Grand Theater
Nov. 8th – kl. 10.00
Nov. 11th – kl. 12.00

Location: Malmø Kunsthal
Nov. 7th – kl. 14.30
Nov. 10th – kl. 12.00

Over the past couple of days we have introduced the report that Gehl Architects have written together with Realdania By that examines the connections between public space, business, innovation and growth through a number of principles and best practice examples. The document can be downloaded here (Danish language version only).

Today we introduce some examples of successful integration of urban spaces into business environments.

Google in Silicon Valley California is an example of a business that realizes the potential for a complex urban setting. Although the Googolplex campus is not located in a downtown setting the campus simulates traditional urban patterns by providing traditional services such as dentists, supermarkets and cafes in a city like setting with streets and public spaces. Google also acknowledges the innovation of the employee as a valuable asset by providing 20% of office hours for “personal development” projects – this has lead to the creation of highly successful products such as Googlenews and Gmail.

SEB Bank in Copenhagen has constructed a new domicile at the harbor front which integrates a public park around the office buildings. The high architectural quality of the space attracts many users and has quickly established extensive knowledge of the brand, a new player on the Danish financial market, through the imagability of the complex.

Bryant Park in New York is a fine example of a public space that though extensive activities and programming attracts many different users including the business environment situated in the vicinity. Real estate prices in the area around the park have gained considerably due to the success of the park – to an extent where businesses sponsor events in the park as part of their marketing strategies.

London Southbank is a newly developed business area where offices and industries are mixed with commercial, cultural and housing developments. This creates an interesting hybrid space where business events take place within the public realm.

Partners & Spade, a NoHo based New York City advertising agency is located in a storefront office where the employees curate exhibitions showcasing the products they market together with art installations and peculiar nick nacks… this innovative collection of merchandise gives the agency direct input from the customers of the products.

Bloomberg, in London have a sponsored gallery on the ground floor of their building where they sponsor public art exhibitions. It functions as a corporate lobby as well as public exhibition space with evening openings and events supporting the night life of the predominantly office area of Finsbury Square. Arup have achieved something similar but on a smaller scale.

Yesterday we introduced the report that Gehl Architects have written together with Realdania By that examines the connections between public space, business, innovation and growth through a number of principles and best practice examples. The document can be downloaded here (Danish language version only).

Today we explore the categories we identified that should be the sights of action The Public Space, The Business and The Employee.

The Public space
Good public space can create growth for businesses, not only by adding to property values, but also in reducing costs by offering shared facilities and providing spaces that encourage interaction and the exchange of ideas and networks. The main purpose of public space in relation to innovation is in providing a physical platform for interaction and communication. Interaction can be something as subtle as watching others go by from the comfort of a well located contemplative bench, becoming inspired whilst moving with the crowd in a challenging fast paced sensorial place or even communicating directly with co-workers while taking a walk or meeting a client at a sidewalk café. This can be organized but also happen as an incidental meeting that might spark a new idea or innovation. These public spaces can be common urban meeting places such as parks, squares and streets but also less ‘thought of’ public meeting spaces such as libraries, public transportation or hybrid spaces like hotel lobbies. As more and more businesses locate themselves in new towns or in transformed industrial sites such as harbors or former production factories – the issues of connectivity and communication with the surrounding urban environment becomes increasingly pertinent. Even in the information age – while we have high-speed internet and are able to travel the globe with little effort – proximity, face-to-face communication and personal relationships are still an important issue in business development.

Innovative urban environments that support growth can be supported by….

1./ Establishing hybrid urban environments that combine different business types and activities with the surrounding public realm
2./ Businesses that expose and brand themselves in public through architecture and communication
3./ Creating a mix of businesses, housing and culture in a vibrant innovative environment
4./ Create possibilities for workstations in public space through integration of IT in street design and furniture and the creation of informal meeting spaces
5./ Providing accessible facilities that can reduce the costs for businesses and provide possibilities for connections with other such as shared facilities.

The Business
The business can influence outside of the physical structure of the working environment by utilizing the surrounding areas as a resource for client relations and by making an impact in the local setting.

1./ Showcasing the activities of the business through good interfaces between the public and private realm at the ground floor plane in the shape of foyers, showrooms, conference facilities, cafés etc.
2./ Integrating other functions that will draw non-traditional users or potential clients to the business. This could be in the shape of double programming: a bank and a bookstore located in the same space
3./ Offering possibilities for co-location with other types of businesses or employees through office collaborations
4./ Creating outdoor spaces and public spaces around the business that invite the public in such as parks and sports facilities

The Employee
In the knowledge society a business is defined by the capacity and creativity of its employees – so smart businesses make sure to provide attractive environments that attract the best staff and this in return gives the business the competitive edge. Key to attracting talented co-workers is that a business can offer good working conditions and a decent salary – but increasingly the top talent also require a business to be located in a particular location – often in an urban setting and at the least close to a major transit hub – which enables the employee to integrate working life into their day-to-day routines in a fluent and coherent way. In future (and even present) workplaces work is not limited to 9-5 behind a desk (I am writing this blog entry “at work” on a train on my way to a meeting while speaking to a fellow traveler about another shared project). Diversity of settings can have a stimulating affect much the same as meeting diverse people in an urban setting can stimulate an employee and encourage innovation.

1./ Innovative spaces offer possibilities for employees to fulfill potential.
2./ Create and participate in networks, social relations or business development
3./ Offer the possibility of using hybrid spaces outside the workspace as a supplement to the daily workstation
4./ Provide diverse inputs in the form of either physical structures or meeting between “strangers”
5./ Attract talented employees by providing stimulating urban environments that provide possibilities for an interesting work-life balance.

If we are to continue to contribute to the growth – both financially and socially – in cities we must consider all of these approaches above to support urban spaces as a parameter for growth. Tomorrow we will give existing examples of this in action. The full report can be downloaded here (Danish language version only).

In the recent aftermath of the global recession businesses, cities and states are looking for new ways of stimulating growth.  Cities are today the most important motors of national economies: it is estimated that in the EU countries 80% of GNP will be generated by cities in 2030. Many plans have been made to stimulate growth at a larger national scale by supporting public investments in infrastructure and educational facilities and one potential area for investment which bridges both of these growth areas, and often over-looked is the public realm potentially a very sage investment in the endeavor of growth promotion.

Gehl Architects have together with Realdania By  written a report that examines the connections between public space, business, innovation and growth through a number of principles and best practice examples. The document can be downloaded here (Danish language version only).

The OECD operates with a number of different arms one of which is related to business development and innovation related growth produced the report: Growth Follow-Up: Micro-Policies for Growth and Productivity which analyses the growth in 27 EU countries. The report finds four factors to be of importance to growth:

1./ Human resources
2./ Knowledge building and knowledge distribution
3./ Use of IT
4./ Entrepreneurship

So in order to stimulate growth we need to create urban environments that can support and nurture these crucial factors. Public space should be understood as a “missing link” between the large scale regional infrastructure initiatives such as airports, highways and transit hubs, and the small scale internal infrastructure of the businesses such as interior décor, office lay-out and structure. Both of these are well recognized as strategically very important in business location and culture, yet the city itself also plays a crucial, if not the most important role in attracting the right talent and generating enough stimuli to achieve the best and most innovative performances from employees (as Richard Florida explores in his theories about cities and the Creative Class (2002)). Harvard professor Ed Glaeser expands the suggestion in the “Triumph of the City” (2012) describing how businesses locating in well-functioning cities can boost innovation and productivity significantly. The public space and public life implications of this are implicit however to be exact to business accounting we can add that Signal Architects have found that 15-30% of a workday is spent outside the office space so we should pose the question; How can these hours be beneficial to the business and the surrounding city? To introduce a high impact innovative public realm there are three levels of action and actors that must be considered: The Public Space, The Business and The Employee.

Tomorrow we will expand on these categories individually and explore how practically they can be developed towards promoting growth. The full report can be downloaded here (Danish language version only).