“Social Sustainability as a tool towards Sustainable Urban Development”

‘Social Sustainability as a tool towards Sustainable Urban Development’

Author: Polyxeni Mastoraki, architect | landscape architect | Founder at LandmArch.

Co-Authors: Anna Ioannidou, architect, landscape architect. Proofreading of the paper: Aikaterini Koloka, Translator and Member of the Institute of Linguists, London

Scientific abstract:‘Emergent interaction’, Subtheme: ‘Leave no one behind’, IFLA WORLD CONGRESS 2023

Session Details: Considering people and policy, 28 september 2023, Stockholm

PEOPLE: The basic factor for sustainable cities

Social sustainability is a proactive way of improving the well-being for all, while respecting the environment, empowering local economies and protecting human rights.

Unfortunately, the 21st century societies are burdened with inequality and discrimination, posing questions about the demogratic use of public spaces.

The urban landscape calls for immediate action in city planning, in order to address issues, ranging from pollution and sustainability, equality and climate change, to aesthetics and diversity.

Photo by Brittani Burns on Unsplash

In the COVID-19 pandemic we came to realise that what actually matters in life is:

• Real-life contact

• Happiness and...

• A

rich social life within a supportive human environment

To achieve that, and ensure a healthy urban ecosystem, we should make provisions to reinforce the resilience of nature within the urban fabric, including local biodiversity and protecting native ecosystems.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

INCLUSIVE DESIGN APPROACHES

City planning needs to be inclusive and participatory , serving the most underrepresented social groups, which can offer new perspectives towards the production of a friendlier built environment.

Children, women, senior citizens, immigrants, disabled people, the LGBTQ+ community, racial and ethnic minorities, and the urban poor, shall HAVE A SAY into design process , to exploit positively the human capital and help it build bonds, both among its members, as well as the built environment, bottom-up.

As children and teens account for 40% of the global population, designing a child-friendly environment, is imperative.

This means we should:

• Design at the eye level.

• Build wide and accessible pavements and bicycle paths. • Add green spaces and • spaces for play and learning.

• Lower speed by design and

• Focus on school mobility.

• Encourage children to contribute ideas, through participatory practices.

Raising children in such environments, nurtures feelings of togetherness and happiness, instead of hostility and aggression.

Life, Place, and Buildings ©Gehl Architects

RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES

Urban inequality is triggered by racism, aggressive real-estate practices and reluctance to invest in public planning

The end result is zoning, cutting the city landscape into sections and bringing about social tension

But if communities are invited to share their experiences in decision-making processes, we can end up with broader equity and design solutions, that can bring peace, elevating the quality of life.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

WOMEN AND GIRLS

Although women constitute more than half of the global population, they face constant gender discrimination and the FIELD OF ENGINEERING AND PLANNING is, one where such bias is still profound.

By including the gender lens, as well as listening to the female perspective in the design process, many positive effects can arise FOR EVERYONE.

To achieve women-friendly urban spaces, we need: • Parks with adequate lighting, surveillance and safety provisions. • Public restrooms and suitable sidewalks for strollers and

sociable and active-play equipment in mixed-use spaces.

Photo: Social Life Project

The LGBTQ+ neighborhoods have formed a new kind of cosmopolitan urbanism, the ‘Queer neighborhoods’, characterized by their FLUIDITY of both heteronormativity and homonormativity.

The personality of these areas is vibrant and inclusive, but in several cases, the wider community does not corespond similarly, making it clear that the tolerance on the part of some, does not provide protection against the intolerance of the few.

Designing urban spaces, considering the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, we:

• Shall re-examine all planning documents at the intersection of sexuality and space.

• Put emphasis on local activists and service providers, to create bonds with the LGBTQ+ community and

• Stress the urgent need for safety, affordable housing and access to vital social services.

Photo by Rodrigo Curi on Unsplash

IMMIGRANTS

Immigration and migration are employed by human populations since the beginning of times, but societies still DON’T ensure equal socio-economic growth for the different groups that comprise it.

Once we only targeted integration, but today:

We are aware of the importance of diversity and the retention of cultural identity. • of quality interactions among individuals, social groups and institutions, and • that the administrative focal point for investment in urban infrastructure, land planning and housing is now, no other than, CITIES.

Now , more than ever, migrants and immigrants should be seen as an opportunity for prosperity rather than a burden for society.

Photo by Cole Patrick on Unsplash

THE URBAN POOR

The gap in the FINANCIAL STATUS among urban dwellers is extremely wide and is expected to widen further, unless measures are taken.

To address the issue, urban planning should:

• Re-establish goals and targets on urban poverty and inequality, through both independent organizations and the UN led ‘Agenda 2030’.

• Provide new housing conditions, so, needs are served to a satisfactory level for everyone.

• Improve infrastructures in poor quarters, so that all citizens can circulate the city and nurture INCLUSION, rather than segregation.

• Decentralise FINANCE, focusing on LOCAL authorities to take responsibility in RESHAPING public facilities, ensuring the same quality of life for all citizens, and

• Promote engagement of low-income dwellers in local city councils.

Photo: unequalscenes, Johannesburg, South Africa

Life expectancy has increased and the western world is faced with increasing elderly populations residing in the cities, rather than in the countryside.

Therefore, services, safety and affordability are the pillars when planning for them. We should bear in mind that:

• Those people wish to live INDEPEDENTLY.

• Walkability is, therefore, vital for them in street design, so is comfortable seating, restrooms, shelters, ramps and railings.

• Smart technology can also contribute to the improvement of their lives.

Inclusion of the elderly into decision-making processes will help us keep them physically and socially active, keeping dementia and isolation at bay.

Photo by Philippe Leone on Unsplash

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

According to the W-H-O, 15% of the global population lives with some form of disability, and at some point in our lives, we are bound to suffer some temporary OR permanent disability, as well. From that perspective, disability, in one form or another, is a universal experience.

Still, most cities were built without provisions for the inclusion of people with disbillities, leading to the loss of human

CAPITAL, which is excluded from participating into local ECONOMIES. We have, therefore, to consider that:

• Physical accessibility is the key to inclusive cities, since SOCIAL and FINANCIAL inclusion depend to a great scale on it.

• Expansion of slow urban mobility can facilitate walkability and accessibility for wheelchair users.

• Provision of affordable housing in proximity to basic everyday services and

• Provision of all necessary safety measures, are imperative.

Instead of perceiving accessibility as a special feature or extra cost, it should be seen as a fundamental prerequisite of quality design.

Photo by Robert Ruggiero on Unsplash

TOOLS FOR REINFORCING SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL COHESION

1. Implementing the New Urban Agenda that CLARIFIES the necessity for sustainable urbanization and showcases how city dwellers can play a major role in improving local economies, ensuring environmental quality, and setting social equity as a foremost goal.

At the same time, the active role of local governments will ensure the plan succeeds, as they will be entitled to distribute authority evenly.

2. Promoting sustainable urban mobility, by reinforcing micro-mobility and replacing private vehicles with an interconnected multi-modal transport system.

3. Reclaiming the streets by promoting walkability, through public, non-motorized urban transport, achieved through urban and landscape design, and setting as an example the 15’city.

Streets ARE NOT just thoroughfares that connect places or divide city blocks. THEY HAVE TO BECOME meeting points, as THEY ONCE WERE.

4. Promoting ‘placemaking’, art and tactical urbanism, can reinforce the sense of community and promote a more studied urban planning.

5. Designing the city AT THE EYE LEVEL. In the past, city planners focused on FUNCTIONALISM. Yet, we are now aware of the importance of the EXPERIENCE people acquire from the built environment, and its psychological impact on their daily routine.

6. Implementing the New European Bauhaus. When the aesthetic quality is appropriate to the activities people engage in, it is highly probable that active participation, there, will increase. The built environment, UNLIKE the natural one, can be the product of careful design and investment, bearing in mind that GENTRIFICATION and displacement must be prevented.

7. Designing great public spaces and bringing back the public square, which is the very ESSENCE OF COMMUNITIES, meant for public use and open to everyone to access and enjoy.

8. Introducing Nature-Based Solutions and Green-Blue Infrastructures. Contact with nature alters our attitude towards our fellow people. The application of BGI in conjunction with NBS can improve business and ensure that cities will manage to adapt in a changing environment, and become more resilient for future generations.

9. Introducing technological innovations, such as open data and open-source software, can contribute to economic development and planning resilience. Actually, true smart cities are anthropocentric, based on the principle that citizens are active participators, who assist in the monitoring of conditions in place.

‘I believe that public space should be intentional: it should be obvious that you belong’

- Janet Echelman

CONCLUSION

To achieve social sustainability in urban planning, “spaces” should become “places”, locations of identity, where people feel attached to and interact meaningfully. Therefore, thoughtful planning, programming, design and place management are required.

Public and social life describe an entire ecosystem of human interactions, that gives life a meaning, while they promote economy, education, arts and culture, science and innovation.

Economic prosperity, physical and mental health, freedom to make life decisions, shared values of generosity and social trust, are key elements that ensure happiness. Societies that are more inclusive generally achieve better scores on health and happiness.

Therefore, landscape architects, city planners and local authorities need to design and start implementing standards in a way that gives people more options. By promoting representation, collaboration and participation, WE are the ones who can make sure that all voices, in the urban fabric, are fairly heard.

Photo by LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash

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