Creating liveable cities without sacrificing history
CHANCES are, if you have ever played SimCity growing up, you’ve had a taste of town planning. In the game, players are exposed to a rather simplistic view of town planning and its impact on (virtual) citizens. In real life, however, town planning is a more intricate process involving multiple fields, including engineering, science, architecture, design, politics and economics.
With more and more people flocking to cities and urbanisation not showing any signs of stopping, planning is more crucial than ever to meet the needs of an ever-increasing population. The creation of a town should at least attempt to satisfy the housing, infrastructure, environment, education, healthcare, economy, safety and culture needs of their citizens.
Cities who have succeeded in fulfilling those areas mark themselves as the top cities in the world in terms of liveability and quality of life for its citizens.
Where old and new coexist
Often, town planning must accommodate already bustling settlements, with distinct charm and traditions that planners have to carefully work around.
One such city is Vienna, where art and culture are the soul of the city. Deemed the most liveable city in 2018 by magazine The Economist’s Intelligence Unit, the town boasts a rich artistic heritage yet does not sacrifice modernity. Vienna’s efforts to preserve its historic sites and landmarks give it a distinctive identity.
Also in Europe, town planners in Copenhagen understood that cities are for people, not cars. They worked around preexisting narrow medieval streets to convert Copenhagen into a pedestrian-friendly town. Cycling is the encouraged mode of transportation. As well as a large number of pedestrian-only streets, the city also has pedestrian-priority ones, where pedestrians and cyclists have right of way over cars.
Nature and mankind
British scientist Jacob Bronowski once said, “Man masters nature not by force, but by understanding.”
When planning a town, the natural terrain, climate of the area and proximity to food and water must be taken into consideration. Town planning for a mountainous region will differ from town planning for a seaside area.
A notable example of planning that respects nature is
Singapore. Against all odds, the citystate has managed to become a city that has successfully married greenery with skyscrapers.
Its semi-self-sufficient divisions contain a mix of residential, industrial and commercial buildings, reducing dependency on the central area. Singapore also has excellent public transit systems, allowing for fluid intracity movement.
Designed for humans
Towns and cities should revolve around its citizens, rather than the other way around. People are increasingly opting for mixed-use development areas to settle down, as their commercial, housing and leisure needs can be fulfilled within walking distance.
An example of a city that successfully blends all three is Chandigarh. Famous for its architecture and landscape, Chandigarh has become a symbol of planned urbanism in India. It was planned by Swiss architect Le Corbusier, with the human anatomy in mind.
The city’s head serves as the state capitol, its heart is its city centre, its stomach is its commercial area, its arms are the university and industrial zones, its lungs are the green valleys and open spaces and its arteries are its network of roads.
The bottom line is that town planning is complex and requires broad knowledge, not just of civil engineering, but also an understanding of the people who live in it. It is a collaboration of professionals from different fields, as well as its citizens.
Town planning is more complex than is apparent on the surface. Broad knowledge beyond the scope of civil engineering is needed. Planners must also be sensitive to the dynamic needs of the people as ultimately, it is a space created for them. Up for the challenge? Armed with the right knowledge, you could be the town planner of tomorrow.