Urbanism: Meaning and Benefits.

Urbanism: Meaning

Urbanism is the study of how population of urban areas, such as towns and cities, interact with the built environment. It is a main component of specialties, for example, urban planning, is the practice focusing on the physical design and management of urban structures and urban sociology, which is the academic field of study.

Many architects, planners and sociologists explore how people live in densely populated urban areas. There is a wide range of theories and different approaches to the study of urbanization. However, in some international contexts, urban areas are synonymous with urban planning, and “urban” refers to urban planning.

The urbanization of the early 20th century was associated with a rise in central industrialization, mixed-use neighborhoods, social organizations and networks, and what was described as the “convergence of political, social and economic citizenship.

Urbanization can be understood as the authoring process, the establishment of the city-level identity, but as early as 1938, Lewis Wirth wrote that it is necessary to stop “determining the urbanization of the physical entity of the city,” bypassing the “arbitrary line” and consider how technological developments in the area of transportation and communications has greatly expanded the urban lifestyle beyond the city limits itself.

Principles of urbanism

Walkability

– Most things are within a 10-minute walk from home and work.

– Pedestrian (streets; parking lots; street parking; hidden parking; garage in the back corridor; narrow, slow streets) are designed in a friendly way.

– Pedestrian streets free of cars in special cases.

Connectivity

– The network of interconnected street network disperses traffic and facilitates walking.

– A hierarchy of narrow streets, boulevards and alleys.

– A high quality pedestrian and public network makes walking enjoyable.

Mixed-Use & Diversity

– A mix of shops, offices, apartments and homes on site. Mixed use within neighborhoods, indoor and outdoor.

– Variation of people – of ages, income levels, cultures, and races.

Mixed Housing

An extent of types, sizes and prices in closer proximity.

Quality Architecture & Urban Design

Emphasis on beauty, human comfort and the creation of a sense of place; a special situation for civil uses and sites within the community. Architecture within the human range and beautiful surroundings nourish the human soul.

Traditional Neighborhood Structure

– Clear center and edge.

– Public space at center.

– The importance of the quality of the public domain. Open public space designed as a civil art.

-Contains a range of uses and densities within 10-minute walk

– Transit planning: the highest intensity in the city center; gradually less intensity towards the edge. This system is an analytical system that depicts elements that promote each other, creating a series of specific natural habitats and / or urban lifestyle settings. Transect integrates an environmental methodology for habitat assessment with a zoning methodology for community design. Professional boundaries disappear between natural and man-made, enabling ecologists to evaluate

Design of human and urban habitat to support the viability of nature. This cross-hierarchy to rural areas contains different types of buildings and streets suitable for each area along the chain.

Increased Density

– More buildings, residences, shops and services are close to each other to facilitate walking, to enable more efficient use of services and resources, and to create a more comfortable and enjoyable place to live.

– The new urban design principles are applied in a full range of density from small cities to large cities.

Green Transportation

– A network of high quality trains connecting cities, towns, and neighborhoods together.

– The pedestrian design encourages greater use of bicycles, skis, scooters, and walking as a daily means of transportation.

Sustainability

– Minimum environmental impact of development and its processes.

– Environmentally friendly technologies, respect for ecology and the value of natural systems.

– Energy efficiency.

– Less use of non-renewable fuels.

– More local production.

– More walking, less driving.

Quality of Life

These combined add up to a high quality of life worthy of living, creating places that enrich, elevate, and inspire the human soul.

Benefits of urbanism

Benefits to residents
High quality of life.
Better places to live, work and play.
Higher and more stable property values.
Reduce traffic congestion and lack of driving.
A healthier lifestyle with more walking, less stress.
Close to the retail street and the main services.
Close to cycling trails, parks and nature.
Pedestrian communities offer more opportunities to get to know others in the neighborhood and the city, leading to meaningful relationships with a larger number of people, and a friendly town.
More freedom and independence for children, the elderly and the poor in the ability to access jobs, entertainment and services without the need for a car or someone to lead.
Large savings for residents and school boards in reducing transportation costs from children who can walk or bicycling to neighborhood schools.
More diversity, smaller shops and unique services with local owners involved in the community.
Significant savings by driving less and owning fewer cars.
Less ugly, crowded congestion to deal with every day; better sense of place and identity of the community in a more unique structure.
More open space to enjoy; more efficient use of tax funds with less spending on the deployment of facilities and roads.

Benefits to businesses
Increased sales due to increased traffic and people spending less on cars and gas.
Earn more revenue because you spend less on ads and big tags.
A better lifestyle by living above a store in live work units – provides a stressful and costly transition.
Economies of scale in marketing because of their closeness and cooperation with other local companies.
Small spaces encourage the incubation of small local businesses.
Lower rentals due to smaller spaces and small car parking. Lifestyle is healthier because of more walking and proximity to healthy restaurants.
More community participation than being part of the community and knowing the population.

Benefits to developers
More potential income from high-density mixed-use projects because of more rentable square footage, more sales per square foot, higher real estate values and sales prices.
Approvals are faster in societies that have adopted smart growth principles resulting in cost / timesaving.
Cost savings in parking facilities in multi-use properties due to shared spaces throughout the day and night, resulting in reduced duplication in the provision of parking.
Less need for parking facilities due to mix of residences and commercial uses within walking distance of each other.
Less impact on roads / traffic, which may result in lower impact fees; lower utility costs due to the compact nature of the new urban design.
Selling faster because of increased consumer acceptance of a broader product group that resulted in a larger market share.

Benefits to municipalities
Stable, in aspect of a tax base.
Less spending on the individual in the infrastructure and facilities than typical in the suburbs because of the nature of high-density small enterprises.
Increased tax base due to increased buildings in a narrow area; reduced traffic congestion due to design ability.
Less resistance than society.
A better public image of society and sense of place.
Less incentive to extend when the central urban area is desirable.
Easy to install jumper in place where it is not, and improve it in place.
Increasing the civic participation of the population leads to improved governance.

The topic “Sustainability and Resilience in the New Urban World” is one of the topics that will be discussed in the international conference “Resilient and Responsible Architecture and Urbanism”.

Urbanism: Meaning and Benefits.

Urbanism: Meaning and Benefits.