Urban trends 

September 2022

Urban areas are strongly shaped by their inhabitants, they are sensitive to the greatest challenges of our times, and still must be future-oriented and sustainable. Every urban development reflects the values of its communities, its history and authenticity: no place is the same. However, certain movements seen across Europe today could be a good inspiration for everyone.

Social cohesion

Planning is changing and becoming more inclusive: the concept of feminist cities is changing urban areas and local policies with the promise of a fair distribution of the space, safer for everyone. Changes include big national campaigns about harassment in public transport, to municipalities increasing their offers of public toilets.

New shapes of the urban space

The public spaces are becoming more flexible and adaptive, shifting with the behaviour of its users, by local initiatives, such as pedestrians taking over the streets, to municipal policies, like turning roofs green. Big data has been assisting planners to understand the preferences of users and serving as argument for convincing decision makers.

Digital Transformation

Digitalisation is currently contributing to the management of resources, and to the promotion of resilience and quality of life. These tools are facilitating our lives, from mobility to social coexistence. On one hand, we are suddenly used to AI surveillance and constant ruptures in our privacy. On the other hand, the digitalisation of planning has opened new channels for democratic participation, making local groups able to become co-authors of places.

Co-production

While the digital tools are providing citizens with larger networks, their voices are becoming louder. There is a growing willingness of the general population to get involved in urban planning and experiment with new formats and approaches. Citizens are seeking to influence decision-makers and cooperate more directly and faster, looking for fair distribution of resources and infrastructure.

Culture and education

Urban cultural institutions are also important places to increase citizen participation. Important for entertainment and tourism, they also have a great role in the education of the population, for promoting creative thinking, and social infrastructure to disseminate knowledge in all formats.

Re-inventing economy

The promotion of knowledge and creativity are also the base for the development of innovative and sustainable economies. Prosperous, stable, and crisis-proof economies must be able to self-reinvent, promote sustainable production and consumption, and resources conservation. Urban areas are often the place of development and test of new forms of work and modernisation of the economic structure, as seen in examples of circular economy and sharing economy.

Efficient mobility

The perfectioning of mobility services apps, that are providing multimodal options (including bicycle and car sharing), is facilitating the process for the citizens that are in doubt about the dominance of the motorised private transports. As a result, streets are being given new uses and citizens are experiencing heath benefits.

Health

Multiple uses of spaces are becoming a great promoter of health in urban areas. Many schools now have their sports facilities open on the weekend for public use. This reduces the conflicts on competition for space, while also promoting equal access.

Environmental Protection

Green spaces are also important for their multiple uses and impact on citizens health. More municipalities have been turning their brownfields into green areas, which leads to better promotion of the biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as better responses to climate change. Local initiatives should be supported by state and federal levels, but have also been promoted by greater programmes, such as the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the Paris Climate Protection Conference (COP21), and EU frameworks and funding programmes.

Certain changes we see might be perceived as small or simplistic, or sometimes they are even imperceptible. However, the urban places prove to be a living network, small ‘adjustments’ in ‘one side’ can bring development to the entire structure. The same small adjustments can have the greatest impact on the citizens daily life.

These reflections on the urban trends are insipired by the reading of various articles and websites about trends in urban areas, such as the German Platform for Citymakers (Si apre in una nuova finestra) or the Luxembourg national platform for urban policy and planning (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

by Marcela Mäder Furtado