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58 MOKAZINE / NO 5 / 2023
newsworthy
sustainable urban planning
Mikael Colville-Andersen :
“Citizen engagement is the new urbanism!”
Mikael Colville-Andersen is an urban designer, a Danish author, and host of the documentary series, The Life-Sized City. He has worked in over 100 places
to improve city life and address climate change. He is always ready to inspire with his thinking and speaks exclusively to Mokazine about his thoughts on sustainable urban development.
Hello Mikael! To get started, can you tell us your definition of sustainable urban development?
It is not easy to define in one sentence. Sustainability is something like a keyword, and I have often found myself describing a number of the elements involved only to realise that I was listing other keywords! But let’s put it this way: sustainable urban development is about making things better, rather than creating more problems. What tools are available to improve ourselves? Fortunately, there is a long list.
Can you give us a few examples?
For example, there is sustainable architecture, using materials with a low carbon footprint, looking for buildings with low energy consumption or even
creating a culture of domicology (editor’s note: the study of the economic, social and environmental characteristics relating to the life cycle of the built environment) to design our buildings as recyclable products. Whatever we do must solve an existing problem and improve conditions
for our fellow citizens – for instance, by protecting them from heat, bad weather and pollution. As I often say, a good street is one that makes you feel healthier when you walk or live there. A good neighbourhood is one that has enough public spaces for green infrastructure while sustaining social ties and cohesion, both of which are very important.
What is the citizens’ role in this process?
For decades, we have unsuccessfully used engineering as the main objective of urban development. It is time instead to focus on design thinking. This is a human-to-human process that calls for considering our streets, neighbourhoods and cities as design objects rather than mathematical equations to be solved.
Urban democracy is also essential. Citizen engagement brings citizens to the table as equal partners and proactively seeks out their ideas and
preferences. By combining these two terms, we start to think about urban planning differently. The focus is on planning for the entire community. Efficient mixed land use promotes density and supports the demand for improved public transport, walkable neighbourhoods and bicycle-friendly infrastructure. Green infrastructure helps cool down our cities and combat flooding, and has positive mental health benefits.
Finally, the battle to mitigate
the effects of climate change
will be fought street by street, neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Cities are on the front line. Compared with the pace at which national policies are being implemented,
local urban change can take place more rapidly and effectively, while benefiting as many people as possible. An engaged urban population has
the ideas, energy and desire to help create positive urban change provided that we value the importance of community and progress.