Post Covid Urbanism : impacts on planning & built environment
Life has taken a “U-Turn”. The only question, is whether it’s for a long term or a short term. How long will we have to embrace a “new normal”.
I would always differ on the word social distancing. Ideally it’s social togetherness & physical distancing. These are times, we all need to stand together and be for each other. But this, with a safe distance, respecting the guidelines, maintaining the descipline and norms.
The “new normal”, irrespective of being short term or long term will have its influences in design. We have already seen exciting responses in the field of product design, in making new masks, handles for sanitizers, multiple use key chains, virtual lift buttons & so on. It’s a fact that we have all got used to digital platforms a lot more, and I won’t be surprised if digistisation get extended to each component of a built environment. Virtual offices have suddenly become more comfortable for both employers & employees, and it questions the very need to large office blocks. Home automation will have larger role in coming days, and more with voice commands.
But, is this all ? Aren’t these design responses to the distancing norms the short term solutions ? What will be the long term implications ?
The real estate sector will immediately see a recession, owing to the slow down in all sectors. But, being a fundamental need, sooner or later it will bounce back.
When it does, we need to get back to our fundamentals. And I think, that will be our long term response, to any such reminders from nature. We should start questioning the whole premise of the built environment. Why do we need to build ? Are we over building ? If not, how can we build with minimum impact of nature & neighborhood ? How do we create positive social & public places ? How do we create places for people to breathe, which treat them as human beings & not robots. We may hafto go back to such primary questions and start a journey in search of most sensitive responses to each one of them. Humanity first, will be a good slogan, even for designers ₹ built environment.
When we get sensitised about our larger role as a human being and a responsible citizen, and then as a design professional, we may be better ready when nature come with its new surprises. We need to learn to co-live with nature, it’s elements and fellow beings. We need to learn to respect each other, every living being & create spaces that will evoke sense of responsibility & sense of ownership. Such spaces will inspire the much needed civic sense and compassion towards your fellow being, which are the most critical attributes to fight such pandemic.
It’s definitely the time to pause, reflect and retrospect. To realise that, we as an architect, has larger roles in this soceity & eco system, than just designing beautiful buildings. We need to design life itself, in its true sense.
We need to re-look at our cities & it’s planning policies. We will have to re define the word “development”. We should bring in “adapatibility” at the centre I’d focus, and design our public spaces & public buildings, in a way, to play multiple roles when it need to. Green & buffer spaces around dense neighbourhoods, will be an affective tool for control & positive compartmentalisation. We have seen haphazard and rapid urbanisation in last few decades. It’s time for some planned de-urbanisation, and decentralise our cities, it’s administrative structure, health & education facilities, and fundamental supply chains to effective & welfare oriented governance. Let social organisations evolve, from village level, who can drive this change and percolate it to all layers of the soceity. We, as designers & architects, can play a pivotal role in this renaissance.
I would always differ on the word social distancing. Ideally it’s social togetherness & physical distancing. These are times, we all need to stand together and be for each other. But this, with a safe distance, respecting the guidelines, maintaining the descipline and norms.
The “new normal”, irrespective of being short term or long term will have its influences in design. We have already seen exciting responses in the field of product design, in making new masks, handles for sanitizers, multiple use key chains, virtual lift buttons & so on. It’s a fact that we have all got used to digital platforms a lot more, and I won’t be surprised if digistisation get extended to each component of a built environment. Virtual offices have suddenly become more comfortable for both employers & employees, and it questions the very need to large office blocks. Home automation will have larger role in coming days, and more with voice commands.
But, is this all ? Aren’t these design responses to the distancing norms the short term solutions ? What will be the long term implications ?
The real estate sector will immediately see a recession, owing to the slow down in all sectors. But, being a fundamental need, sooner or later it will bounce back.
When it does, we need to get back to our fundamentals. And I think, that will be our long term response, to any such reminders from nature. We should start questioning the whole premise of the built environment. Why do we need to build ? Are we over building ? If not, how can we build with minimum impact of nature & neighborhood ? How do we create positive social & public places ? How do we create places for people to breathe, which treat them as human beings & not robots. We may hafto go back to such primary questions and start a journey in search of most sensitive responses to each one of them. Humanity first, will be a good slogan, even for designers ₹ built environment.
When we get sensitised about our larger role as a human being and a responsible citizen, and then as a design professional, we may be better ready when nature come with its new surprises. We need to learn to co-live with nature, it’s elements and fellow beings. We need to learn to respect each other, every living being & create spaces that will evoke sense of responsibility & sense of ownership. Such spaces will inspire the much needed civic sense and compassion towards your fellow being, which are the most critical attributes to fight such pandemic.
It’s definitely the time to pause, reflect and retrospect. To realise that, we as an architect, has larger roles in this soceity & eco system, than just designing beautiful buildings. We need to design life itself, in its true sense.
We need to re-look at our cities & it’s planning policies. We will have to re define the word “development”. We should bring in “adapatibility” at the centre I’d focus, and design our public spaces & public buildings, in a way, to play multiple roles when it need to. Green & buffer spaces around dense neighbourhoods, will be an affective tool for control & positive compartmentalisation. We have seen haphazard and rapid urbanisation in last few decades. It’s time for some planned de-urbanisation, and decentralise our cities, it’s administrative structure, health & education facilities, and fundamental supply chains to effective & welfare oriented governance. Let social organisations evolve, from village level, who can drive this change and percolate it to all layers of the soceity. We, as designers & architects, can play a pivotal role in this renaissance.
Comments
Post a Comment