Picked up my markers for the #bettercitiesbetterlife urban cafe session, organized by URBANICE MALAYSIA, KPKT and Jabatan Landskap Negara. I'm an artist facilitator this time! It feels so good to capture the interesting discussions and visualize the 'urban stories' on a big canvas, thank you for having me!
The topic of our discussion is 'City Function & Access for All', a topic that is very close to my heart. We got to hear from Ms. Nara from Bolehspace, where she shared with us the difficulties of the physically impaired communities experienced in the city, and it prompted me to think about how important it is to take an empathetic approach for all users when it comes to urban (and building) design.
Some of the urban visions gathered from the participants include:
Diversify walking experiences, integrating nature and landscape design into part of the journey
Open up the city! Cities must be permeable, allow more public access at ground level
Build Climate Resilient Communities Climate Justice - help vulnerable communities to adapt the impacts of climate events
CITIES THAT PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL!
They actually reminded me a lot of the H2020 Inclusion project, where me and my colleagues have suggested 8 principles for a fairer transport system, based on a number of successful case studies. The 8 principles are: #Accessible, #Affordable, #Convenient, #Efficient, #Empowering, #Empathetic, #GenderEquitable and #Safe. (You may read more about the project here)
Seeing those familiar keywords appeared in the discussion is definitely encouraging, that means we are acknowledging the human aspects in the city, and the solutions must emerged from a people-focused lens!
Look forward to more community engagement sessions like this, we definitely need more enablers in this journey in creating more accessible, equitable and inclusive cities!
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