規(guī)劃更美好的未來：城市設(shè)計的系統(tǒng)方法

鄭瀟 （美）瑞安·帕爾

城市設(shè)計是眾多設(shè)計學(xué)科的有機融合，SWA集團充分利用60余年的悠久設(shè)計經(jīng)驗，以跨學(xué)科的視角，不斷完善和豐富城市設(shè)計實踐。在持續(xù)發(fā)展的過程中，將多年的實踐經(jīng)驗融入規(guī)劃、城市設(shè)計和風(fēng)景園林，形成SWA完善的城市設(shè)計體系。其中，高性能基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施是城市設(shè)計成功的關(guān)鍵要素，而新技術(shù)正快速推動城市設(shè)計并以前所未有的方式改變生活。更繁榮未來的實現(xiàn)，始于今天的綜合性的規(guī)劃。今天和明天做出的決定將影響在未來很長一段時間內(nèi)的城市活力和成功。可持續(xù)發(fā)展是城市發(fā)展的必然趨勢，也決定了規(guī)劃的成功與否，對居住、工作于此的人們享受怎樣的生活品質(zhì)都將發(fā)揮至關(guān)重要的作用。

通過運用綜合性的城市設(shè)計方法和技術(shù)，可以幫助我們建立一個將城市框架與自然、建筑、交通網(wǎng)絡(luò)和高性能基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施和諧共融的綜合系統(tǒng)。這種共生結(jié)構(gòu)有助于支持高強度運行的城市生態(tài)系統(tǒng)，同時能促進社區(qū)互動和創(chuàng)新交流，帶來更健康的社區(qū)生活方式和活力。此外，除了能為當(dāng)?shù)鼐用窈徒?jīng)常光顧的游客提供更健康、更快樂的生活方式外，它還將為整體城市景觀和周邊地區(qū)的可持續(xù)發(fā)展注入活力。

從本質(zhì)上講，成功的城市設(shè)計需要采用系統(tǒng)性的方法——以統(tǒng)一整體的規(guī)劃協(xié)同不同層次的功能和特色。每個層次均紋理細密、承前啟后，在微觀層面上完全融合在一起，從而形成交融和連接。微觀層面的自然應(yīng)成為城市設(shè)計層次相互交織的背景和畫布，在自然環(huán)境與人造元素之間創(chuàng)造出一個動態(tài)結(jié)合體。

1 因地制宜的策略，展示場地的特色

作為設(shè)計師，在繪制任何線條之前，最關(guān)鍵的第一步是傾聽。首先要傾聽土地的聲音，同時也要傾聽土地上的人們的心聲——他們的故事以及造就其獨特文化的原因。同時，來自社區(qū)的反饋也賦予場地聲音，并清晰地講述著場地歷史。我們的靈感源于土地和生活在土地上的人，城市設(shè)計和規(guī)劃方案須響應(yīng)用地的自然特點。場地的自然特征為恰當(dāng)?shù)厮茉斓孛病⒈Ａ糸_放空間、強化生態(tài)性能定下了基調(diào)。最佳的城市設(shè)計方案應(yīng)植根于場地最根本的景觀特點，并通過精心的規(guī)劃，更好地彰顯場地獨有的特質(zhì)。

用地的自然特征，通常包括水系與地貌，而貫穿的河流往往是村莊、城鎮(zhèn)或城市的起源。SWA的城市設(shè)計方法承襲這一傳統(tǒng)和自然過程。例如在72 km2的順德新城的規(guī)劃方案中，SWA以濕地三角洲系統(tǒng)串聯(lián)組織多種形態(tài)和特色的城市組團，為更大范圍的珠三角保留了鳥類和野生物種棲息地，并擴大了新城的防洪蓄洪能力。規(guī)劃將各個島嶼開發(fā)成步行友好尺度的多個城市組團，這些組團由擬建的綠地、水廊、濕地和步道等環(huán)境基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施以及由區(qū)域軌道交通、單軌鐵路、水上的士、停車設(shè)施、巴士和高速鐵路組成的多層交通系統(tǒng)相連接。

SWA在深圳布吉河城市設(shè)計競賽中采用了類似以水為中心的城市設(shè)計方法，重點是將河流與城市肌理和市民生活重新連接起來。為重新連接布吉河而設(shè)計的解決方案，同時也被運用于濱水城市化的3個不同的尺度。1）在城市尺度上，新的綠化道路網(wǎng)絡(luò)將布吉河與城市連為一體。2）在城區(qū)尺度上，親水臺地、露天劇場、濱水交通樞紐通過立體橋梁系統(tǒng)相連接，讓城市向河道開放，形成人們所需的親水通道。河流開放空間設(shè)計與建筑形態(tài)融為一體，并與周邊復(fù)雜交通體系交織融合。3）在較大的場地尺度上，倡導(dǎo)豐富或有趣的河流體驗，包括木棧道、觀景區(qū)、河岸臺地、巖石園和水上花園的河岸被重新設(shè)計。布吉河城市規(guī)劃融合了游憩、文化和生態(tài)策略，綠道網(wǎng)絡(luò)延伸到街區(qū)并連接整個景觀系統(tǒng)，讓濱水生活重返城市。

2 城市孔隙度：容納城市之水和自然

城市環(huán)境狀態(tài)下的水不僅限于河流，還包括眾多其他尺度的水系。多年來常規(guī)的濱水開發(fā)以工程優(yōu)先方式——建造將人與水分開的堤壩、硬質(zhì)岸線，擯棄濱水棲息地，而更優(yōu)的方式應(yīng)該是建造更柔性和具有更多孔隙的生態(tài)岸線。這不僅有助于適應(yīng)水位的波動，提供動植物棲息地，還可使人與水更親近。利用地形變化，水岸能更好地抵御季節(jié)性洪水以及海平面上升的威脅。隨著全球暖化的加劇，這些現(xiàn)象的發(fā)生也將會越來越頻繁。

1 北京新國展中心競賽：活力四射的立體公園式城市景觀，充分考慮城市在豎向和水平上的連接效率和體驗Beijing New Exhibition Center Competition: A vibrant park-like urban cityscape that prioritizes vertical and horizontal efficiencies

2 順德新城鳥瞰圖Aerial view of Shunde New City

3 布吉河城市設(shè)計競賽概念示意Buji River urban design competition diagram

4 布吉河城市設(shè)計競賽概念示意Buji River urban design competition diagram

在世界各地都能看到這類濱水開發(fā)的成功范例。紐約獵人角南濱水公園就是城市生態(tài)和可持續(xù)設(shè)計的典范。這個曾經(jīng)荒廢的后工業(yè)遺址變身為優(yōu)美的城市公園，現(xiàn)在既成為紐約南部的門戶，也成為生態(tài)保護區(qū)和原工業(yè)遺址舊貌展新顏的場所。項目的創(chuàng)新和可持續(xù)設(shè)計策略將基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施、景觀和建筑融匯成與周邊社區(qū)相連的新開放空間。在公園綿延的濱水漫步道和平臺上，可飽覽曼哈頓天際線的壯麗景色。

3 從灰色、棕色至綠色：基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施更新作為城市復(fù)興的手段

綠色、藍色和灰色系統(tǒng)的成功融合為城市帶來了巨大的活力—基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施通常是實現(xiàn)變革的關(guān)鍵要素。以美國第四大城市——得克薩斯州的休斯敦作為主要案例，研究基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施如何改變城市生活和活力。這是一—座使用超過145種語言的多元化大都市，濕潤的亞熱帶氣候使其每年降水量達到約1 250 mm。因市區(qū)海拔僅有15 m，伴隨大風(fēng)暴和颶風(fēng)大量降雨，城市頻繁受到洪澇的侵襲。

長久以來，在極其潮濕的環(huán)境下，城市建有一系列排水渠和河口，幫助管控區(qū)域內(nèi)降下的大量暴雨。但是，多年前許多此類河道被軍事工程部門改造成混凝土溝渠，應(yīng)對近年來的洪水對這些歷史悠久的系統(tǒng)而言頗具挑戰(zhàn)。最近幾年，近1 300 km2的被渠化的布法羅河流域被重新改造成更為自然的狀態(tài)，變身為該區(qū)域最具生機的綠色空間，其中包括65 hm2的帶狀布法羅綠廊公園。如今，濱水空間品質(zhì)得到了極大的提升，大量的小徑、草坪和花園空間深受當(dāng)?shù)厝嗣竦南矏邸＿@些設(shè)施在城市應(yīng)對日益常見的洪災(zāi)事件方面也發(fā)揮著重要作用。

2017年8月，颶風(fēng)“哈維”在4天多的時間內(nèi)給多地帶來了100 cm以上的降雨量，這是美國據(jù)歷史記載的最大降雨事件。“哈維”肆虐期間，布法羅河綠廊西端的洪水上漲近12 m。布法羅河的沿岸提升項目幫助這座城市度過了這一特大災(zāi)難，布法羅河的生態(tài)也很快得到了恢復(fù)。其設(shè)計采用了溝渠穩(wěn)定技術(shù)，強化了河口的自然蜿蜒曲折，提高了抵御洪水的能力。綠化策略優(yōu)先考慮河邊林地和本土的自然草地以替代修剪過的草皮，從而進一步維護了景觀和本地棲息地。

5 紐約獵人角南濱水公園的多層次生態(tài)手法The multilayered ecological approach of Hunters Point South Waterfront Park in New York

6 紐約獵人角南濱水公園夜景Night view of Hunters Point South Waterfront Park in New York

7 以休斯敦城中心為背景的布法羅河綠廊Buffalo Bayou, with the downtown Houston, skyline in the background

8 更新改造前后布法羅綠廊Buffalo Bayou before and after revitalization

9 颶風(fēng)“哈維”來臨前后的Rosemont大橋Rosemont Bridge before and after Hurricane Harvey

10 赤石河片區(qū)規(guī)劃設(shè)計：集成化多模式交通Integrated multimodal transportation as part of Chishi River district planning

11 赤石河片區(qū)規(guī)劃設(shè)計：公園式城市環(huán)境內(nèi)交通類型的和諧融合A harmonious integration of transit types within a parklike urban setting as part of district planning for Chishi River

4 采用新的交通運輸系統(tǒng)

新技術(shù)不僅改變了規(guī)劃和設(shè)計場所的方式，而且在不同尺度上也改變了人們對空間的體驗感。令人興奮的是，新型交通基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施正將汽車的使用范圍向城市外圍轉(zhuǎn)移（雖然還不能完全脫離汽車），能夠更好地發(fā)揮項目場地的潛力，創(chuàng)造出以行人為中心的動態(tài)體驗。當(dāng)代技術(shù)的進步改變傳統(tǒng)規(guī)劃設(shè)計的方式涉及諸多方面，而新型交通的影響力將無與倫比。

將單純以汽車為基礎(chǔ)的城市街道系統(tǒng)升級為充滿活力、多元化并以人為本，同時融合城市各微觀層面的系統(tǒng)，這將有助于創(chuàng)建一個促進創(chuàng)新和協(xié)作的滲透型開放城市框架。不再依靠犧牲大量的空間去建造車行道和停車場或停車庫，釋放出的廣闊區(qū)域可創(chuàng)造更具活力的、以行人為導(dǎo)向的城市景觀。當(dāng)前和未來的出行機會包括了微觀層級的共享汽車和共享自行車，滑板車、超級環(huán)路、無人駕駛車輛以及宏觀層級的高速鐵路、通勤鐵路、輕軌、單軌、街車和巴士、飛行汽車和無人機等系統(tǒng)。所有這些將創(chuàng)造一個更加高效、充滿活力和生態(tài)可持續(xù)的未來城市。

新交通形式的到來將消除以傳統(tǒng)駕駛行為為中心的模式，這將是游戲規(guī)則的重大變革。從生態(tài)角度看，新型交通將大量減少車輛尾氣排放，促進全球環(huán)境提升。在社交方面，花更少的時間使用車輛可以騰出大量時間進行更有成效的工作和人際互動。從經(jīng)濟角度看，免除個人車輛的相關(guān)維修、保險等費用將為人們減輕巨大的財務(wù)負擔(dān)。然而，新型交通所產(chǎn)生的最令人興奮和深遠的影響在于對我們生活的物理環(huán)境帶來變化。

新的交通運輸系統(tǒng)，為創(chuàng)造更加以人為本的城市環(huán)境，提供了令人難以置信的機會；讓我們可以重新評估街道空間的使用方式，減少大量的停車場，并將無數(shù)通常只提供單一功能且對社會活力貢獻甚微的停車設(shè)施改造為更吸引人、更活躍的環(huán)境。同時可以將大量以駕駛和停車為重點的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施區(qū)域改造為綠色空間，這將有力地改變我們城市環(huán)境的風(fēng)貌和功能。

5 優(yōu)先考慮行人體驗

12 亞利桑那州北斯科茨代爾La Via項目效果圖Perspective of La Via in North Scottsdale, Arizona

13 亞利桑那州北斯科茨代爾La Via項目效果圖Perspective of La Via in North Scottsdale, Arizona

14 紐約獵人角南濱水公園Hunters Point South Waterfront Park in New York

15 紐約獵人角南濱水公園Hunters Point South Waterfront Park in New York

偉大的城市環(huán)境首先是為人的體驗而設(shè)計的，因此人性尺度對打造成功的城市空間至關(guān)重要。讓行人安全地漫步而無需擔(dān)憂高速行駛的車輛或穿越交通繁忙路段的危險，這會讓人的體驗非常不同。SWA 在城市設(shè)計中優(yōu)先考慮行人體驗，并在交通合理組織的前提下將車輛引流于地塊周邊，構(gòu)建安全的人行環(huán)境。

例如位于亞利桑那州北斯科茨代爾市11.3 hm2的La Via項目，其城市設(shè)計側(cè)重于打造標志性的、令人難忘的空間。設(shè)計將車輛分散至項目外圍，優(yōu)先考慮對行人為主導(dǎo)的體驗，通過一系列蜿蜒轉(zhuǎn)折的街道空間，形成引人入勝的序列感探索體驗。

與傳統(tǒng)、可預(yù)測的城市網(wǎng)格結(jié)構(gòu)不同，有機而蜿蜒曲折的空間結(jié)構(gòu)更為獨特，更難預(yù)測也更令人興奮。這是一個優(yōu)先考慮以行人為中心的城市環(huán)境框架，而不是優(yōu)先考慮汽車效率的傳統(tǒng)網(wǎng)格結(jié)構(gòu)。SWA主導(dǎo)的概念總體規(guī)劃，包括確定項目建筑體量、城市概念設(shè)計和景觀設(shè)計的策略，并研究了世界上一系列經(jīng)典的廣場和街道空間，從而繪制出項目規(guī)劃框架。

設(shè)計過程借鑒完美空間打造目的地這一理念，分析了意大利維羅納市香草廣場、巴塞羅那皇家廣場、巴黎太子廣場、馬德里圣安娜廣場等廣場空間的經(jīng)驗，并借鑒巴塞羅那蘭布拉大道、巴黎圣日耳曼大道、波士頓燈塔山街區(qū)等的經(jīng)驗。除了分析此類步行體驗的發(fā)現(xiàn)過程外，更融入細膩的空間肌理給城市環(huán)境帶來更多的層次，打造花園街區(qū)式的體驗。當(dāng)然，此前提及的技術(shù)所帶來的新交通機會，也將成為以人為本的城市環(huán)境的巨大催化劑。

6 創(chuàng)建令人難忘的場所依然至關(guān)重要

優(yōu)秀的城市設(shè)計使人們認識到自然與城市必須和諧共存，才能創(chuàng)造出成功的項目，同時為生態(tài)環(huán)境提升、城市化和基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施需求等提供解決方案。而城市空間在美學(xué)上和體驗上的精心打造，包括場所的外觀和體驗感，是令人在造訪項目很久之后依然在腦海中有揮之不去的回憶——這是確保場地在未來許多年依然受歡迎和令人難忘的關(guān)鍵因素。以充滿個性化的手法規(guī)劃和塑造場所有助于激發(fā)人們的想象力并留下深刻印象，吸引人們一次次造訪。

城市中的高樓或商業(yè)中心長期持續(xù)不斷地變更，而大型公共環(huán)境和基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施卻在未來許多年保持不變，由此可見，創(chuàng)建完善而令人難忘的城市框架是規(guī)劃持久成功的關(guān)鍵要素。采用整體全面的城市規(guī)劃框架體系能更好地將人與自然以及城市空間聯(lián)系起來，體現(xiàn)和發(fā)揮當(dāng)?shù)靥厣?，并促進創(chuàng)新交流。前瞻性城市設(shè)計充分考慮交通體系、生態(tài)性能、基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施以及在城市景觀中穿行和生活的人的體驗，建立起充滿活力的彈性城市，創(chuàng)造更加繁榮的未來。

圖片來源(Sources of Figures)：

圖1～5、10～13?SWA集 團；圖6?SWA集 團 的Jonnu Singleton；圖7、14、15?SWA集團的David Lloyd；圖8-1、8-2?SWA集 團 的Tom Fox；圖9-1?SWA集 團 的Jonnu Singleton，圖9-2?SWA集團的Maribel Amador。

（編輯/劉玉霞）

Planning for a Better Future: A Systematic Approach to Urban Design

ZHENG Xiao, (USA) Ryan Parr

Just as urban design is a synthesis of many design disciplines, our firm (SWA Group) utilizes a multidisciplinary perspective, grounded in more than six decades of design experience, to inform our urban design practice. SWA Group incorporates deep experience in planning, urban design and landscape architecture to shape our urban design solutions. High-performance infrastructure is a critical component of successful urban design — and new technologies are rapidly advancing the potential for urban design to change lives in ways that were previously hard to imagine.Realizing a more prosperous future begins with progressive planning today. Decisions made today and tomorrow will shape the vibrancy and success of great cities long into the future. Significant and sustained growth is an inevitability, particularly in our cities and urban areas, and how we plan for new urban development will play a key role in their success — as well as the quality of life enjoyed by those who live and work there.

By utilizing progressive urban design approaches and techniques, we can help establish a comprehensive system that harmoniously integrates the urban framework with nature, architecture,transportation networks, and high-performance infrastructure. The result of this type of symbiotic structuring helps support enhanced urban ecosystems, while also promoting community interaction, healthier lifestyles, innovation exchange,and resiliency. Moreover, beyond accommodating healthier and happier lifestyles for urban dwellers who live in and frequent these areas, it will allow for a more sustainable character for the overall cityscape and surrounding areas.

At its essence, functional, adaptive and successful urban design requires a systematic approach — a series of layers that work synergistically as a unified whole, but each with its own character and purpose. Each layer should be fine-grained and contextual, stitched together thoughtfully at the micro level to create connections and provide greater functionality by the sum of their parts — with the exception of nature. Nature, at the macro level, (or big nature, ) should be the backdrop and canvas upon which urban design layers are interwoven, creating a dynamic union between the natural environment and manmade elements.

1 A Land-Based Approach, Building Upon Strength of Site

Before any line gets drawn, the most critical step we take as designers is to listen — listen to the land first and foremost, but also to the people of that place: their stories, and what makes their culture unique. The community’s input gives the land a voice and articulates the site’s history. Our inspiration comes from the land and those who live on it, and urban design and planning solutions must respond to the land’s natural character.This provides a canvas on which to sensitively shape landforms, preserve open space, and enhance ecological performance. The best urban design solutions are rooted in the landscape’s attributes and celebrate them through purposeful interventions. The land’s natural features — most often waterways and topography — provide the impetus to connect people with nature and place. Rivers throughout China have long been the reason a village, town or city came into existence. Embracing these traditions and natural processes is at the forefront of our urban design approach. We can look to the conceptual creation of Shunde New City, a 72-square-kilometer new city planned in Guangdong province, in which SWA’s design weaves a wetland delta system into a multimodal city, restoring bird and wildlife habitat for the larger Pearl River Delta and expanding flood storage capacity. The plan develops individual islands as pedestrian-scaled mixeduse villages, which are linked by both a proposed environmental infrastructure of greenbelts, water corridors, wetlands and trails, and a multilayered transportation system comprised of regional rail,local monorail, water taxis, parking structures,buses, and high-speed rail linkages.

SWA took a similar water-focused urban design approach with the Buji River urban design competition, which focused on reconnecting the river with the urban fabric and livelihood of Shenzhen.The solution devised for reconnecting with the Buji River works simultaneously at three scales of riparian urbanism. At a city scale, a new green road network connects the Buji River and the city. At an urban scale, a vibrant waterfront hub with terraced water access and an amphitheater opens up the city toward the river, with a dynamic three-dimensional bridge system that provides much-needed river access. Building forms are integrated within the river terminus, punctuating the mixed-use transit district. At a larger site scale,river banks were reimagined with boardwalks,outlooks, terraced river banks, rock gardens, and floating gardens to encourage a peaceful, playful river experience. The Buji River urban review master plan integrates strategies of recreation,reconnection, culture, and ecology to bring the river back to the people. The greenway network extends into the neighborhoods and connects to the overall landscape system.

2 Urban Porosity: Accommodating Water and Nature in the City

Embracing water in an urban setting extends beyond rivers, of course, and includes water systems at many other scales. Rather than following what was for many years a typical engineering approach to waterfront development – building hard edge conditions and levees that separate people from the water and preclude the establishment of dynamic waterfront habitat – this approach designs softer, more porous edge conditions that help provide habitat, connect people to the water, and accommodate water fluctuation, among other benefits. Using landforms to accept water, like a sponge, helps landscapes to better survive seasonal flooding and rising waters, which will only become more frequent due to climate change impacts.

We see successful examples of this type of waterfront development all over the world. In New York City, Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park is an international model of urban ecology and a world laboratory for innovative sustainable thinking. What was once a barren post-industrial site has been transformed into a world-class park that is both urbane and otherworldly. The site is waterfront and city; gateway and sanctuary; blank slate and pentimento. These readings suggest an approach to the landscape that enhances what is unique about the site, while framing a new, multilayered identity as a recreational and cultural paradigm. The project’s innovative and sustainable design strategies weave infrastructure, landscape,and architecture into new open spaces with connections to the surrounding communities.The park provides access to the water’s edge and spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline.

3 From Gray and Brown to Green:Infrastructure as a Means to Urban Revitalization

The successful integration of green, blue and gray systems together allows for the greatest vitality in the urban realm — and infrastructure is a critical, often existing, component that can be leveraged in a transformative manner. As a premier case study of infrastructure’s extraordinary potential to change a city’s livelihood and resiliency,we can look to Houston, Texas, the fourth-largest city in the United States, a diverse metropolis where more than 145 languages are spoken. It also has a humid subtropical climate that receives approximately 125 centimeters of rainfall annually.The downtown area is only 15 meters above sea level. Large storms and hurricanes frequently deluge the city with extraordinary amounts of rain.Within this humid and very wet context, a series of drainage channels and bayous has long been in place to help manage the tremendous volume of stormwater the area receives, but flooding in recent years has challenged even those longestablished systems. Most of these bayous were converted into concrete channels by the Army Corps of Engineers years ago. However, more recently, Buffalo Bayou, a nearly 1,300-squarekilometer watershed, was largely converted back to a more natural condition, and is one of the region’s most vital green spaces. It includes the linear,65-hectare, Buffalo Bayou Park, which has been greatly enhanced in recent years with extensive trails, lawns, meadows and parks, which are well used and cherished by locals. It also plays a critical role in allowing the city to respond to increasingly common flooding events.

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey dropped more than 100 centimeters of rain in multiple regional locations over a four-day period; it was the largest recorded rainfall event in American history. During Harvey, floodwaters rose nearly 12 meters at Buffalo Bayou’s western end. Buffalo Bayou’s design helped the city overcome this extraordinary calamity and rebound through its ecological performance. Its design incorporates channel stabilization techniques that enhance the bayou’s natural meanders and provide increased resiliency against floodwaters. The planting strategy prioritized riparian woodlands and naturalized meadows of native species over mowed turf,providing further landscape stabilization and native habitat.

4 Embracing New Forms of Mobility &Transportation Systems

New technologies are changing not only the way we plan and design places, but how we experience destinations at all scales. Exciting new transit infrastructure possibilities are relegating cars to the periphery — if not out of the project context entirely — allowing us to better maximize the potential of our project sites and create dynamic, pedestrian-focused experiences.There are numerous facets to the ways in which contemporary technological advances are shifting traditional planning and design paradigms, but perhaps none is as impactful as the advent of new transportation modalities.

Upgrading the singular car-based urban street system into a dynamic and diversified humanbased system that integrates the whole city and micro levels helps create an open and permeable urban framework that promotes innovation and collaboration. Refusing to sacrifice expansive areas for vehicular roadways and surface parking and/or parking garages frees up extraordinary opportunities to create more dynamic, pedestrianoriented cityscapes. Current and future mobility opportunities include rideshare and bikeshare capabilities, scooters, hyperloops, and autonomous fleet vehicles at the micro level, and systems like high-speed rail, commuter rail, light rail, monorail,street cars and buses, VTOL (vehicle take-off and landing), and drones at the macro level — all of which allow for a more productive, prosperous,vibrant, and ecologically sustainable urban future.

Removing human error and the extensive needs associated with conventional driving from the transit equation is a game changer. The potential impacts are vast and paradigm-shifting. Ecologically,efficiencies from non-traditional vehicles may reduce vehicle emissions, catalyzing a radical shift in our global environmental outlook. Socially,spending less time commandeering a vehicle frees up significant time for more productive endeavors and human interaction. Economically, the extensive costs associated with owning, maintaining and insuring personal vehicles removes a tremendous financial albatross for drivers across all societal demographics. However, the most exciting and far-reaching effects of autonomous vehicles lie in the character and composition of our physical environments.

New transit capabilities offer incredible opportunities to create more human-focused urban environments. They afford the ability to rethink our streets, reclaim vast expanses of surface parking, and re-purpose myriad parking garages —structures that typically serve a single function and contribute little to societal vibrancy — into more inviting, active and fruitful settings with far greater community benefits. The adaptive reuse of immense areas of driving- and parking-focused infrastructure into green space, permeable surfaces,and pedestrian-oriented areas can change the look,feel and functionality of our urban environments in powerful ways.

5 Prioritizing the Pedestrian Experience

Great urban environments are designed for people and the pedestrian experience first and foremost. A human scale is critically important to creating a great city or urban area. Allowing pedestrians to meander safely through the place— without worrying about cars traveling by at high speeds, or the dangers of crossing busy roads buzzing with automobile traffic — makes a world of difference. SWA’s urban planning and design approach prioritizes the pedestrian experience, and relegates cars to the perimeter or out of the urban setting entirely when possible.We can look to a project in North Scottsdale,Arizona known as La Via, which was the conceptual redevelopment of an 11.3-hectare urban parcel into a proposed mixed-use development.The project’s urban design emphasized the power of iconic, memorable spaces to capture people and bring them in, and the allure of meandering streets that encourage exploration. It was a celebration of informal urban spatial structures,and the prioritization of a truly pedestrian-oriented experience some redundancy with previous sentence-suggest deleting — an embodiment of the belief that remarkable spaces become destinations.

Unlike a conventional, predictable urban grid structure, an organic and meandering spatial structure is more unique, unpredictable and exciting.More attention is paid to one’s surroundings.It’s a framework that prioritizes a memorable,walkable, pedestrian-focused urban setting over the typical grid structure that gives precedence to automobile efficiency above all. Leading the conceptual master planning process — including working to shape strategies for the project’s building massing, conceptual urban design and conceptual landscape architecture — SWA studied a series of timeless plazas and classic streets to inform the approach to La Via’s urban framework.Acknowledging that remarkable spaces become destinations, this process analyzed the story of space in plazas like Piazza Delle Erbe in Verona,Italy, Plaza Reial in Barcelona, Place Dauphine in Paris and Plaza Santa Ana in Madrid, as well as streets like Barcelona’s Las Ramblas, Saint-Germain in Paris, and Boston’s Beacon Hill, as precedents.Along with the process of discovery that defines this type of walking experience, the more finegrained texture introduces more layers to the urban environment. It’s an opportunity to create a garden-like experience. Of course, the new transit opportunities afforded by technology referenced previously can be a tremendous catalyst to realizing a more pedestrian-focused urban environment in the future.

6 Creating Memorable Places is Still Fundamentally Important

Great urban design recognizes that nature and city must coexist in harmony in order to create successful projects that also provide solutions for environmental and ecological issues,urbanization, and infrastructure. But the aesthetic and experiential character — how a place looks and feels, and what lingers in one’s mind long after visiting and experiencing a destination — are the key factors that ensure a place will be popular,memorable and viable many years into the future.Planning and designing places and spaces in a way that provides unique character helps capture the imagination, ensuring that people will come back again and again. Great public realm settings will remain successful many years into the future, long after the restaurants and businesses that rent space in the adjacent buildings have come and gone; so creating a memorable urban framework is a key pillar to enduring success.

By taking a holistic approach to urban design and planning, our cities can prosper and become more resilient in the face of challenges related to climate change and rising sea levels.In addition, they can better connect people to their community and urban context, celebrate local environmental character by bringing nature into the city, and promote innovation exchange by fostering collaboration beyond conventional means of socialization. Forward-looking urban design is characterized by a systems approach, one that considers transportation systems, ecological performance, infrastructure, and the human experience of moving through and functioning within the cityscape. By utilizing progressive urban design techniques and approaches, we can establish vibrant and resilient cities that allow for a more prosperous future for all.

Sources of Figures:

Fig. 1-5, 10-13?SWA Group; Fig. 6?SWA Group–Jonnu Singleton; Fig. 7, 14-15?SWA Group–David Lloyd; Fig. 8-1,8-2?SWA Group – Tom Fox; Fig. 9-1?SWA Group – Jonnu Singleton, Fig. 9-2?SWA Group–Maribel Amador.

(Editor / LIU Yuxia)