Question 5

Q: Your focus on shaping urban spaces where movement and serenity coexist is intriguing. Can you elaborate on how you integrate these seemingly contrasting elements into your designs to create harmonious and inviting environments?

A: Our cities and even our lives are full of juxtapostions. The ying can’t exist without the yang, and one can’t be active without rest. If we regard our urban enviroments as organisms, both aspects need to be present to make them alive and livable. We dedicate a lot of space to transportation, and to cars in particular. While efficient movement is critical, it also has a huge impact on our and nature’s wellbeing. Finding the right balance is a challenge and depends on the particular situation but we need to recognize that we can easily create more people-friendly environments in cities by shifting priorities away from the private automobile. The public realm - a space that belongs to everyone - deserves more design attention and investment: how can we make open spaces, streets, public transit, the interfaces with buildings better for humans? More interconnected, safer, and pleasant? More environmently friendly? How can we make sure that private development contributes to these goals as well? Good urban design plays a significant role in achieving these goals by listening, imagining, and providing guidance. I should add that good urban design does not only envision sensible spaces for humans but also for animals, insects, and plants, which are crucial for urban organisms. Where we do need impactful uses such as high-traffic streets, infrastructure, and industrial uses, we need to think about mitigations and technical solutions on a larger scale that we have been doing.