Connection + Compassion
Cities are about connecting. From helping us get from point A to point B, to introducing us to the people we see, cities join us along our journey. The design of our built environments can influence our perspectives, our possibilities, our capacity for empathy and make the necessary space for more voices. The opportunity to create community where we live is often hindered by the design and culture of privatizing public space. We travel from home to car to work and back without the serendipity of meeting people in the in-between—it doesn’t exist anymore.
So, when we talk infrastructure, let’s talk social infrastructure too. Compassionate connections are essential to the narrative of life and a cornerstone of mental health and happiness. Checking in with friends, meeting new people and expanding our options and outlooks through shared public space builds community, offers hope, and supports resilience. Vibrant social networks are important for our cognitive health and can provide a psychological safety net for tough times. Social fitness is similar to physical fitness, not only in its definition of capacity, but that it too requires effort, intervals, and consistency over time to develop and maintain its effectiveness.
Physical fitness and social fitness are essential aspects of common humanity. Planning public space with pedestrian access to third places creates the opportunity for physical and social serendipity. And just as nature thrives on a balance of order and chaos, having both delineated avenues, for exercise specific placemaking, and undefined free streets, for chance meetings, can bring out the best in urban living.
The same way connections for friendships are an important part of well-being, so are connections for employment. Placemaking for economic mobility through mixed use development, adaptive design, financial accessibility, and balancing macro and microspaces for business owners provides opportunities for discovery and self advancement. Using the $3-13-30 model of pricing for neighboring businesses, especially from a food and beverage perspective, widens the net for economic participation. Pricing variety adjacencies provide the visibility and accessibility for economic opportunity, leading to the ability to elevate oneself and improve their economic status—the heart of economic mobility.
Understanding the role cities play in shaping our daily lives and the impact they have on caring, caregiving and caretaking, and how those needs can be met by urban planning, is essential for generating a more inclusive workforce—especially for women. Developments that include facilities for child care, elder care and health care can make it logistically and physically possible for more people to participate in the economy—elevating more families financially, improving their physical and social well-being, and respecting the full spectrum of lifespan. Creating an ecosystem of care is imperative for creating a culture of connection.