Space To Care
COMMON HUMANITY ZONE
City planning and zoning should reflect the basic needs of society; they create the framework for how a city makes you feel, what you can do and who can belong. We all do better with care, and we all need someplace to go and something to do that makes us feel safe, seen and supported. Empathy in city planning is essential—and so are opportunities to check in.
What are we planning for when we plan?
Thoughtful city planning is about creating a village—zoning for walkable mixed-use districts, diverse housing stock, density for reducing commutes and crime, appealing multi-modal transit, placemaking for outdoor exercise, kid friendly places and shared spaces to combat isolation and encourage kindness. Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Both a process and a philosophy, how public spaces are designed is key to the success of the physical and social experience.
“Physical fitness and social fitness are essential aspects of common humanity. They’re how we check in. Space to walk and a place to talk remind us that we all do better with care. ”
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.
Cities are about connecting
Plan public space with the opportunity for serendipity
So, when we talk infrastructure, let’s talk social infrastructure too. Planning public space with pedestrian access to third places creates the opportunity for social serendipity. Just as nature thrives on a balance of order and chaos, having both delineated avenues and undefined free streets can bring out the best in urban living. 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.
“Creating an ecosystem of care is imperative for creating a culture of connection. City planning is at its best when it uses placemaking to create access to the healthy living patterns that enrich our common humanity. ”
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 and balancing macro and microspaces for business owners provides opportunities for discovery and self advancement. 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.
Placemaking for caring, caregiving and caretaking to respect the full spectrum of lifespan
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. We all have an intrinsic human need to belong; we all need somewhere to go, something to do and someone to see; whether we are eight or eighty. The city is for everyone and the design of its built environments should communicate that. Creating an ecosystem of care is imperative for creating a culture of connection, opportunity and hope—for everyone.
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Common humanity is a shared state of being linked with basic ethics of altruism derived from the human condition, symbolizing physical care, social intelligence and compassion towards each other and self.
