Over the past few decades we have seen huge technological progress and a reduction of mobility costs relative to income.  These two factors have resulted in a shift in our urban areas, from “access by proximity” – a design solution that enables people to meet their daily needs without relying on motor vehicles for transportation - to “access by movement”. 

This significant shift has resulted in major, inter-related changes and challenges:

• Changes to the way our cities are formed: we’ve seen them de-densify and expand horizontally

• Pressing and growing challenges such as congestion and pollution

• Inefficient use of assets and resources: space, time, energy etc.

• Deterioration of peoples’ health: increasing obesity and respiratory diseases

Cities’ morphology (how urban areas are formed and transitioned) play a crucial role in optimising the use of resources, increasing productivity, inclusivity and accessibility, while at the same time reducing the need to travel around the city.  The key to managing a city’s morphology to ensure it is efficient and liveable, lies in the optimal distribution of densities, mix of uses, and building typologies across the area. Compact, dense and mixed-use cities favour walking and cycling distances and reduce the need to travel in the city.  However, once a city gets beyond a certain size, it is no longer possible to concentrate all densities, uses, and economic activities around a single centre; that would lead to sprawl. When cities pass a certain size and density therefore they need to embrace what is known as the “polycentric city model”, which accommodates and facilitates growth around various and multiple urban centres.  It is the ideal model to implement where you have semi-consolidated (built but with some areas of space available for development) or non-consolidated (non-developed with lots of scope for shaping) areas. Deployed successfully, polycentric cities can improve accessibility, productivity and liveability. But what do we do in those consolidated urban areas (fully built with no space or scope to change) that have low density and / or single use?

In such areas, digital infrastructure and new technologies have the potential to dramatically improve accessibility, congestion, pollution and productivity. And this is just what DG Cities aims to demonstrate through the Endeavour project in Greenwich.  The Royal Borough has some single-use residential areas of very low density. Because of the low density of housing over a large space, these areas, such as Eltham, aren’t as well served by public transport (the provision of infrastructure is more expensive per unit at lower levels of urban density).   The uptake of private vehicles in such areas tend to be high and as seen in all urban areas with high private vehicle use, levels of congestion and pollution are also high.

The Endeavour project aims to reduce private vehicle ownership and usage within the Borough by deploying on-demand shared mobility services. Ridesharing vehicles will connect people living in the Borough’s low-density residential areas with the Borough’s main transport hubs, improving the accessibility levels of these areas and ultimately, we hope, reducing private vehicle use and single vehicle occupancy.  All of which will help to address the congestion and pollution levels of the Borough. It’s a chance for us to put our urban design expertise into practice to fully realise the potential of smart mobility solutions.

A good and smart use of technology can help us address some of the most pressing urban challenges we face today, such as congestion and pollution. However, in isolation, technology will only take us so far.  The only way to tackle urban challenges and build urban resilience is through strategic planning and design. And this is reflected in the way we work at DG Cities. We have areas of specialism in smart mobility, digital connectivity and community engagement but we pride ourselves on taking a “whole-city” approach to our work, considering the interactions and interplays that exist in any urban environment. 

Notwithstanding all the new tools and technologies for shaping and managing our cities, good and integrated urban design is the most powerful tool to increase the productivity, inclusivity, sustainability, liveability and resilience of our built environments.

Are you planning a major urban innovation or development project?  We can help you ensure it seamlessly integrates into the community and fulfills the needs of the city.  To find out more, drop us a line at [email protected].