#high-density

I’ve been researching the question of how to make downtown Los Angeles - or any city, for that matter -- more liveable for families. The DTLA sky is filled with cranes building evermore residential units - most of which will be occupied by young professionals without children. Typically, once these professionals decide to start families, they move to single-family homes. What would it take for them to stay?

(Photo by Chris Bruntlett of Modacitylife)

The most compelling answer I’ve come across is the idea of making cities child-friendly. As architect Jason F. McLennan writes in Yes! magazine:

The best cities in the world have a walkable, relatable scale that children and adults alike can relate to. They tend to be safer, more accessible, and more culturally rich. They give us greater opportunities for social interaction as well as chance encounters and educational opportunities.

McLennan, a prominent figure in the green building movement and a winner of the Buckminster Fuller Award, goes on to describe how by designing and planning for children - those among us who have the least control -- we would all be better for it.

Think about what makes a place great for kids: a focus on found learning, serendipitous personal interactions with others, opportunities to interact with nature and natural systems (water in particular), right-sized designs that aren’t intimidating and automobile-based, a city with an all-around gentle touch. Now consider a city that extended such considerations to everybody.

Doesn’t that sound nice?

(Photo of Japanese manhole cover.)

So, what would a children’s city look like? For one thing, it would pay attention to the small details. Eric Feldman, a Washington, D.C. urban planner, had his eyes opened when he began exploring his urban environs with his toddler daughter. In fact, he coined a new metric: the Toddler Walkshed.

(The Toddler Walkshed is) the distance that a curious and perpetually-distracted toddler can navigate city streets on foot in 10-20 minutes, all the while insisting that her parent pushes an empty stroller. More seriously, a viable toddler walkshed can be identified by answering the following question: can a neighborhood provide a range of destinations and diverse experiences within a toddler’s walking distance, without requiring access to an automobile?

We regularly stop to inspect and stomp on the grates and manhole covers concealing the tantalizing secrets of underground infrastructure. We expand our color palette by admiring the painted sidewalk markings of utility workers ... the street and its micro-landmarks are already as much her playground as the playground itself.

(W)hat if we were to pay more attention to the experience at 34 inches and celebrated our micro-landmarks to make them more intentionally playful and distinct? The Japanese appreciation for artistic manhole covers hints at some of the possibilities.

Big picture-wise, we can look to McLennan again. I’ve paraphrased:

1) A child-centered city provides a diversity of housing typologies that suits every variation of family.

2) Prices are manageable across all types of units so that people from a mix of economic backgrounds can afford to rent or own, even when they house multiple generations under one roof.

3) Multi-unit structures that achieve ideal urban density must offer adequate acoustic separation as well as outdoor play spaces.

4) Families need restaurants, markets, playgrounds, and daycare centers closer to home.

5) A child-centric city must offer an abundance of nature—features that give children easy access to clean water, climbable trees, and fresh air.

6) Lastly, child-friendly cities don’t expect children to thrive in high-rises.

McLennan:

Nobody can truly believe that a skyscraper is an acceptable setting in which to raise children. How can they experience a sense of community when they dwell so high off the ground? How can they connect with nature when they spend more time with potted plants than with wilderness? Children’s cities should offer a saner level of density, in which people interact with the natural world as frequently as they interact with one another. There is a density sweet spot, and it remains closer to the ground.

A “density sweet spot” -- “closer to the ground”? Hmmm. That could be a sticking point.

“Many people have a hard time believing that we can redesign our cities within the span of a few decades,” McLennan writes, urging idealists to take heart. “But the truth is, it will happen, regardless of our intentions.”

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Nokia Liquid Radio raises the bar with capacity gains, ensuring users connect even in busiest metropolitan areas …

Megacities and other crowded zones require increasingly dense, innovative networks. New Liquid Radio hardware and software launches enable operators to create very high density networks, satisfying swelling capacity demand and boosting user experience across LTE-Advanced and HSPA mobile broadband networks. (PRWeb September 03, 2014) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/09 …

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