Presenting Stantec Design Quarterly 05: Smart & Livable Cities
March 07, 2019
Articulating a living vision for city living―from the smart city discussion to affordability, congestion, and transport
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Cities are the future. Our world is urbanizing rapidly. Generational preferences for experience over acquisition, active retirement living as well as work/play balance are driving a booming interest in urban living across North America. The rising demand for city life creates opportunities for new investment and innovation across the built environment but also brings to light challenges in these invigorated urban places―affordability, congestion, transport, and equity to name a few.
Meanwhile, the possibilities of a connected, data-rich, “smart” community are beginning to reveal themselves. Smart cities are, broadly speaking, places where a vast network of responsive sensors and technology in places and things that allow us to discover efficiencies in everything from energy consumption to traffic management―ultimately creating better places to live, work, and play while creating a softer impact on the environment.
Elements of smart cities are in place today, and while we’re actively adapting to those changes― it’s clear that we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. In this issue of the Design Quarterly, we ask ourselves: How will smart cities approaches influence the design of our future cities? What do we know and what we can’t yet predict about the impact of smart cities? As we explore the potential of technology enhanced living, we must keep in mind that technology is just a means to an end, and that livability is our ultimate goal. Human-centered communities drive healthy, engaged, and sustainable communities, whether urban or suburban.
We invite you to join us in exploring the frontiers in smart and livable cities in the Design Quarterly.