_Paradise: How to build the ideal global city
In 2009, New York City opened The High Line, re-purposing an old elevated railway line as a park which now attracts five million visitors a year. Soon afterwards the copycat versions began appearing elsewhere. Across the globe, city authorities and developers are on the lookout for innovations that lift the urban environment.
In some cases this stretches beyond just a single project, like The High Line, to city-wide initiatives or even informal communities that have expanded to colonise several surrounding districts. The growth of London’s Silicon Roundabout into a tech ecosystem covering swathes of the city in just a few years is one example of this.
To identify examples where innovation has become a city level phenomenon, we ask the question: if you built the ideal city from the best elements around the world, what would it include? Here is our view on what constitutes best in class in the urban environment.
Seoul's smart city technology
South Korea is arguably the world’s most technologically advanced nation, so it’s no surprise that its capital leads in smart city technology. The routes for night buses were influenced by analysing smart phone data on where late night calls were made. In the newly built Songdo smart city, near Seoul airport, there are no rubbish bins or garbage collections – litter is sucked into an underground disposal system, where it is either recycled or bunt as fuel.
Parents can use Songdo’s CCTV network to watch their children playing outdoors, while sensors in car parking spaces inform residents that a spouse has arrived home. Energy use per person in Songdo is 40% less than in urban districts of comparable size.
Denver's lifestyle
Denver is proof that not all city dwellers are afraid of the great outdoors. From the city’s downtown the Rocky Mountains are visible in the distance; and this is a big part of its appeal and success. More people want to work in cities that match their lifestyle. In Denver’s case, it draws those who want a life that is more outdoorsy, less frenetic and laid-back.
At the forefront of current trends is the LoDo district; a bustling trendy area known for its nightlife, which in turn has drawn creative firms seeking offices.Up to 2007, LoDo was a classic ‘old warehouses into trendy offices and apartments’ regeneration story.
Yet, new office developments in the last decade and the digital revolution have pulled LoDo centre stage in Denver’s downtown market and demand is driving development in adjacent emerging neighbourhoods. This matches the global trend of work and lifestyle becoming interwoven in today’s urban economy.
Singapore's city in a garden
In the 1960s, Singapore’s visionary leader, Lee Kuan Yew, set out to develop a ‘Garden City’, introducing an annual tree planting day, encouraging conservation, and developing parks. Today, green areas now cover 30% of the city, which has over two million trees.
There are an estimated 100 hectares of rooftop gardens and greenery in building façades, with The Pinnacle@Duxton as an example. The development boasts two 1,600 ft sky gardens linking seven 48-storey towers, as well as a park at ground level. The upcoming Paya Lebar mixed-use development will contain 100,000 sq ft of green space on its four hectare site.
The National Parks Board’s stated mission is no longer to build a ‘Garden City’ but to create a ‘City in a Garden’.
The architecture of Paris
In the 1850s and 1860s, under the direction of Georges-Eugène Haussmann, Paris was rebuilt to rid itself of the slums that bred revolution. Haussmann built an iconic city with wide tree-lined boulevards, limestone building façades and expansive parks and squares. Today, behind the extensive historic façades one finds modern offices, shops and homes, providing flexible properties that serve a constantly evolving modern Global City.
However, Parisians retain their revolutionary spirit. Keeping Paris at the cutting edge of architecture is the under construction DUO in the 13th arrondissement, with its twin towers. A nod to the Haussmann approach, this 1.1 million sq ft mixed-use development is keeping the city green with gardens integrated into the design.
LA's Silicon Beach
When the tech action from Silicon Valley came south to Los Angeles, a new ecosystem emerged. Games company EA, setting up shop in Playa Vista in 2004, began the rise of Silicon Beach.
Google followed in 2011 with a 100,000 sq ft campus in Venice and the tech giant plans to turn the aircraft hangar where Howard Hughes built his giant Spruce Goose seaplane into a 319,000 sq ft office. Venice is also home to local success story, Snap Inc, which will be expanding into a 300,000 sq ft office in Santa Monica.
Part of the appeal is good universities, plenty of creative workers and adjacency to Los Angeles International Airport. Another draw is the regeneration of the Venice area,and lots of multi-family housing in Playa Vista, making Silicon Beach a great place to live and work. Even programmers like to surf!
Melbourne's waterfront
Melbourne has significantly expanded its CBD and introduced more mixed-use development into the city centre by spreading along the Yarra River.
The Docklands regeneration includes 6.7 million sq ft of prime office space – mostly campus-style buildings with large floor plates. The tenant base includes financial and professional firms like ANZ, KPMG and NAB, and media occupiers such as Channel Nine, Fairfax Media, and Seven Network. NAB offers a coworking space called The Village for its small business clients to use.
The redevelopment area spans 190 hectares (44 of which are water). Docklands now has a 53,000-seat stadium, 741 yacht berths, 3.7 hectares of open spaces, and 45 public art works. When the regeneration completes it will have a population of 20,000 residents and 80,000 workers.
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