Gulf Construction Online - ‘Liveable, loveable spaces’ in limelight

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‘Liveable, loveable spaces’ in limelight

01 December 2020

Leading global experts from the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) and technology giant Siemens took part in the Expo 2020 Dubai’s Urban and Rural Development Week, which put the focus on “how the world’s population will live and grow in harmony with our planet.”

The final day of the third pre-Expo thematic week brought together numerous members of the Expo family who shared the action-oriented solutions already making a positive impact in cities and communities across the globe, as well as innovative ideas and visions for a future where there is opportunity for all.

The major issues discussed at the two-day event included: World Majlis: Made for People – Making Liveable and Loveable Public Spaces: The concluding panel of the programme featured a lively discussion on the importance and evolution of public spaces in our urban areas.

Dr Robert Platt, Vice President, Visitor Experience, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Public places are not defined entirely by their containers, whether physical or virtual, but rather by their activities and their events, and the opportunities they provide for community interaction.

“However, only spaces that are fully inclusive and truly public can continuously exhibit the qualities that contribute to the human desire for social interaction. These are the places that stand the test of time.”

Siemens Smart Infrastructure Middle East CEO Franco Atassi said: “When it comes to smart cities, ‘smart’ means ‘listening’. It is listening to the people, to the occupants, to the designers, to the stakeholders on the intention of what they want to do.”

“Based on that, we design innovative and digital technologies to enable them to do what is intended. But it’s not only that. In five years, there could be another trend, so do you build something that will sustain five to 10 years, or do you build it to accommodate decades of use? Flexibility is at the core of what we do, and then you define what you want to accomplish and design such technologies. This is exactly what we are doing with smart cities all over the world, and in particular what we are doing for Expo 2020 Dubai,” he added.

Vilma Jurkute, Director, Alserkal Avenue, said: “One of the key things that young people have shared with me is that they just want a place where they can wander and where they can get lost in. A place where they can make mistakes, because they do not feel everything around them is so perfect that they are not allowed, as creative minds, to express themselves.

“So maybe, we should also be aware of this and allow some of our public spaces just to be what they are.”

Amin Gafaranga, Founder, Atelier, said: “People come first and their needs come first. But we have evolved from physical needs. On one side, there is comfort and safety, but on the other side, there is curiosity. We want to be wowed. We want to be surprised, we want to stumble upon things by accident. So how do you balance the two? If you make something too unpredictable, people feel it’s a bit too much. But if you also try to accommodate every safety rule, based on someone’s cultural background, it becomes an overdesign.”

Dr Jennifer Camulli, Manager, People with Accessible Needs, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “What should underpin all discussions on urban and rural development is the need to align with the Sustainable Development Goals – reducing poverty and inequities and encouraging sustainability. The notion of sustainability, like accessibility, is poorly understood. Accessibility is typically thought of as a proverbial dropped curb or a ramp for a wheelchair, but it’s so much broader than that.”

“Sustainability, too, is not just about the environment. What does sustainability mean? Sustainability means to exist forever, and to continue to perpetuate. So the Sustainable Development Goals are essential to all the notions of urban and rural development, to align people’s needs from all of those perspectives. Without that, we are leaving various communities out.”