FEATURE REPORT/ ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

‘Addressing the needs of Vulnerable Groups in Urban Areas’
Authored by David Satterthwaite

The words Vulnerable, Sustainable and Resilient have been the most popular in the word pool, while discussing the subject of cities and urban environment. David in the first part of the article talks about the stark contrast and reality behind these words. He interestingly throws light on how their use can be a tool to shift focus from the real problem; a tactic very commonly used by government bodies to deviate attention and shed off responsibility from them in times of crisis. The article concludes by identifying and explaining the need for local engagement with at-risk groups as the most effective solution to address the needs in Urban areas.

Read the whole piece here.

Published by Citiscope.org



ONLINE PUBLICATION OF THE WEEK

‘Placecheck’
Published by Urban Design Alliance

Placecheck by Urban Design Alliance is a user guide that consists of essentially a list of questions. These questions are the starting point to evaluate the quality of any public space and they can be modified with respect to a specific project. The guide has been tested in ten pilot projects till now, including one within the city of London. It is a tool set for all; an individual, a group or an organization that takes the initiative for assessing a place that can vary in scale, from a part of the street to the whole city.

Read the publication here.

VIDEO/PODCAST OF THE WEEK

‘The Quito Papers: Towards an Open City’
Created by LSE, NYU & UN-Habitat

Sociologists Saskia Sassen, Richard Sennett along with Joan Clos, lay down a fresh vision for cities that are “porous”, “complex”, “synchronous” and “incomplete”. The Quito papers is a research collaboration between London School of Economics, New York University and UN-Habitat to find 21st century-specific alternative to the conventional generic forms determining the shape of cities as per Charter of Athens (1933). The short film has the sociologists spelling out the three basic criteria towards an open city. Check out the video to find out the significance of a varied city and basics of achieving a conflict-free open city that embraces all differences.