Circular Construction and Infrastructure for Sustainable Cities

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Cities across the world are facing material constraints and struggling with immense waste generation. As per the report Circle Economy (2023)[1], currently, worldwide material consumption has already surpassed the sustainable threshold of 8 tons per person, by a factor of 1.5 times. Eurostat statistics (2023)[2] indicate 4.8 tons per EU inhabitant waste generated in 2020, of which more than 30 percent went to landfill sites. This article explains the broad evolution and transition of the concept of circular economy from industries to cities and explores the emerging application of #CircularEconomy concepts in the construction and infrastructure sector.

The concept of circular economy has existed for a long period of time, but primarily in an industrial context, like Eco-Industrial Park and Waste to Energy plants. Circular economy principles in the case of industries are usually known as #IndustrialSymbiosis or #IndustrialSynergy and use two approaches i.e., first, the waste of one industry can be used as feed for another industry, and second, industries are co-located based on their compatibility. Waste from one industry like process waste water, slag, petcoke, sludge, packaging waste, scrap material, process heat, etc. can be used by other industries in several forms like cement production, fuel, space heating, composite material, nutrient extraction, etc., and essentially helps keep the material and energy in a closed loop; also stopping waste from going to landfill sites. In Waste to Energy plants, Electricity or Hydrogen is generated through a process called plasma gasification, using waste as raw material including municipal solid waste or agricultural waste like (rice husk, and palm tree waste) or industrial waste (like petcoke) or mix of these. Sometimes waste enrichment is required to achieve the specific calorific value of waste before conversion to energy.

Recently there has been a lot of focus on the application of circular economy principles in urban areas. Application of circular economy in the urban area is usually based on the following principles i.e., either "being resource efficient in construction "or "minimizing waste generation" or "reusing waste" or "keeping the material in the loop for a longer duration" or "high-value use of components at the end of first life" or "through the #SharedEconomy" like the use of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS). Circular transition in the built environment can be achieved by effective and enhanced reuse of old construction material (through urban mining and use of material passport), use of new circular composite materials (building, pavements, street furniture, etc.), process heat capture (from utilities like from power plants, waste treatment plants and public amenities like an ice rink), generating waste to energy (from municipal solid waste), generating manure and extracting valuable elements from sludge (sewage and wastewater treatment plant), community repair initiatives, etc.

The construction sector in specific utilizes circular economy principals through a multitude of measures like circular buildings construction especially focusing on the reuse of construction material components from redevelopment projects or other decommissioned projects (high-value harvested component usage, deconstruction), use of biobased materials (used in building construction, interior, and finishes), efficiency during the design of buildings using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Digital Twin, circular procurement of raw construction material, contracting innovation for post life cycle management of the building, etc. While research on the utility of circular economy concepts in building construction has advanced recently, there has been limited research, understanding, and awareness of the use of circular economy principles in the urban infrastructure sector. The circularity in the infrastructure sector can be achieved at several stages including, pre-design, design, procurement, execution, operation and maintenance, and post-life cycle management. The infrastructure sector utilizes several measures to achieve circular transition including intensive reuse of construction material Resource optimization, modular construction elements, use of sensors to predict the remaining functional life of infrastructure and predictive maintenance, process heat capture and reuse, extraction of valuable material from waste and waste to energy, etc.

The use of concepts of circular economy in the construction and infrastructure sector is a novel but promising area and becoming indispensable in achieving self-reliance, sustainability, and resilience in cities. The #Netherlands is at the forefront of #circulartransition and has come up with a national circular economy transition vision [3] that aspires to reduce the use of primary raw materials by half till 2030 and to be completely circular by 2050; many cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, etc have come up with their specific measurable goals and circular action plans showing their commitment to circular transition. Continued innovation, a multidisciplinary approach, industry-wide #collaboration, and #knowledgesharing is required for achieving a circular transition in the construction and infrastructure sector.

Author: Anoop Jha

Image: Author

Statistics source:

[1] Circle Economy. (2023). The circularity gap report 2023. Amsterdam: Circle Economy.

[2] Eurostat (online data code: env_wasgen)

[3] Government of the Netherlands

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[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

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#CircularEconomy #IndustrialSymbiosis #IndustrialSynergy #MaterialPassport #UrbanMining #CircularProcurement #ProcessHeatRecovery #WastetoEnergy #MaterialInnovation #BiobasedMaterial #Circulartransition #builtenvironment #urbanplanning #urbanmanagement #Rotterdam #Hague #Utrecht #Netherlands

  

Wisdom lies somewhere between fixed ticket pricing and free public transport.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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On the one hand fixed ticket pricing may assure good quality transit service but struggle to lure enough commuters, on the other hand free public transport may defy its purpose due to deteriorating quality of service.

Thinking of barriers to modal shift i.e. shift from private vehicle to public transport, the factors may include, fare, quality, frequency, coverage, commute time, waiting time among others. Price may be overarching and most important criteria (barrier or enabler), and might dictate modal shift. Thinking of price, especially fixed price, it may act as a barrier for entry to public transport and shape the behaviour of citizen. The moment a person or millions of youth over the time, start a working life in a city, they decide the best possible and economic option to commute to work. Calculating monthly public transport expense is easy, i.e. multiply fixed return fair price to number of commute days (even if subsidised its still fixed). If their calculation shows private transport (personal or shared) as cheaper option, they are most likely to choose bike/ car/ shared car as their preferred mode of daily commute. Then they are more likely to eventually buy their own car as well. Then there is no looking back, if discouraged to take public transport to work in first few instances, for any reason, its most likely that they may get accustomed to comfort, convenience and routine of travelling by car for life and never to give consideration to using public transport again for their routine commute. They may possibly even become brand ambassador of car, or shared car, or electric car; still a car.

One way a public transport can make practical sense for such millions of people making wrong choices, is if people are given a deal, a surety, that there is a chance that their effective monthly travel expenses may still come down, that their daily fair will get reduced as a function of occupancy of public transport; and never go higher than the fixed price. That is, ticket prices are likely to reduce in real time if buses or metro or tram are running under-capacity. Real time reduced price will encourage more people to opt for public transport and public transport will benefit from increased ridership. This is a win-win situation for citizens and public transport agency, agencies who are seen running their fleet without sufficient passengers many a times, everyday, over and over again, over years; loosing thousands and millions of potential latent commuter footfalls every month.

It cant be stressed enough that dynamic real time ticket pricing with a max price cap equivalent to current fixed price, is something that public transport authorities must consider for implementation, at least for pilot test of 3 to 6 months.

Author: Anoop Jha

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[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

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#publictransport #fare #ticket #travel #urbanplanning #transportplanning #Rotterdam #Hauge #Hague #Utrecht #Netherlands

Analyzing network characteristics.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Networks often have two juxtaposed characteristics, one vulnerability, and the other redundancy/ resilience. Vulnerability in a sense that even a single or few weak links or blockages may interrupt the functionality of the network. Redundancy/ resilience because, due to multiple nodes and links, in case of disruption there might be multiple alternate paths that exist to continue the intended process.

Say if we visualize the transportation system as a network, if there is a missing link or persistent blockage (obstruction) in the bicycle route it may deter users to use bicycles altogether. This is an example of vulnerability. On the other hand, if your vehicle malfunctions at a certain place, you can always switch to an alternate parallel transportation mode like public transport. That is an example of redundancy within the same network of the transportation system.

Let’s take a case of business as a network. If there is a missing link or continued blockage in the supply chain, for instance, due to logistics infrastructure under-capacity, it may disrupt a business or even prompt some businesses to close down their operations. This is an example of vulnerability. On the other hand, if there is a policy change for instance that makes it impossible for a traditional business to serve a particular client base, in that case, the same business may either choose to serve a different market or mutate its business to offer another kind of product or service, using same logistics and supply chain. This is an example of redundancy.

We also see this juxtaposition at the societal level, if we consider society as a network. For instance, once the traditional rural fabric grows bigger to become a town and once the urban boundary is drawn, it tends to disrupt the social fabric on both sides of the urban-rural border. But using the same residual network, society on both sides of the border adapts to new socio-economic order within the newly established identity. i.e., the mutation in economic activities and readjustments in social characteristics. 

If we acknowledge the dyadic nature and potential of the network from the very beginning, we may be able to plan better, may be able to plan in advance, we may be able to minimize vulnerability, and leverage redundancy, possibly through scenario building.

Author: Anoop Jha

************************************************

[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

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#urbanmanagement #urbandevelopment #governance #egovernance #publicpolicy #Rotterdam #Amsterdam #DenHaag #Delft #Alkmaar #DenBosch #Eindhoven #Utretch #Hague #Netherlands

What true seamless experience may mean in future cities!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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In spite of multitude of choices, attractions and temptations, people usually tend to spend within the limit, in short, medium and long term. That is, they spend within their possible means, as they know well that they have to settle bills today, tomorrow or one fine day. Realising, that there is no getting away.

On the other hand, public and private institutions know very well that the product or services they are providing today will be paid for today, tomorrow or some other day, with interest, as long as the transaction is recorded and person who is using or buying the service or product is legitimate, so that they can always be traced back.

Which means purchase behaviour at individual end is usually self-regulatory; and institution level fear of not being able to recover the money for product or service rendered is usually illusionary.

If all transaction related to any rendered service or product sold in a city will be recovered eventually, with due interest i.e., without any losses, in a legit society where every citizen is identifiable and accountable for their purchase of such product or services, of course though a leak-proof mechanism, then there is no need for the barriers, barriers which hinder day to day seamless experience of millions living in a city. For a truly seamless experience these barriers will cease to exist.

Seamless experience in a city may mean, its good to have multimodal unified transportation card, but it also means you can travel without need of such card, without any card, as long as you are able to identify yourself at access/ exit points, in one of dozen or more possible ways that can technically be devised with todays technology. Seamless experience also means in this context that you are free to manoeuvre wherever you like in a city, by which ever mode you like, with or without making payment, as payment will eventually be settled. Seamless experience in a city may also mean that you don’t need to carry cash or a debit card or credit card or mobile wallet, to pay for low to medium value products or services below a certain thresholds (say exclude purchase of house or car etc. for now), as long as the purchase is linked to your identity, as payment will be settled eventually, as long as you are legit and you are okay with some incremental service charges.

The seamless city might be perceived as a cashless society today, but a true seamless smart city of tomorrow will possibly be even cardless, credit cardless, and digital walletless. Where consumer's identity itself will be a latent currency, as long as they are able to identify themselves in one of dozen odd ways; where consumer is able to manoeuvre and conduct seamlessly without any boundaries, as long as they are aware about consequences of their monetary actions.

Author: Anoop Jha

************************************************

[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

************************************************

#smartcity #urbanplanning #Amsterdam #Utretch #Hague #Delft #Eindhoven #Rotterdam #Netherlands

What AI might have to do with anthropology, culture or linguistics?

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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AI certainly gives us a reason to cherish and leverage history, tradition and culture. It empowers us and generation to come, to instantly connect to roots and increasingly getting the grip of lost anthropological and cultural context. You not necessarily have to visit museum, or open encyclopaedia or search in gazette documents, to trace and learn about tradition and once thriving culture, as AI comes to rescue.

Why its important? Because, in very short span of time we observe how our language changes, once common words disappear from our lingo, once commonplace household items disappear from our day to day life, once common cultural practices disappear from modern lifestyle.

Not necessarily one must continue to use certain elements, items, or practices from past; as relevance, context and validity of some of those may remain futile or sometimes questionable. But what may be of interest here is the immense knowledge and several practices from past which AI makes more accessible. Also, making world of knowledge a more equitable playfield.

For instance, drawing inspirations from past culture and tradition has became much more easier for those in creative fields - designers, multiple forms of media creators, artists etc.

Also, finding the root cause and mapping certain geographic and cultural behaviour and traits have become more accessible for those on cultural exploration and for business communities, where personalised experience, products and services have become key to success. Ease and timely access to such wealth of historic quantitative and qualitative information may also help city planners, urban designers and architects to provide more humane solutions and urban fabric, that corresponds to aspirations of local community.  

Most importantly, making a rational decisions might have become easier considering Open AI and alike gives quick insight based on a large body of work (including text from deep in past, and referring to texts from left, right and centre perspective), hence providing us with a additional validated input, to base our decisions on. Acknowledging that personal opinion, undocumented knowledge (to which AI might not have access to) and intuitions, may still continue to play a key role in decision making in near future, at individual and Institutional level.

Author: Anoop Jha

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[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

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#technology #AI  #Chatgpt #openAI #anthropology #urbanmanagement #Amsterdam #Utretch #Hague #Delft #Eindhoven #Rotterdam #Netherlands

What true seamless experience may mean in future cities!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

************************************************

In spite of multitude of choices, attractions and temptations, people usually tend to spend within the limit, in short, medium and long term. That is, they spend within their possible means, as they know well that they have to settle bills today, tomorrow or one fine day. Realising, that there is no getting away.

On the other hand, public and private institutions know very well that the product or services they are providing today will be paid for today, tomorrow or some other day, with interest, as long as the transaction is recorded and person who is using or buying the service or product is legitimate, so that they can always be traced back.

Which means purchase behaviour at individual end is usually self-regulatory; and institution level fear of not being able to recover the money for product or service rendered is usually illusionary.

If all transaction related to any rendered service or product sold in a city will be recovered eventually, with due interest i.e., without any losses, in a legit society where every citizen is identifiable and accountable for their purchase of such product or services, of course though a leak-proof mechanism, then there is no need for the barriers, barriers which hinder day to day seamless experience of millions living in a city. For a truly seamless experience these barriers will cease to exist.

Seamless experience in a city may mean, its good  to have multimodal unified transportation card, but it also means you can travel without need of such card, without any card, as long as you are able to identify yourself at access/ exit points, in one of dozen or more possible ways that can technically be devised with todays technology. Seamless experience also means in this context that you are free to manoeuvre wherever you like in a city, by which ever mode you like, with or without making payment, as payment will eventually be settled. Seamless experience in a city may also mean that you don’t need to carry cash or a debit card or credit card or mobile wallet, to pay for low to medium value products or services below a certain thresholds (say exclude purchase of house or car etc. for now), as long as the purchase is linked to your identity, as payment will be settled eventually, as long as you are legit and you are okay with some incremental service charges.

The seamless city might be perceived as a cashless society today, but a true seamless smart city of tomorrow will possibly be even cardless, credit cardless, and digital walletless. Where consumer's identity itself will be a latent currency, as long as they are able to identify themselves in one of dozen odd ways; where consumer is able to manoeuvre and conduct seamlessly without any boundaries, as long as they are aware about consequences of their monetary actions.

Author: Anoop Jha

************************************************

[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

************************************************  

#smartcity #urbanplanning #Amsterdam #Utretch #Hague #Delft #Eindhoven #Rotterdam #Netherlands

Analyzing network characteristics.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

************************************************

Networks often have two juxtaposed characteristics, one vulnerability, and the other redundancy/ resilience. Vulnerability in a sense that even a single or few weak links or blockages may interrupt the functionality of the network. Redundancy/ resilience because, due to multiple nodes and links, in case of disruption there might be multiple alternate paths that exist to continue the intended process.

Say if we visualize the transportation system as a network, if there is a missing link or persistent blockage (obstruction) in the bicycle route it may deter users to use bicycles altogether. This is an example of vulnerability. On the other hand, if your vehicle malfunctions at a certain place, you can always switch to an alternate parallel transportation mode like public transport. That is an example of redundancy within the same network of the transportation system.

Let’s take a case of business as a network. If there is a missing link or continued blockage in the supply chain, for instance, due to logistics infrastructure under-capacity, it may disrupt a business or even prompt some businesses to close down their operations. This is an example of vulnerability. On the other hand, if there is a policy change for instance that makes it impossible for a traditional business to serve a particular client base, in that case, the same business may either choose to serve a different market or mutate its business to offer another kind of product or service, using same logistics and supply chain. This is an example of redundancy.

We also see this juxtaposition at the societal level, if we consider society as a network. For instance, once the traditional rural fabric grows bigger to become a town and once the urban boundary is drawn, it tends to disrupt the social fabric on both sides of the urban-rural border. But using the same residual network, society on both sides of the border adapts to new socio-economic order within the newly established identity. i.e., the mutation in economic activities and readjustments in social characteristics.  
  
If we acknowledge the dyadic nature and potential of the network from the very beginning, we may be able to plan better, may be able to plan in advance, we may be able to minimize vulnerability, and leverage redundancy, possibly through scenario building.

Author: Anoop Jha

************************************************

[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

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#smartcity #urbanmanagement #urbandevelopment #governance #egovernance #publicpolicy #ml #machinelearning #iot #Rotterdam #Amsterdam #DenHaag #Delft #Alkmaar #DenBosch #Eindhoven #Utretch #Hague #Netherlands

What could be the barometer to know if a city is doing well?

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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You may be able to figure out if a city or even country is doing somewhat well for community and visitors alike, by observing or experiencing some of following traits.

If you are feeling safe at all time of the day and night in a city. That may mean, your anxiousness doesn't increases (as a function of safety perception) as the night approaches. That is possible when you know there is next bus, tram, metro or train to make sure you reach your eventual destination, and if you could remain assured, that you can be rescued from an unsafe or unwarranted situation.

If you are still able to make sense of place any hour of day and night. That may mean, you are able to orient yourself in space and time throughout the day and night, at any location within city. That is possible when space is easily legible and well illuminated, for you to spatially position yourself in any part of city.

Making city work well is a constant quest for city administrations, urban planners, researchers and many. Targeting above may be a good starting point for any city, as there is always scope of making things good to better and more.

Author: Anoop Jha

************************************************

[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

************************************************

#urbanplanning #urbandevelopment #urbanmanagement #urbandesign #smartcity #Amsterdam #Utretch #Hague #Delft #Eindhoven #Rotterdam

Preconditions and trade-offs of making a great city!

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Making great city has preconditions like right aspirations, thorough planning, right partnerships, timely resources, among others. Though process seems straightforward but its as organic and uncertain as gamble. That is because there are trade-offs at each level of preconditions mentioned above and many more. For instance there is wide range of choices available at each precondition level. Then there is wide range of possibilities about when these choices were made (early, midway, late, missed), and who made those choices (public, public representatives, internal or external institutions providing aid, or driven by commercial forces). These organic event timeline, and choices made along the way, shapes the outcome called "City". What is interesting to note here is that events (action) are sometimes spontaneous and choices are sometimes based on intuitions.

Following are some of the "trade-offs" witnessed when it comes to making choices, that has potentials to result in great cities if right degree and mix of choices are made at right time.

PRECONDITIONS

(Right choice/ decision is to be found somewhere in between; while process of making choices many a times are more complex than presented below)

"Right aspirations"

a) Top down (by administration) OR bottom up (by community)

b) Vision A, B, OR C

c) Work on weaknesses and threats OR build on Strengths and opportunities

 

"Thorough planning"

a) Redevelop (brownfield) OR build new (greenfield)

b) Alternative A, B OR C

c) External Expertise OR Local knowledge

d) Plan for now OR plan for future OR wait for particular technology/ concept to mature

 

"Right Partnership"

a) Proven partnership OR Potential new partnership

b) Relying on established industry players OR betting on promising newcomers/ startups

c) Comfort of traditional role OR reward and risk of new emergent roles

 

"Timely Resources"

a) Immediate Borrowing OR Strengthening old/ new sources of revenue

b) Invite talent or build competencies

..and more.

It seems that making a great city is more of an art than science; more learning than demonstration. Right choices at right moment makes a great city, and its never too late.

Additionally amidst range of choices and trade-offs, focus must be on core aspects including liveability, climate, equity, economy, circularity and context, we should be closer to making a city great!

Author: Anoop Jha

************************************************

[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Page Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

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#urbanplanning #urbandevelopment #urbanmanagement #urbandesign #circulareconomy #smartcity #Amsterdam #Utretch #Hague #Delft #Eindhoven #Rotterdam #Netherlands

How different stakeholders of city having different perception and measurement scale for city, make them judge city performance differently.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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A saying that goes something like - Every peasant measures the sea with the pond in their village - Anonymous

And we also remember the story of elephant, how it was assessed differently, blindfolded.

That is, we have our own idea of scale or measurement unit or performance measurement; at individual level, at institution level and at fraternity level. And we see city as an object of analysis form these lenses.

How city is performing? Depends on the position which each actor takes while posing such question. For instance, real estate developer may see city from asset perspective, assessing city on a per square feet real estate basis, while assigning each zone and neighbourhood a price tag. Urban designers may visualise city as interplay of mass, in terms of built and open spaces, and assigning weightage to each zone based on form and order. Landscape architects, might visualise city as punctuation of green and open within built environment, and assessing liveability of different neighbourhoods based on percentage and access to green. Climate scientists may visualise city as a heat map of energy usage intensity and might like to assess city on per capita energy usage or carbon footprint. Social scientist might be judging city in terms of Human Development Index/ per capita income/ happiness index etc. Transport planners may like to assess city, in terms of road density and model split, spatially assessing city based on ease of access to public transport. Engineers may judge performance as per capita power and water availability etc. And so on. List is long. Though mostly it remains a composite assessment based on quantitative and qualitative parameters. But sure qualitative also still has benchmark, scale.

City as a physical dynamic entity may mean different things to different actors, stakeholders and fraternity, but it practically cannot fit 100% in the aspiration and assessment matrix of each actor. There may be mismatch in their aspirations and assessment satisfaction, because of different assessment tools they use, assessment scale with which they are comfortable with, intuitively. So usually consensus in city making process is reached when parties arrive at a win-win situation after rounds of discussions and deliberations, also a trait of network governance.

As cities are expected to change, at the same time measurement scales and industry wide fixation or affinity with particular assessment indices also need to change/ evolve over time, in a synergistic manner. We sometimes need to leave a particular stand or position to see things from each others perspective, to appreciate "City" for instance, in the grand scheme of things.

Author: Anoop Jha

[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

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#urbanplanning #urbandevelopment #urbanmanagement #urbandesign #smartcity #Amsterdam #Utretch #Hague #Delft #Eindhoven #Rotterdam #Netherlands

Disparity and equity of other kinds.

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Disparity of any kind, either by faulty socio-economic structure, or path dependency, or prolonged ignorance, or by design, is an obstacle for universal and ubiquitous equity. Equity, that is essential not just at economic level but also on societal level, at the level of collective or individual empowerment, recognition and identity.

We mostly tend to associate disparity with economic conditions. As we often understand, experience and hear about economic disparity. Its is characterised by mostly extremities, sometimes by gradation, and often by barriers. Sometimes economic disparity is obvious, sometimes relative. Sometimes a result of economic lock-ins, sometimes by societal construct and many a times situational trap. Economic disparity is easy to observe and recognise.

There may possibly be other kinds of disparities, equally relevant to be recognised for the purpose of achieving equity. Disparity of education, disparity of opportunities, disparity of geography for instance. Though each one of these can eventually be converted to economic indices, but not necessarily economic condition is only important aspect to tackle or consider when it comes to equity.

Disparity of education may simply mean those having access to education or not, but it may also be in form of disparity between low elementary level of education Vs highest degree and form of education. It may also be in form of linguistic disparity.

Disparity of opportunity may mean, ease Vs limitations in access and probability of encountering right opportunities. For instance, what factors proves to be ground for opportunity for some and not for others, within the same demographic traits and same context.

Disparity of geography, geographical push or traps, that enables some regions and its socio-economic condition to excel, some to keep status quo, some to transition and some to remain in disadvantages situation for long.

It is also noteworthy that sometimes the very tools and mechanism applied to bridge the disparity may have potential to create divide, if not same then another kind of divide, for instance, like digital technology and some forms of incentives etc. Quest to bridge disparity remain a wicked problem to some extent. Acknowledging the fact, policy measures for equity, across the world, at different vertical levels, targeted to bridge gap and bring equity, must be rather encompassing and to be formulated in a flexible manner with embedded mechanism for periodic adjustments, based on time and tailored to geography, analysing and quantifying what seem to work and what not. Instead of waiting for new updated policy document several years down the line, we can have policy amendment provisions over short period of time. True for larger public policy realm.

Author: Anoop Jha

[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

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#governance #equity #publicpolicy #urbanplanning #Amsterdam #Utretch #Hague #Delft #Eindhoven #Rotterdam #Netherlands

What AI might have to do with anthropology, culture or linguistics?

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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AI certainly gives us a reason to cherish and leverage history, tradition and culture. It empowers us and generation to come, to instantly connect to roots and increasingly getting the grip of lost anthropological and cultural context. You not necessarily have to visit museum, or open encyclopaedia or search in gazette documents, to trace and learn about tradition and once thriving culture, as AI comes to rescue.

Why its important? Because, in very short span of time we observe how our language changes, once common words disappear from our lingo, once commonplace household items disappear from our day to day life, once common cultural practices disappear from modern lifestyle.

Not necessarily one must continue to use certain elements, items, or practices from past; as relevance, context and validity of some of those may remain futile or sometimes questionable. But what may be of interest here is the immense knowledge and several practices from past which AI makes more accessible. Also, making world of knowledge a more equitable playfield.

For instance, drawing inspirations from past culture and tradition has became much more easier for those in creative fields - designers, multiple forms of media creators, artists etc.

Also, finding the root cause and mapping certain geographic and cultural behaviour and traits have become more accessible for those on cultural exploration and for business communities, where personalised experience, products and services have become key to success. Ease and timely access to such wealth of historic quantitative and qualitative information may also help city planners, urban designers and architects to provide more humane solutions and urban fabric, that corresponds to aspirations of local community.

Most importantly, making a rational decisions might have become easier considering Open AI and alike gives quick insight based on a large body of work (including text from deep in past, and referring to texts from left, right and centre perspective), hence providing us with a additional validated input, to base our decisions on. Acknowledging that personal opinion, undocumented knowledge (to which AI might not have access to) and intuitions, may still continue to play a key role in decision making in near future, at individual and Institutional level.

Author: Anoop Jha

[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

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#technology #AI #Chatgpt #openAI #anthropology #urbanmanagement #Amsterdam #Utretch #Hague #Delft #Eindhoven #Rotterdam #Netherlands

What may be missing in the way we plan and discuss cities?

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Taking example of a street

Lets see the possible levels of articulation of urban streets, in increasing order of sensitivity/ relevance. It is noteworthy that city administration in different parts of world simetimes choose to stop at any given stage of sensitivity depending on their statutory mandate, resource and motivation.

1. Basic street or road design, that can simply be achieved by adhering to standard engineering practices (dry, wet underground/ surface utility), following road design code book, following landuse regulations, and following design standards for different hierarchy of roads. Above is mostly possible without traffic modelling, without bespoke landscape design input and even in absence of urban design guideline.

2. Further, a good street design can be considered one that takes traffic modelling into consideration. Street that has urban design guideline in place and follows streetscape guidelines, also one that utilises tailored landscape, street art, street activation etc.

3. A better street design is possibly one that follows emerging good practices of low impact development, blue-green infrastructure design principles, urban heat island mitigation measures, rewilding, wind flow and shadow analysis etc.

4. Even better street design is the one that takes context into consideration i.e., adjoining laduse typology based activity intensity, local community needs, user ability and comfort, recreational needs, prioritization of road users including hierarchy of transit modes, adapting activity over the day.

5. Also those streets that considers, safe way to school, vision zero, disaster preparedness etc.

6. Then there are those streets which consider reclaiming rights of certain types of users (sometimes bottom up and radical),

7. Further there are those streets which are adapting itself to autonomous and EV transit regime, predictive monitoring, IOT based experience, AI algorithm, VR utilities, and ground for ML,

8. Also there are those which just started to consider following elements in street design, like psychological impact of street on different demography, perception by cultural groups, adapting streets to different demographic traits (age, gender), equity etc.

9. Then also those streets which may be adapted to requirements of wider spectrum of special needs and aspirations of previously subdued and unrecongnised social strata.

Realising the complexity and granularity that may exist in design of a street (and cities in general), seems that the current narrative, discourse and debate on street (and cities), still remains quite fragmented. A broader outlook and comprehensive approach may help plan better.

Author: Anoop Jha

[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

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#urbanplanning #urbandevelopment #urbanmanagement #urbandesign #smartcity #Amsterdam #Utretch #Hague #Delft #Eindhoven #Rotterdam #Netherlands

What could be the barometer to know if a city is doing well?

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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You may be able to figure out if a city or even country is doing somewhat well for community and visitors alike, by observing or experiencing some of following traits.

If you are feeling safe at all time of the day and night in a city. That may mean, your anxiousness doesn't increases (as a function of safety perception) as the night approaches. That is possible when you know there is next bus, tram, metro or train to make sure you reach your eventual destination, and if you could remain assured, that you can be rescued from an unsafe or unwarranted situation.

If you are still able to make sense of place any hour of day and night. That may mean, you are able to orient yourself in space and time throughout the day and night, at any location within city. That is possible when space is easily legible and well illuminated, for you to spatially position yourself in any part of city.

Making city work well is a constant quest for city administrations, urban planners, researchers and many. Targeting above may be a good starting point for any city, as there is always scope of making things good to better and more.

Author: Anoop Jha

[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

************************************************

#urbanplanning #urbandevelopment #urbanmanagement #urbandesign #smartcity #Amsterdam #Utretch #Hague #Delft #Eindhoven #Rotterdam

How cities may use modular concepts to maximise efficiency, ease and circularity

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Resource constraint, material scarcity, frequent maintenance needs and multiplicity of stakeholders, require “modularity” to be adopted as “a uniform conceptual model” and a “universal language” for spatial development, urban management and O&M.

Modular by design:

Modularity by design permits infrastructure and built environment to be easily expandable, scalable and replicable. We see application of modular design concepts starting from modular pavement tiles, to modular water and waste water treatment plants, to modular housing units, to modular land and zoning parcels.

While there is already increasing standardisation in terms of industry supplied components (product level); there is still room for modularity in terms of i) creativity (currently limited to individual projects), ii) open-source environment (currently there is asymmetry of information) and iii) statutory obligation (currently it remains mostly optional/ a choice).

Modular for interoperability:

Modularity in terms of interoperability makes built environment components to be easily replaceable and interchangeable. We see the concept in action mostly in terms of maintenance where, “more the level of modularity, faster the maintenance process” (replacing/ swapping of components) e.g.

There is still enough scope for interoperability in terms of modular concept within the built environment, which means built environment increasingly to be designed with replaceable/ swappable components, so that the output of maintenance work should not compromise the integrity of built environment and doesn’t remain just a makeshift arrangement, patchwork or eyesore.

Modular for operations:

Modularity for operations offers agility, elasticity and adjustability. For instance, level of urban services delivery that corresponds to fluctuating daily, diurnal and seasonal demand (adjustment of transport services, traffic regulation, power load management etc).

There is still room for agility in terms of modular operation like system at built environment level that may go to hibernation when not in use (Sensors/ automation/ IBMS), real-time readaptation of spaces (temporal and temporary usage), real-time spatial concertation/ relocation of services matching demand (interoperable office or commercial space/ resource/ energy management based on real-time demand).

Modularity for cognition:

We see modularity in terms of cognition at city scale, like urban way finding signages with a common theme and scheme across city which makes it easier to navigate. As our brain reduces information to smaller, familiar and recognisable modules (symbols, patterns) for easy processing, same is true for city scale modularity in terms of cognitive processing.

Author: Anoop Jha

Image source: Author

[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

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#modular #modulardesign #urbanplanning #builtenvironment #urbandesign #circulareconomy #Netherlands #DenHaag #Hague #Amsterdam #Rotterdam #Leiden #Delft #Eindhoven 

Possible means to expedite circular practices in building construction industry

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

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Following may be the possible means to expedite circular practices in building construction industry

On job training:

Urgency of transitioning to circular economy practices is such that, construction industry can’t really wait for handful of new circular experts to graduate in coming decades in the business-as-usual case. For 100X or more increase in skilled manpower in next five years, civil and structural engineers, architects and draftsman are expected to go through on-job training and have a hands-on learning experience through trial and error on real circular building and construction cases, in an experimentative environment, permitted by client.

Removing bidding barrier:

For 10X to 100X participation, both public and private clients are expected to reduce the barrier for new entrants in circular construction business, by allowing firms having no prior demonstrated case of circular building, showing trust in professional competency of architectural firms while keeping some extra time cushion for learning curve. This is possible if client and firm both aspire to adopt and transition to circular economy practices in their vision. Means to delivering circular projects can always be worked out by professionals without compromising on integrity of building structure and aesthetics.

Software patch:

For exponential diffusion and 100X to 1000X adoption of circular architectural practices the most popular and widespread architectural, structural and simulation software like AutoCAD, Revit, Sketch Up, Bentley, 3DMax, Lumion etc. may require to give a huge circular patch upgrade to their software (including software commands and effects, circular element template and 3D library/ warehouse) and training material/ programme, allowing for on-job-learning and training. Construction industry can’t simply rely on new workforce trained (only) on new/ yet to emerge circular architecture/ structure software for its circular transition.

From junk to vintage:

There is a fine line between what is discarded as junk and what is embraced as vintage, creative industry, academia and mass media can always help wider diffusion and faster adoption of harvested material in new building.

Biomass and bio-based industry working together:

As they compete for same biomass-rich feed/ raw material; construction industry must work hand in hand with biomass energy players, to divert biomass for their first usage in construction industry before getting converted into energy.

Author: Anoop Jha

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[Recent update

Starting 2024, launching urban management, interior design, home decor and commissioned artwork services in the Netherlands, serving local as well as international remote clients.

Please Note, that I am also conducting a FREE 45-minute online individual consultation on your interior design and home decor needs and aspirations if you are in the Netherlands or even internationally. Drop me an email at anoop.jha@gmail.com 

Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/

Instagram interior design page @urbantenets 

Instagram fine art and illustration page @urbanoregional 

My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoopjha/

************************************************

#circulareconomy #circulartransition #construction #architecture #BIM #Netherlands #DenHaag #Hague #Amsterdam #Rotterdam #Leiden #Delft #Eindhoven #dcarbonise #climatechange #urbanplanning #builtenvironment