Please visit my web page "Urban Tenets" at https://urbantenets.nl/
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Policy by its very nature mostly remains abstract and sometimes open to interpretation. Urban policy aspirations related to built environment, have to eventually trickle down from vision to some form of project i.e., to brick-and-mortar level. Such policies also effectively have to reflect in improved quality of life and sustainability parameters like resource optimisation and energy saving, as an outcome. The successful outcome of policy hence depends on whether the policy is closer to ground reality or not.
In the long value chain of city-making affair, usually
“urban policymakers” and those who are actually responsible for execution of
project i.e., “designers and engineers”, represent two opposite ends of the
spectrum. These designers and engineers usually have little say in urban policy
formulation related to built environment. This is because the process and
information flow in public institutional hierarchy follows similar linear
project management model. i.e., top-down; characterised by similar hierarchy
and dyadic extremities. Urban policy making though try to represent and
incorporate insights from several stakeholders, still essentially remains a
top-down process.
First, analysing design project management itself, wondering
why design projects for instance tend to overshoot project budget and timeline?
Possibly for two main reasons, one in the top down project management process,
budget, client negotiation processes, etc. are usually dictated by management
higher up or departments/ experts different than planning and engineering (i.e.
procurement, financial, legal etc.), who sometimes may or may not be having
complete exposure to dynamic day to day design and execution challenges
involved in range of built environment projects or may be having limited
comprehension of how design and engineering project may get affected in
different possible scenarios and in different site context. Hence missing out
on critical insights of other bottom extreme of project management value chain,
i.e., designers and engineers; while formulating project budget and time frame.
The second aspect which may not be directly related to above policy discussion
but still noteworthy related to budget and time overshoot is that project
management processes like standard operating procedures (SOPs) and tools
including many software don’t explicitly factor in real-life challenges and
don’t allow to test scenario building, out of scores of possible scenarios
which may directly or indirectly impact project. Apparent from the fact that
how design projects and project management processes/ software struggled to
respond in real time at the onset of the pandemic, despite knowing that the
force majeure or Acts-of-God may become a reality at any time; despite having
robust industry accepted project management SOPs.
Designers and engineers here imply material experts, product
designers, furniture designers, interior designers, architects, building
engineering experts (MEP - HVAC/ Electrical/ Plumbing experts), ICT/
intelligent building management experts (IBMS), green building experts, infrastructure
experts (Dry/wet utilities), and now emerging circularity experts, who actually
design and execute the very constituents or building block or unit of built
environment or a city i.e., neighborhood, building/ housing unit or its
components, with all its material composition, furnishing, and appliances.
Designers and engineers including project managers, for
instance, are those who are usually most close to the reality of execution,
having the first-hand understanding of implementation and execution challenges
and palpable ground realities. But, urban policy formulation and sometimes
strategic report and action plans, related to built environment are
traditionally formulated at a level, and with the kind of resources or skilled
manpower involved, which may or may not be having the exact or hands-on
understanding of sometimes bitter realities of project execution and context.
Hence the insight and understanding of designers and engineers are vital for
policy making and may simply dictate the success or failure of policy. These
critical insights coming from designers and engineers are fundamental to policy
formulation as they control the unitary elements of built environment. Any
error or innovation at the unitary level has a multiplier effect. If we consider
the household or individual house as a constituent unit of the entire
population or city, for instance if we save or waste 1 kWh of energy per
household, then at a city scale it may result in unimaginable energy saving or
energy wastage. Designers and engineers are capable of offering such critical
insights, information, modalities, and tools (to save material and energy for
instance), which can be directly embedded into the urban policies related to
built environment, leading to assured measurable benefits.
Hence, if we incorporate the insights of designers and
engineers in the policy formulation, the outcome of the policy will most likely
be tangible, realistic and measurable. The abstractness of policy though is
acceptable, but it should not stop policymakers to factor in empirical
expertise and insights gathers from the other extreme end of city making value
chain, i.e., that which comes from designers and engineers.
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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