Involving designers and engineers in urban policy-making for assuring policy success and sustainable built environment.

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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#urbanplanning #townplaning #cityplanning #circulareconomy #projectmanagement #infrastructureplanning #engineering #construction #biobasedmaterial #policy #publicpolicy #governance #Rotterdam #utrecht #Amsterdam #Hague #Netherlands 

 

 

Information, connectivity and networked life as understated but intrinsic qualities of smart cities.

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

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The flow of information has evolved from farmers reading the sign of nature to estimate rainfall, to kingdoms relying on harbinger posted on hilltop communicating warning signs about approaching enemy convoys, to messages critical getting delivered through telegraph using Morse code, to modern-day ICT and mass media revolution.

Connectivity has not just emerged in terms of shortening the physical distance but assumed a new role and meaning that simply didn’t exist centuries back i.e., virtual connectivity.

Networked life, though has existed from the very beginning of societal structural formation, the emergence of trade activities, and evolution of economic ecosystem; it was never as organised, resilient, and transitory as today.

The way social and technological evolution occur, like an almost unstoppable but invisible force; it remained almost unnoticeable, until recently. While we assume that getting timely information, availing universal connectivity, and living a networked way of life is fundamental and intrinsic to society, almost like the presumed service rights; only until we encounter paucity of information, obstruction in connectivity or experience friction or blockage in network.

What it takes for cities to offer a seamless flow of information, ubiquitous connectivity, and resilient modern networked life? Almost all of the above values and conveniences of modern life can be encapsulated under the ambit of the smart city concept; with the concerted efforts of multiple stakeholders.

The city administrations, city managers, and urban planners have to leverage all of these in a holistic, inclusionary, and cautionary manner while creating a fail-safe provision for system redundancy. The discourse around amorphous and shape-shifting “smart city concepts”, yet seemingly an unstoppable force, is increasingly required to be directional and formulative (instead of divisive) to be constructive. 

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

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

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

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

City’s problem isn't congestion; problem is the way we approach to solve the congestion!

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

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Majority of city's problems can be solved by simply restructuring policies, but physical infrastructure is more lucrative an option for many.

You can pump millions of dollars in augmenting and upgrading city infrastructure, of course you should, but city in its functionality will still remain a mess and increasingly convoluted unless you pause and think that what has been wrong with our planning approach, why it is that our planning solutions always seem to lag far behind the pace of growth, is it revenue constraints? No! Is it land constraint? No! It is nothing but common-sense deficit. It’s simple, if it doesn’t work go back to the drawing board, put you approach up-side-down or whatever, something different need to be introduced; at least as an experiment.

Our conventional planning approach borrowed from industrial age has remained more or less the same since decades, that is to put it crudely "Planning means addition", more people - let’s make more housing, more congestion - let’s make more flyovers, more heat let’s put more air conditioners and so on.

Building another affordable housing is not a problem but it’s also not the solution. Building another flyover will of course ease the traffic for sometime but it is also not the solution which cities are looking for. The single largest criteria of a livable city can be effortlessness of any city, but effort seems to be the mandate of our city life.

Have we ever considered why such sheer number of people are heading to metropolis in the first place apart from recreational purposes, it’s not because metropolis provide better employment opportunities, it’s because we simply fail to provide livelihood opportunity in small towns and villages. Can we suggest something to calm down this vary pace of regional population flux, instead of simply focusing on making another housing colony here in every metropolis, can we propose something which will help people earn their livelihood in the place of their choice not only in the place where they often come to struggle and survive.

Have we ever considered before making another flyover that why so many people and car out there on the roads in the first place, is it really necessary in this so called wired era for every single individual to commute to work to accomplish a job, is it that being physically present at a specified location every work weekday is of such monumental importance in a time of century were everyone claim to be virtually connected to everyone and having access to the resources of whole world on their finger tip. Considering this can we suggest something to reduce the very need or frequency of people to come to streets, people who commute to work 5-6 days a week or 24 to 40 hour a week.

Why people have to waste a substantial portion of their productive lifetime commuting on city roads or tracks, commuting long hours to work mostly doing nothing, may be listening to music or playing video game on their tab, why to commute to work unless they work in a factory like production environment.

You see we are so caught up in the debate of public transport vs. private transit vs. walkability that no one is willing to ask this fundamental question why does every one of you have to commute almost every day for the purpose of work choking almost every street of city, why have we created such system or business environment or society in general. We simply can’t seem to think of any other possibility than expanding infrastructure trying to meet the pressure of self imposed need of commuting for work.

Whether travelling through private or public transport or walking to work, it’s still a waste of precious time, energy and resources. Can you even imaging the lost opportunity cost of millions of people spending several hours commuting to work-home-work almost every day of their productive life. After decades of industrialization is it still so important even today for 200 employees of a random organization to agglomerate everyday at a specific place called office at a specific time to accomplish some work, majority of which can be done from anywhere in the world, majority of which on majority of days does not fundamentally demand physical presence of worker or employee in office. Can’t we instead of simply expanding the city and transport network think of reducing the number and frequency of trip to work? Can’t we think of increasing the share of recreational trip and reducing the work trip instead of aggressively focusing on increasing the share of public transport?

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This conventional additive approach of planning is a vicious cycle of inefficiency perceived as virtuous cycle and promoted relentlessly without delving deep into the roots of problem and without pausing and questioning the inertia of planning process. Instead of this additive approach, a supplementary approach of planning is needed for fostering and supporting equitable growth across the region, and at the same time conventional planning wisdom which is dear to many, need to be questioned!

Author: Anoop Jha

Some embedded economic bias in road and transportation planning and policy to ponder.

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

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Speed Breaker experienced differently by different price range cars; flat monetary penalty imposed on breaking any particular traffic rule experienced differently by different income group, one segment better protected while on road due to advanced safety feature of their car compared to not so privileged vehicle owner, VIP and reserved parking spaces in public domain and within public institutions, those opting public transport not out of choice or sense of responsibility but out of economic constraints, those opting private transport not out of ignorance but by choice since they can afford, similar workplace cutoff arrival time or same flexi-hour for those who are insulated from weather while on road (car) and those whose journey is tough and gets Interrupted due to changing weather conditions (bike/ bicycle), those who can afford to take shortcut toll route vs those who cannot, road tax which is not linked to intensity of vehicle usage but type and number of vehicle ownership and some more.

One or many or all may be applicable to any given city and needs a serious thought and deliberation on subject by planners and policy makers.

#transportplanning #urbanplanning #publictransport #tranport #road #design #architecture #economics #carbonfootprint #publicpolicy

PUBLIC TRANSPORT - Revisiting fundamentals

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

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- There is no such thing as over creation of public transport infrastructure as where it is actually needed no amount of infrastructure is enough; still if you witness a ghost metro anywhere know that it's just bad planning.

- Know that not everyone rides a public transport out of choice or environmental awareness; for some there is no other choice

- Lack of last mile seamless, quality and safe connectivity to doorstep is single most deterrent towards use of public transport

-They might not disclose, but they should reach break-even much before projected time, and why not, as crowd keeps overwhelming the public transport system, pusing frequently the boundaries of design safety. Their perplexity, they can't show in their financial modeling sheet that design safety compromise of public transport system will be a frequent and regular phenomenon.

#publictransport #transportplanning #urbanplanning

While working in a fuzzy space of smart city development public institutions may like to think of innovative approaches in different parts of the world!

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

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[01] For instance, #PublicInstitutions may (a) address the apprehensions of the community at large, upfront, by acknowledging the legit concerns over #privacy, #datasecurity and may like to widely publish how they intend to tackle such issues including what safeguard mechanisms are in place, before actually launching the project.

[02] While role of community involvement in smart city development process is increasingly being considered important, the approach should consider exploring innovative ways to go beyond conventional notion of #CommunityParticipation and #CommunityEngagement; i.e. going beyond community workshop venues, road shows and smart city webpage to seek stream of timely inputs from community and expert members and think of devising mechanism (b) to seek early input (e.g. through #LinkedIn, series of short #VideoConference etc.) from wider professional segment who are anyways going to write much of their critical insights on professional media sooner or later about the subject, post-implementation, suggesting what could have been done better (c) Likewise, need of a mechanism to find ways to offer a chance of involvement for wider latent community members to contribute in the process (eg. through #Facebook, #Twitter, #Instagram etc.), those who are going to post, share and possibly vent much on social media (direct #stakeholder), about what interventions couldn’t work well in their city or challenges they are still facing post implementation.

[03] While the critical role of #academia in developing smart cities can’t be denied (d) it may be a good idea to form a mechanism for the active representation of students as well, as they can leverage more creative freedom and contribute through out of box thinking, adding to much-needed innovation.

[04] While the #industry is invited or offers innovative and disruptive tech and solutions, (e) there can also be room for engaging those in the smart city development process who may be having sound innovative ideas but lack the entrepreneurial spirit or resources to launch a #startup or to make it to VC round. Like shopkeepers pitching ideas for the redevelopment of the street next to their shop, or kids floating ideas about retrofitting streets around their school for instance.

When there is no clear pathway to #innovation or maybe multiple pathways, then it makes sense to also innovate on approaches we take towards making better cities, sometimes under the title of the smart city.

Author: Anoop Jha

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