Water: we either have too much of it, or too little of it; one month drought, the next month flood. Yet, despite such dramatic events and their impacts on communities and businesses, the relationship between our urban centres and water remains somewhat tumultuous.
We recognise the value of water – it is no coincidence that our greatest cities were built near water courses – but have treated it with disdain. Historically, we have exploited the rivers for commerce and pumped our waste discharges into their flowing waters; we have built over natural drainage systems and flushed away the valuable rainwaters that dared spatter our city streets.
But there has been a growing realisation that water in urban areas should be better respected; that even perceived ‘wastewaters’ shouldn’t be viewed as a problem, but an opportunity.
“The ‘drained’ city occupied the last century; it was an era when stormwater was supposed to be out of sight and out of mind, so as engineers, we developed systems to dispose of it as quickly as possible using underground piped networks,” says Chris Tanner, founding Director of Bligh Tanner in his article ‘Storm Force’. “This century is seeing a shift to engage with stormwater, because it is now recognised to be a valuable resource for water supplies, communities and the environment.”
To create truly resilient cities we need to start thinking about water-smart cities. Whether it be planners or architects, landscape architects, or engineers, water should form part of the vocabulary used by all those responsible for our built environment. A collaborative approach to Water Sensitive Urban Design is essential and this is why the joint study carried out by AECOM, Arup and CIRIA is most welcome – you can read about it HERE.
In beginning to manage water in our urban areas in a smarter way, we have thrown a lifeline to our cities, delivering benefits to the natural environment and communities – and creating great places to live.
HIGH STREET FUTURES
Following Channel 4’s airing of ‘Mary Queen of the High Street’ in May, many commentators dismissed Mary Portas’s Government-commissioned report into our ailing high streets as little more than a PR stunt that has delivered little change. However, differing opinions aside, Portas has at least provoked us into having an opinion on the future of our high streets.
And ‘future’ is the key word here. Much of the Channel 4 show was focused on retail, instigating measures that would attract people back to the high streets to… well, shop. And herein lies the problem for the Portas vision. In his article, ‘Town Centres: a perfect storm’, CBRE’s Ian Anderson talks about a “paradigm shift in consumer behaviour” and the rise of the first “non-shop shoppers”.
“Generation Z is maturing within a highly sophisticated media- and computer-literate environment,” says Anderson. “It is this generation which could quite plausibly spawn the first ‘non-shop based shoppers’ where all retail consumer needs are met online.”
Given this, our high streets and town centres must look beyond merely retail to evolve a truly sustainable solution. Portas’s critics have derided her emphasis on community, suggesting it is “clouded in sentiment” – but, in my view, this is where Portas is right. Technological advances may mean we are no longer compelled to trawl the aisles to fulfil are consumption habits, but humans are inherently social animals – we have a deep-rooted need to be part of a community. Sure, retail should and could be part of the mix, but high streets and town centres need to once again become places to meet and socialize; places to have fun and be entertained; places to live; places where connected and engaged communities are formed.
Addressing high street decline is not just about preventing a nation become blighted by boarded up ghost towns, but also about addressing the future needs of Generation Z; a generation of young people that could find itself destined to be stuck in the suburbs with nowhere to go and nothing to do… and, alongside an internet-bought delivery, a powder keg of social problems waiting to explode on our doorsteps.
Steve Oxley, Editor
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