What is a resilient city? A sustainable city? A smart city? Cities are in the spotlight with much discussion and debate around their longevity, but is all this hype just a passing trend? In a world that is changing rapidly, we’ve created complex city networks that are being dissected by urban planners,architects and academics. Perhaps, the quietest voices in this big debate are citizens; communities of people that face individual sets of problems. Are we over-hyping cities amongst ourselves?
Last week our #CityTalk with This Big City addressed this issue of city hype. As always the conversation was an interesting one with many people demanding attention for communities and insisting upon public participation.
<Q1> Cities are a much discussed topic. Does this urban hype reflect real social, economic & cultural needs?
A1: Economic needs yes…but social and cultural needs are debatable. We are mostly marching to the beat of the globalised drum. #citytalk
— Fruitful Urbanism (@FruitfulUrban) February 19, 2014
<Q2>Who benefits from cities being at the center of many agendas?
<A2> cities cannot be effectively in the agenda if people are not on the agenda. What makes a livable city? #citytalk — CapeTown Partnership (@ctpartnership) February 19, 2014
<Q3> Cities are big,complex and diverse. Too big for meaningful discussion? Should the focus be on communities?
<A3> Focusing on communities means that the people most affected by a problem get better solutions and in turn improve the city. #CityTalk — Jade Leaf (@jadaleaf) February 19, 2014
<Q4>Which topics, themes or issues are being overlooked in the conversation about cities?
A4 Too much focus on urban theory ignores the human emotion that drives our lives. Planning is too rational. #citytalk — Rory Williams (@carbonsmart) February 19, 2014
<Q5>Whether it’s events, branding or something else, which cities have taken advantage of city hype?
<A5> Cities with strong tertiary institutions seem to be well positioned but it is not a bad idea to lead #CityTalk
— Future Cape Town (@futurecapetown) February 19, 2014
<Q6>What comes after Urbanisation?
A6 After it’s built, maintain it! Adapt it! Do it better! Cities have life cycles, keep people involved and engaged. #citytalk — Jordan Rockerbie (@Jackerbie) February 19, 2014
Join in the conversation- #CityTalk happens the first Wednesday of every month.