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In the world of urban planning and design, expectations are rising. People expect more of the human environment, they want decisions about their communities to embody a shared vision of the future.
“Increasing equity and inclusion are among the most pressing challenges facing cities, exacerbated by climate change. We must do all we can to make cities work for everyone. ”
Richard De Cani Cities, Planning and Design Leader
Covid-19 disruptions created a reckoning for cities and what we want from them. Social groups and activists are stepping up and demanding change to the status quo they experience daily on their streets. For practitioners and clients alike, there is an opportunity to align environmental, economic, and social considerations and take a more enlightened approach to city development.
Responsible, progressive, inclusive
Whatever terms or language are used, ‘greater equity’, ‘increased inclusion’, or ‘social value’, we take time to understand the deep connections and interdependencies between people and their environment. By taking account of people’s behaviours, preferences, needs and aspirations we can develop the most inclusive and beneficial design outcomes.
Inclusion isn’t a push-button process. Our ethos is to bring everyone into the process; that means clients and developers, architects and occupants, commuters and operators, cyclists and drivers, walkers and wheelchair users, closer together. For our teams, it means being a translator, a listener, a collaborator, and always ready to learn and adapt. This is how we develop cities where everyone sees their priorities recognised in the built and natural environments they call home.
How we help you
Our teams of urban planners, designers and researchers engage with communities to develop schemes and projects that address many urban priorities:
Our approach: engaging with stakeholders and partners
At Arup, we collaborate with politicians, CEOs, community leaders and many others to explore local equity or social value issues, address them systematically and develop a more cohesive future. Together we shape policy making, developing inclusive design frameworks, defining equity goals, and improving organisations ESG performance in enduring ways. Our global footprint means we can share the best ideas from the widest range of cities and cultures. Whatever the context, our goal is to produce outcomes that are sustainable, accountable and human-centred in every dimension.
Our approach is to put stakeholder engagement at the centre of projects’ development, ensuring community needs shape the DNA of any scheme, policy or design. To do this, we work in partnership with a number of global and local organisations supporting them with specific expertise to sharpen our insights and effect on the ground. Often our partnerships are research driven, where our work reveals new insights or address longstanding issues and needs. Groups like C40 Cities or the Resilience Shift have built up detailed local knowledge of countries, regions and cities’ needs.
In all this work we draw on the full range of Arup’ expertise in place making, urban infrastructure, masterplanning, people movement, lighting and many other relevant fields.
