abilities you encounter throughout the city . Every day in Brooklyn , we would pass a group of adults with special needs heading to the local park – something I have never experienced in South Africa .
Whether we acknowledge it or not , South Africans are segregated . Too often , our social groups and interactions are limited to a few friends , family and work colleagues , and seldom do we even think of engaging outside our relative economic circles . This is reinforced by our lack of places and opportunities to engage with one another . Even shopping centres are actively not accessible to everyone .
We need to embrace our diversity , and work at democratising our spaces – both public and private .
5 . Higher Density New York City has the highest population density in the United States , with more than 10,500 people per square kilometre (* NYC , 2017 ). Johannesburg by comparison , has a density of approximately 2,900 people per square kilometre (* JHB , 2017 ), but is sprawled out over an area nearly twice as large as New York .
In these major metropolitan centres , population density becomes critical from a servicing and infrastructure point of view . As Johannesburg continues to expand , the ability of the city to lay down new services and infrastructure becomes increasingly more costly , less efficient and requires an exponential increase in supplementary resources to sustain the expanding city form . This continued expansion is not only expensive , but unsustainable and greater e f f o r t s must
be made to densify the city with an emphasis on infill housing and smarter infrastructure layouts .
6 . A Global Architecture ? New York offers a remarkable collection of buildings , from its grand and elegant skyscrapers to the smaller , more intimate museums like the Morgan Library . Like a piece of living art , the city provides a culturally rich collection of architecture from around the world .
Yet many of the newer buildings look and feel eerily familiar . With the rise of internet and smart communication over the past two decades , information transfer has become readily accessible . The free availability of information has had an interesting effect on architecture and design , with global influences leaning towards a more common style of aesthetics .
While it could be argued that this has equalised the architectural playing field , many new buildings in Johannesburg , London or New York are becoming increasingly interchangeable . Worryingly , this stylistic approach often negates a rational and considered environmental response , and frequently ignores the local urban context .
Architecture in the digital age is skirting a fine line between monotony and superstardom , and while information provides an opportunity to learn , the concerns and critical solutions towards local place making cannot be ignored . Our focus should be on a more critical and regional architecture , rather than a global aesthetic style . Tell your clients .
7 . Integrated Shopping Centres For a city with more than 8.5 million residents (* NYC , 2017 ), the number of big block shopping centres in New York was surprisingly rare . This isn ’ t because there weren ’ t any malls , but rather that they are built in and around the city , and are fully integrated into the urban block framework .
Erky Wood of GAPP Architects and Urban Designers put it very succinctly : “ Shopping Centres suck when they should blow ”. In South Africa , our retail developments often act as end destinations rather than being incidental . Surrounded by large parking lots that are only accessible via car , these centres are purposefully isolated and exclude all other forms of transport including pedestrians , cyclists , and especially taxis .
We need to dramatically overhaul our thinking of retail spaces and how they currently impact the future city . This can only start with a more considered approach to public transportation , pedestrian accessibility and buildings that front onto the street . Developers , traffic engineers and parking requirements should never be urban generators .
8 . Plan for the Future New York has gone through several dark periods in its history , from outbreaks of disease and raging fires , to the infamous attacks on the World Trade Centre . But cities are remarkably resilient . South Africa has an opportunity to learn from these failures and successes . Key to this is an understanding that comprehensive urban transformation is planned years in advance .
We need to anticipate new technological developments and the impact this will have on the transportation , infrastructure and services , as well as anticipated growth and levels of urbanisation . What will the impact of electric cars and driverless vehicles have on the city ? Will car ownership decrease over time with the rise of Uber ? What impact would this have on parking ratios and roadway infrastructure ? How can we efficiently provide energy , services and easily accessible public transportation ?
At present our strategy is reactionary rather than visionary . We rely on out-dated principles and designs standards that are dictated by traffic planning and parking ratios . These retroactive strategies are not only costly , but ultimately inhibit growth .
Our problems are not unique however , and whether we choose to learn from cities like New York or pioneer our own solutions , the objective remains the same – we can do better .
* NYC , 2017 - NYC Population Facts . [ online ] Available at : https :// www1 . nyc . gov / site / planning / data-maps / nyc-population / population-facts . page [ Accessed 08 Nov . 2017 ]
* JHB , 2017 - World Population Review [ online ] Available at : http :// worldpopulationreview . com / world-cities / johannesburg-population / [ Accessed 12 Nov . 2017 ]
20 Learning from New York