STIPO’s partner, senior advisor Hans Karssenberg sharing insights of how to see a city at eye level at the workshop.
Aimed at arming urban stakeholders with the tools to transform public spaces, European placemaking advocate and consultancy, STIPO recently aided The City At Eye Level Asia, a placemaking workshop at Ruang by Think City.
This initiative was in line with the upcoming ASEAN Placemaker Week to be held in November 2019, presented by Think City and UN-Habitat for the first time in Kuala Lumpur.
The workshop was held in response to the growing need for urban practitioners to create great cities. By ridding featureless facades and public spaces and replacing them with spaces that appeal through colour, movement and aesthetic features, people will be drawn to those spaces.
STIPO's partner, senior advisor Hans Karssenberg said, “Studies have shown that vibrant public areas encourage individuals to stay 30 per cent longer and spend more on businesses nearby."
It is estimated that by 2030, eight out of ten Malaysians will reside in cities, hence smart and creative planning solutions are highly needed to develop and maintain public spaces.
Karssenberg added “Every street in a historic area has its own identity and you would need to discover its DNA and build on that. Each street has its own distinct character and a street, laneway or even a shop within a historic core is not a museum. It remains dynamic and must fit the needs of the community first”.
He also urged municipalities and real estate developers to work on a bottom-up process in order to provide an authentic experience for users of these spaces.
Among the participants at The City At Eye Level workshop included representatives from the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), Bukit Bintang Foundation, Think City, Malaysian Institute of Planners (MIP), Badan Warisan Budaya, Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya (MPSJ) and Nextdor Property Communications.
(25 September 2019)
