To regenerate cities' urban cores, local perspectives are key

Global megatrends have changed how people use city centers. As municipal leaders ask what comes next, local stakeholders have the answers.

Reports on the death of cities were greatly exaggerated. The relocation of workers because of the pandemic was short-lived. Today, cities are home to more than 50% of the world’s population. By 2050, the UN predicts that the global urban population will grow by 2.2 billion, bringing that figure up to 68%.

Cities are changing, however. The shift to remote working has had major consequences for central business districts, with office vacancy rates reaching 20 - 30-year highs in major metropolitan centers like New York, London, San Francisco and Sydney. Changing retail habits and scaled-back investment caused by high inflation and spiraling interest rates have resulted in empty commercial spaces. New York City alone has the equivalent of 26 Empire State buildings of empty commercial space.

The associated economic disinvestment means that urban cores are facing a crisis. Change, however, brings opportunity: decision makers can now consider how they can help to reinvent urban cores, enhance public transportation and create flourishing neighborhoods that bring equitable and lasting prosperity.

For this to happen, local people, community groups, nonprofits and businesses need to have a real say in how this is accomplished and be brought into the delivery process itself. Placemaking — a discipline that practitioners use to create new places and spaces — is all about people. It’s how we connect communities to public spaces, amplifying reciprocity between the two and boosting urban vitality.

When done well, placemaking drives economic growth. Improvements to the public realm enhance livability and quality of life, creating desirable neighborhoods and increasing residency and footfall. In turn, this fosters innovation and entrepreneurship, helping to attract businesses, visitors and further investment. Vibrant neighborhoods also help attract and retain talent, driving a flywheel of economic growth. The benefits are undeniable.

Fortunately, we have a good understanding about how to do this: maximizing engagement with nature through thoughtfully designed green spaces; improving public and multimodal transportation and integrating them with active travel options; creating dynamic mixed-use developments and walkable neighborhoods that have their own culture while also weaving seamlessly into the broader urban fabric; re-purposing office, retail and other stranded built environment assets to bring them to vibrant new life; providing spaces for start-ups and small businesses. All these approaches can help to deliver flourishing city centers — but there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

Over decades of global experience, we have learned that there are fundamental success factors that can de-risk urban transformation efforts while amplifying their lasting benefits. Designs must be deeply rooted in local demographic requirements and culture to be successful and must understand the priorities of the community. That starts with deep engagement with residents at the earliest stages of development and includes a vision that is crafted in collaboration with the broadest array of local stakeholders possible. Once the vision has been agreed, an iterative process that seeks views on preliminary designs as the project develops ensures buy-in and better outcomes.

Equally important is engaging local expertise at all stages of concept development and delivery. We know that any regeneration work requires collaboration with local service providers and supply chains to provide the in-depth local knowledge required to deliver fit-for-purpose projects that bring meaningful impact. This goes beyond contractual procurement requirements to intricately designed consortia designed to ensure that the values and ambitions of the community are reflected in the end deliverables.

Take, for example, the Digital Birmingham initiative in Birmingham, UK. As city stakeholders would ultimately be tasked with rolling out the roadmap of projects, the local community was deeply embedded into the delivery process from the beginning.

Having successfully established a fit-for-purpose roadmap, digital leaders from the city’s major public, private and third-sector organizations (including charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups) now have overall accountability for the programme’s delivery and the strategic direction.

Working groups comprising operational-level representatives from organizations across the city focus on key areas of activity and work to identify new initiatives emerging from Birmingham’s communities and business ecosystem.

As the project in Birmingham demonstrates, this approach allows for iterative engagement and continuous conversation with the local community and ensures digital ambition is considered across every facet of the local authority and more widely across major institutions in the city.

Ultimately, if decision-makers are to successfully rejuvenate urban cores, they need to bring their communities with them.

In Birmingham, digital projects are currently being delivered across the city, including a major initiative to provide improved fiber connectivity. A Digital City Partnership chaired by Jacobs’ Director and Global Principal for Smart, Connected and Secure Cities and Places, Rick Robinson, has been established, and local institutions have taken the driving seat. The University of Birmingham and West Midlands 5G, for example, are leading the charge on the digital skills gap and connectivity.

By giving the community ownership, the stage has been set for success.