OpenIDEO - How might we restore vibrancy in cities and regions facing economic decline? - Inspiration

The Challenge

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How might we restore vibrancy in cities and regions facing economic decline?

Inspiration 894 inspirations

Concepting 329 concepts

Applause 329 final concepts

Refinement 20 final concepts

Evaluation 20 final concepts

Winning Concepts Announced!

Realisation Ongoing

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Mission #1

Explore Vibrancy

Share your definition of what vibrancy looks like where you live. Find out more...

Mission #2

Share Stories

Tell us about the cities and communities you know are currently struggling or in the process of revitalising.

Mission #3

Get Active

Take some time to get active and explore your own community – then report back what you learned. Find out more...

Mission #4

Collect Insights

Interview someone living in a struggling city or region to learn more. Find out more...

Mission #5

Surprise Us

Got an Inspiration that doesn't fit the other Missions? Find out more...

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Places for People

Jan Gehl is one of my favorite designers— he's known for revitalizing Copenhagen through an understanding of how people interact with space, and his firm is responsible for the new pedestrian plazas in New York. He creates places for people.

Jan Gehl is all about cities that exist on a pedestrian/human-scale.

"The compact city" is similar to the idea of a "walkable city": a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings connected by a network of public transport, sidewalks and bike paths.

Watch a 6-minute video about some of Gehl's theories here. He mentions small-scale pedestrian streets rather than sprawling concrete highways, and small buildings rather than tall skyscrapers. He advocates for a city that is experienced at walking speed rather than driving speed, so that people can interact, relationships can be built, and therefore, the community can thrive.

Gehl Architects

Mission #5 Surprise Us Find out more...

Comments

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Melanie Kahl

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November 10, 2011, 07:19AM

Reminds me of the colorful chairs and tables that re-invigorate Harvard Yard. Great share, Alix. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/09/chairs-tables-performances-coming-to-the-yard/

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Jay Trimble

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November 09, 2011, 10:31PM

I love this idea! Let's design our cities around people instead of cars. This brings people together and helps build a sense of being connected. We can already see this in parts of Europe.

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