Sustainable placemaking

Each year, 31 October is celebrated globally as World Cities Day, and it has been a decade since the United Nations General Assembly designated a day to encourage international cooperation to address the challenges of urbanisation in a sustainable way.

Recent themes have included Financing sustainable urban future for all and Youth climate changemakers: catalysing local action for urban sustainability. The latter, in 2024, aimed to showcase the crucial role of local governments and young people in coming up with innovative ideas to address urban climate challenges.

The importance of localism
The emphasis on local action is key. By focusing on what might seem like small improvements in the urban environment we can make a huge difference to the built environment and the lives of those living in towns and cities.

At ADAM Architecture, we recognise the importance of listening to and harnessing the creativity of all ages and demographics in urban decision-making to drive sustainable development. As a practice, we reflect on how much life in cities and towns of all sizes has changed since the global pandemic in 2020.

Working from home and walking to work
Increasing numbers of people now choose to work from home, at least some of the time, and many people are no longer keen to do the long commutes that were typical of pre-2020 life. Our research has found that many people are working more locally and so walkable neighbourhoods are likely to remain a strong influence on future placemaking strategies.

Sustainable placemaking
Our focus is not just on minimising the carbon footprint of our projects, but on how a new building or larger urban development can work in harmony with the natural environment. We work to understand how our developments can support and promote sustainable lifestyles to encourage environmental, social and economic value.

To develop sustainable and vibrant places for community life and commerce, we need to move away from mono-cultural housing estates and towards a whole-place approach that puts people centre stage.

Residents need to feel physically, mentally and emotionally secure. Central to a feeling of stability is the conviviality of a place. It should be sociable, providing places to gather and connections to foster relationships and friendships across all ages, with investment put into community ventures, green spaces and other infrastructure.

Communities for people
Cities and towns, no matter their size, are made up of communities. They are not just collections of buildings but reflect the diversity of human experiences. Increasing connectivity benefits the inhabitants and the long-term sustainability of a place, creating opportunity for social interaction that can help soften the edges of an otherwise hard place.

Ease of movement, and therefore connectivity, is not just about the street network – it is achieved through permeability and is about the spatial relationships within and around buildings, which lead to improved health, well-being and productivity. Open green spaces, long referred to as the lungs of urban developments, are critical to a development’s ability to thrive and encourage investment while ensuring that a town or city is an enjoyable and enriching place in which to live and work.