Re-Enchanting the City:

Designing the Human Habitat

UNSW AUSTRALIA
WEEK 1 What is the Built Environment?
What is the Built Environment?
00:00:00
Our cities are rapidly growing. At the moment, over half of the world's population
lives in cities, and the United Nations predicts that by 2050, this statistic will rise to
66%. We're living in the urban century; the century of high density cities, and this
fact poses massive challenges in terms of quality of life and sustainability.
Our first week lays the foundation for the evolution of the course. Over six weeks,
you will be introduced to this set of built environment professions-- urban design,
planning, sustainable development, architecture, construction management and
property development, landscape architecture, interior architecture, and industrial
design. Professor Alec Tzannes, Dean of the UNSW Built Environment, sums it up
for us here.

00:01:08
Built environment professions are about the public interest. We would say the
primary goal is to make more liveable and sustainable cities-- well-designed,
efficient, effective, enjoyable, beautiful, and also serving everybody.
Within the Central Park development, Alec's involvement has included the initial
masterplan and the redesign of the old brewery building. Alec will be present over
the next two weeks, discussing the nature of urban design, architecture, and his
professional involvement in Central Park. The second part of this week explores
hyperdensity with views from Vishaan Chakrabarti, Associate Professor of
Professional Practice at Columbia University. His perspective argues that living in
dense cities can reduce our carbon footprint due to shared infrastructure, while still
maintaining enjoyment and delight.

00:02:06
Now I will highlight and define for you some of the key terms that will arise over
the next six weeks, starting with the term built environment. Built environment
refers to all man-designed and man-made environments that provide a platform for
human activities. The scale of such environments ranges from street furniture, to
buildings, and parks, and neighbourhoods.

00:02:33
A key theme of the course is enchantment. This term suggests captivation,
fascination, intense attraction with an element of surprise, something beautiful and
of magical quality together, resulting in feelings of wonder and delight. Living green
is associated with a sustainable way of life, and also with reducing our negative
impact on the environment. This includes meeting social and economic needs
without compromising any of these issues for future generations.

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00:03:10
Liveable is used in the context of dense cities, and refers to them being fit for people
of all ages and levels of abilities. A liveable city provides all the necessary amenities
for a healthy and balanced lifestyle, including walkability and accessibility,
attractive public places, affordability, and effective transport systems. Finally, the
term poetic, which ribbons its way throughout the course, refers to what appeals to
the imagination, and something that has a sensitive, evocative style of expression
that will speak to the human emotions.

00:03:52
Let me now give you three real-life examples of designs that I find enchanting and
poetic, and that I feel bring a touch of magic to everyday events. The first one is an
interactive dancing traffic light mannequin by Smart in Lisbon, Portugal. The
interaction happens in a special box where people can enter and dance to music.
The dancing is then translated in real time into the traffic light when the light is red,
making it an entertaining and engaging way to wait at the red light. This charming
concept succeeds in bringing fun and safety into everyday city life.
The second is a set of music-making swings placed near a bus stop in Montreal,
Canada. The 21 swings only create melodies when people cooperate by moving in
harmony, making it a fun and interactive way to wait at the stop. The swings bring
playfulness into urban life, stimulating a sense of ownership of the public space, and
at the same time, uniting people of all ages and backgrounds together in a shared
experience.

00:05:04
And the third example is the illuminated Philips design stools called Glowing Places.
The stools illuminate once sat on, and stay so for a while after being vacated,
dimming out slowly to signify that someone was there before. Again, this is a
charming and quietly poetic way to connect people. The light level also varies with
the number of people sitting, and the length of time they stay creates a social
interactive pattern, enhancing feelings of rest, tranquillity, and personal
connectivity. So now it's over to you. I'm very much looking forward to seeing the
examples of enchanting and poetic urban design that you will find and will share
with us shortly.

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