Older, smaller buildings support the local economy with more non-chain, locally owned businesses. Older business districts offer greater opportunities for entrepreneurship, including women and minority-owned businesses.
Vibrant Urban Design
No one is a fan of urban sprawl, so building up is smarter for both the environment and city infrastructure right? Perhaps, but how high should we build and where should we do this?
We have to be careful not to paint all human spaces with the same density brush. In doing so, we may inadvertently suffocate the same vibrancy we are trying to build in the first place.
As there are drawbacks associated with urban sprawl, there are issues with vertical sprawl as well; overshadowing, wind tunnels, and limited long term adaptability. World renowned Architect Jan Gehl suggests that meaningful contact with ground level events occurs at the first 5 storeys of a building. Another recent study released by the National Trust for Historic Preservation states that pedestrians are most comfortable with buildings from 3-6 storeys.
The City of Toronto recently released a multi-award winning study (which was recognized by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada) on Mid-rise buildings. These buildings, and I quote; “have a good scale and relationship to the street. They define walls to the street that are tall enough to feel like a city and provide lots of usable space, but low enough to let the sun in and open the view to the sky from the street. They support a comfortable pedestrian environment, and animate the street by lining the sidewalk with doors and windows with active uses including stores, restaurants, services, grade related apartments, and community uses.” I believe that this study could be very applicable when considering development in Calgary’s Chinatown.
And as we all know Calgary is facing tough economic times, which makes it interesting note that some research says that older, smaller buildings support the local economy with more non-chain, locally owned businesses, and offer greater opportunities for entrepreneurship. This includes businesses owned by women and minorities.
More resources on the subject of human-scaled development:
- Older, Smaller, Better – Measuring how the character of buildings and blocks influences urban vitality
- City of Toronto and their Study of Avenues and Mid-Rise Buildings
- Remembering the Human Scale in Walkable City Neighborhoods
- City of Vancouver Approves First Ever Chinatown Economic Revitalization Strategy
- Place Attachment and Continuity of Urban Place Identity
- 7 Reasons Why High-Rises Kill Livability
- How Legacy Architecture Shapes Our Experience of Place
- Livable Cities