The need for evidence
Evidence-based design is not a buzzword anymore. It is a global trend!
Agencies and governments seek to battle the climate and health crisis and reach sustainable development goals on time. Forefront planners and designers are under pressure to create urban landscapes that effectively improve climate, energy, and health outcomes and are proven bankable. These leaders urgently need scientific knowledge and transdisciplinary tools to understand site-specific urban ecosystems, citizen requirements, especially of the most vulnerable groups, and multigoal strategies critical in their practice and decision-making processes.
3 steps building health ...
UrbanCare is end-to-end specialized support for planners and designers to create neighborhood pedestrian plans that improve One health: planetary and human health. The focus is on retrofitting streets and other street-level public spaces to enhance urban life, especially for vulnerable groups.
• Diagnostics to gather and analyze neighborhood travel behavior and environmental street data,
• APPS with multimedia interfaces to explore and co-create integrated streetscape designs and,
• Dialogues for stakeholder decision-making processes with a systems approach.
UrbanCare Diagnostics
Step 1
Our diagnostics studies the neighborhood’s urban ecosystem to understand relations between the physical environment and possible impacts on travel behavior and health.
In most cities, neighborhood level data to inform mobility and climate plans is incomplete or missing. At BHL, we do desk and field research needed for pedestrian plans, focusing on the benefits for slower-paced groups and strengthening climate resilience.
Remember, we all use public spaces differently!
UrbanCare APPS
Step 2.
Immersive Data Journeys invite all stakeholders to understand their neighborhood data and participate:
- 360° pedestrian environment exploration,
- Local climate infographics,
- Surveys on urban scenes affecting quality of life and health.
Our data-driven processes help communities:
- Collect and analyze neighborhood scale data,
- Initiate petitions and organize campaigns
- Co-create streetscapes using the evidence.
UrbanCare Dialogues
Step 3.
UrbanCare Dialogues assist a decision-making process in four sessions:
- Gap finder: Identify mobility obstacles and barriers to vulnerable groups,
- Diagnostics: Review data on pedestrian needs and street level ecosystem threats and prioritize,
- Planning: Define strategies, technical teams, schedule, and an investment scheme,
- Design: Present a vision to execute the pedestrian plan that maximizes benefits.
Our workshops are ideal for neighborhood regeneration, mobility plans, building climate resilience, new developments, or redeveloping institutional urban sites such as hospitals and university campuses.
