Insights

A partnership of grassroots activists and the expertise of a small architecture firm has provided a way forward for public housing and its many residents in Victoria

Historically, Southeast Asia’s kampongs have quietly turned art into economic power. Today, this creative economic model thrives anew

Across Southeast Asia, the allure of smart cities has often been accompanied by a top-down implementation strategy. But one-size-fits-all solutions can miss opportunities for genuine urban improvement

The work of groundbreaking architect Christopher Alexander gives us both a lens to critique urban design and a toolkit for creating our own spaces

The trend is only growing, particularly on the Chinese mainland. What drives it, and how can planners and designers interpret it?

Elderly are embracing their golden years in style with youthful enthusiasm. With an ageing population, communities are actively seeking ways to create age-friendly neighbourhoods that promote connected living. 

In the new era of the digital age, AI technology has become a game changer for the architecture and real estate industries when creating and managing sustainable and vibrant communities. With vast real-time data and machine learning algorithms, architects are embracing the revolutionising power of AI technology to map out and create sustainable, vibrant, and responsive cities with better efficiency. 

Developers have begun to reach the epiphany of curating inclusive communities and vibrant open spaces to accommodate the new chic lifestyle of the millennials and their furry companions. The elements of open space, pet-friendliness and community formation were brought to light to forge an engaging and pleasing public space through incorporating the innovative and sustainable strategy of placemaking.

Community Placemaking is a collaborative approach that works with the community to create spaces for people to gather, interact, and consolidate shared identities. Some of the initiatives transform underutilised or neglected areas into dynamic places that meet the needs and aspirations of the residents.

With a blend of old and new, east and west architectural landscape, the eclectic, bohemian and quirky Kreuzberg in Germany captured the essence of its culture and history and transformed it into one captivating neighbourhood.

Sentul Depot was transformed by making use of place-making to bring together communities and giving it a new social identity by retaining its historic and cultural characteristics.

The new hidden gem in Tokyo, Shimo-kitazawa, is a mixing pot of cultural preservation as well as modern development that bring communities together.

In the post-pandemic world, how can the traditional retail mall stay sustainable?

Working with The Oval Partnership, Wedderburn Transport Planning is using an evidence-based approach to develop context-sensitive forms of Open City Design that are culturally and commercially successful, while providing safe and comfortable access to transit stations.

'In the long history of humankind, those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.' -- Charles Darwin

Patrick Geddes is regarded by many as the father of citizen participation, and is renowned for his theories based on the “autonomous community” and “bottom-up” planning. He pioneered the place-making approach, was founder of the urban conservation movement and originated the phrase, “Think Global, Act Local”.

Community Arts Thrive in Hong Kong to Heal A Wounded Society

Working towards family well-being centred planning and architecture

The best way to learn is through play. When the community finds its neighbourhood library as necessary for both work and play, its longevity is assured.

The symbiosis between social infrastructure and social programmes within them is fundamental to building a more equal and united society, according to American sociologist Eric Klinenberg

New York University sociology professor Eric Klinenberg uses first hand accounts of disasters binding communities together to support his book’s rationale that trust requires face to face contact in safe and sheltering environments

How community living rooms in open spaces can bring Hong Kong’s old neighbourhoods back to life

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." -- Charles Darwin

With more and more of us doing our shopping online, e-commerce is forcing massive shifts in the retail landscape - in the approach, the business models, and in retail spaces that are increasingly experiential.

The most successfully cohesive urban regeneration projects understand that community development is as much if not more about the people than the real estate.