It is a common perception that cities are merely a setting for our daily lives, whereas, in fact, cities play a role in directing and altering our everyday behavior.
Urban design does this on a daily basis and often without our even noticing.
The example of walking behavior may illustrate the impact of urban design on daily human behavior most effectively.
If a neighborhood or district contains safe streets, good links, and sufficient lighting to support a safe night walk, then the likelihood of people choosing to walk, even if it is for a short distance, increases. On the other hand, if the area in question lacks these elements, then even shorter trips become less appealing, as do many others that would be made on foot in other cities and areas.
Urban design has an effect on the manner in which we move through our cities and on what modes of transport we use, as well as on how we make use of that transport. In areas with good transport connections, such as well-developed public transportation systems, people’s lives tend to be structured around the timetables and routes of these transport services; in car-reliant urban areas, people have to take much of their daily activities into their own hands when it comes to transport, but in a less efficient and more stressful fashion.
In cities, urban design plays a significant part in shaping our everyday routines and behaviors, as well as affecting how we make use of transportation.
The way that an area is arranged also determines the extent of comfort or discomfort that a person may experience.
Some locations and neighborhoods provide more comfortable or relaxing settings for the occupants than others do. For this reason, the design and scale of the city play a crucial role in this regard.
This might be the difference between a city that feels open and safe and a city that appears densely built up and unsafe, for instance. Urban design has an effect on how we act in a city and how much comfort we feel in it.
Public places have also become important locations for human interaction in our increasingly urbanized world, but this is not something that always occurs naturally.
There are examples of cities that have many people, but where individuals rarely meet with one another, just as there are other instances of cities or districts where public spaces are designed to encourage people to come together and interact with one another. This has implications for the way we act.
In terms of the ease with which people may travel between a certain point, including points in their house, and the nearest store, school, or hospital, urban design may also impact how they interact.
People’s access is improved and their daily activities are made more convenient by having better connectivity between locations in a city, whereas, as we previously discussed regarding the use of cars, people’s access to public transport, the city centre, and other locations will become more restricted, and their quality of life will suffer as a result.
There are several small things that may have a significant impact on how we use the city and the amount of time we spend in it. This may include things such as the inclusion of greenery, lighting, public facilities, seating, and many others. When we find these aspects of a city appealing, we are more inclined to visit the area and to spend time there; if they are not appealing, we are more inclined to avoid them or to go through them rather than stay there.
As a result of the design of a city, the choices that people make on a daily basis can be affected over the course of many years. The design of the city may also determine, for instance, whether people decide to make the most of public places or whether they decide to avoid them, if they decide to walk rather than drive, whether they decide to meet and interact with others or to avoid doing so, and whether they decide to engage with their urban surroundings as much as they can.
A city may be designed such that it encourages or discourages people to adopt various lifestyle practices and activities, including but not limited to walking, spending time in public spaces, connecting with others, utilizing public services and amenities, and many others.
At UrbanPlanCore, we are taught to appreciate these nuances and to see the connection between design and urban behavior as well as the many other ways in which design can affect how people behave in cities in a variety of different ways.
That’s the thing about cities, after all. They are not simply a setting. They affect the manner in which we spend our time every day.