William Shakespeare once wrote, “What is the city but the people?” Indeed, each city features an intriguing mix of culture, complexity, differences, hope and fear, and psychological structures. A city without its people is just an empty shell. To focus on people, you have to look at a city from a variety of angles. This is because we need to consider the needs and priorities of different groups and subsets of people, including men and women of all ages, different ethnicities and origins, and different abilities and lifestyles. Only when these diverse variables are aligned and synchronized, a city can function at its full potential.
In recent years, the way we look at people in a city has changed dramatically. Not only are we stressing a sense of belonging, identity, and pride in the city as being important for its citizens, but we are also witnessing a stronger desire from the public to be more actively engaged in establishing, forming, and creating a constantly evolving city. A human-centered city is often associated with the emotional, mental, physical, and economic stability of its citizens. It is a place where people feel an affiliation, a place to achieve something with others, and a place that can help people enjoy a more creative and socially engaged life, which ultimately leads to a healthier life. Moreover, the overall landscape of a city should be formed on a scale that is convenient for people. In other words, a city should be a place where people feel through all five of their senses.
Refocusing on people is a response to how we have overlooked and neglected our “senses” over the course of highlighting the importance of physical infrastructure, traffic, and technology in planning and designing cities so far. Cities created with a complete disregard for its people often turned out to be soulless, unsightly, unwieldy, and unsuitable habitats for people. This “response” is not a local phenomenon. Similar initiatives can be found all over the world. The UN New Urban Agenda (2016), the EU Amsterdam Convention (which supplements the UN New Urban Agenda), the UNESCO Culture: Urban Future Report, the European Human Cities Network, the NESTA Programme by the Innovation Foundation in the UK, and a myriad of other urban visions and plans have’s program, as well as a wide variety of urban visions and plans have been created with the word “Human” incorporated into their titles. Human-centric concepts have even permeated across academia, as evidenced by research done by the Aalto University in Helsinki and a list of over books and papers. In other words, the time for human-centered cities is now.
Each city is a crossroads of different variables, and the diversity collected within each city then spreads out in a million different directions in most cases. Simultaneously, a city is a competitive arena, where social and spatial discrimination, the gap between rich and poor, social exclusion and tension can plague its communities. Social, economic, and cultural capital are unevenly distributed. Affordable housing and services are difficult to come by, and access to “green” infrastructure, health and educational institutions, and cultural events are not equally given to each citizen. The population of workers leading unstable lives is growing at a rapid rate, jobs have become difficult to find, and the gap in access to urban amenities is widening. Individualism, detached diversity, and inequality are characteristics inherent in most urban landscapes.
To solve these problems and properly respond to the changing world, a city needs to create an environment in which its people can actively demonstrate their capabilities. Meanwhile, people must be keenly aware of the dangers and potentials of the world evolving around them. However, the most important prerequisite for overcoming numerous obstacles is enabling anyone and everyone to participate and engage in building their city. To that end, we need to increase lifelong learning opportunities, which citizens can easily access, and focus education programs on the subject of digital literacy. Research and innovation projects must explore which activities were successful in what conditions, what innovative approaches are required, and which specific form innovation should take.
In an innovative city, people have to be able to shape, build, and create a city that changes constantly. They must continue to debate, engage, and participate in making transparent policy decisions for their city. Also, people must be given plenty of opportunities to face and interact with each other, and use digital technology to create a “smarter” urban landscape. And, in addition to planning for buildings and green spaces, social stability and equality, opportunities for education, and opportunities for access to culture and entertainment must all be rooted in a solid economic foundation.
A human-centered innovative city is a place that takes care of the weak, children, the elderly, and those with psychological or physical disabilities, which make daily activities a struggle. Thus, we must develop strategies and mechanisms at the city level to prevent social alienation or marginalization. Furthermore, we need to create an appealing environment capable of bringing people minds and bodies back to health. The urban environment should encourage and support the lives of its people.
A good city to live in should feel stable, friendly, and give people a sense of belonging. A good city must have different possibilities and options, and the rich and the poor must be able to mingle, interact, and build relationships. Also, a human-centered city has to look after its people, and welcome different people. Self-improvement and growth should be possible, and the urban environment must inspire the people as well. If we can abide by all of the above, a city will become a place that preserves its precious citizens inside and a place that invites people from outside.
