Written by:
Guest Author
By Lucy Natarajan
The Healthy City is a core planning topic which is as critical today as it ever was. The well-being of citizens has always been a driver for urban professionals. Somewhat of an icon is the removal of the broad street water pump’s handle to turn off the water supply in 19th century London. John Snow was mapping people’s health to help evidence water as the source of cholera, in the face of expert opposition. He kick-started the field of epidemiology by connecting with lived experience.
In present day Bartlett School of Planning, where academics are taking the Healthy City further, going beyond the clinical and looking at new health-making practices. In particular, the Health Citizenship research cluster academics are embracing the idea that knowledge of non-experts is key for urban decision-making. This has critical importance for those involved in planning practices such as tracing spatial patterns, designing spaces for active lives, and other non-clinical scientific activities.
Students from the Bartlett School of Planning participating in WEdesign this year were testing and applying their ideas about the Healthy City. The undergraduate and postgraduates involved had been learning new ideas of management and regeneration activities in the built environment. Their studies were focused on ways to uplift communities’ well-being, and how to support ‘people centred’ city-making. This gave them a critical appreciation of ‘healthiness’ as a broader and more holistic planning goal.
The WEdesign activities were an excellent sandpit for students’ active learning. They made connections to their own experiences of the city, and explored how they understood the development of health through planning. I really enjoyed seeing their creativity and passion in developing models for the event. They put together explorations with questions in advance of the event, which rolls out inquiry on the day and helped others to interact and tease out different perspectives on the subject of health.
For me it was such a pleasure to be on the table looking at urban ecology. The ideas centred on nature in cities as a resource for well-being, and the questions sparked a meaningful discussion about what that might look like. The sharing of experiences gave rise to the expression of what an un-healthy city was and for me it was best captured by the notion of ‘living in a mechanical framework’. This was such a strong image and contrasted with the various creations that were brought together.
The co-designed model, shown in the image below, captures some of the diverse ways for connecting with nature and the health benefits discussed. For example, there is a hideout for observing shy creatures, where people sit quietly buried within a natural environment shown as a soft felt roof. Elsewhere people are enjoying nature-inspired urban forms, and across the landscape buildings are carefully positioned so as to merge with the existing lines of the waterways. The expansion of mental space and freedom from the ‘cage’ of modernism, is shown through literal spirals emanating from the figures’ heads. I had been quite tired that day and – in testament to the power of biophilic analogue – this activity lifted me up!
