First Forty Feet’s Post

NYC was listed as the third ‘most green’ city in North America by The Green City Index (Economist Intelligence: EIU). What spatial designs are the city getting right to achieve above-average urban sustainability? 🏘️ Mixed-use developments combine housing, retail, and services, reducing car dependency, lowering emissions, and encouraging walkability. This creates vibrant NYC communities with access to daily needs, all in one space. 🏙️ High-density design curbs sprawl and maximizes land use, supporting sustainable development by concentrating housing, services, and transit. This makes NYC more efficient and environmentally friendly. 🚉 Comprehensive transit and walkability in NYC promote sustainability by reducing car reliance, lowering emissions, and improving accessibility. These systems connect people to jobs and services through efficient, eco-friendly transportation networks. It’s no surprise that these spatial design choices aren’t new but are cornerstones of NYC’s historic development. Through modern zoning reforms and prioritizing transportation choices for locals, we can ensure that any future urban developments are human-centered and sustainable! #terrabyteforall

"Cities should work for everyone, not just a select few.  As Gil Penalosa, Founder and Chair at 8 80 Cities Cities, reminds us: ‘We need to stop building cities for 30-year-olds but build cities for everyone from 8 to 80.’ Let’s design spaces that prioritize inclusivity, safety and well-being for all generations. #LiveableCitiesX

When our clients ask how we can play a role in shaping people-centric urban spaces, we start with a few tough questions. For example: have you had a conversation with young people or observed some daily practices in the space? Read more of our advice at the link in our bio and share yours too! https://lnkd.in/d-b_9TUi 

🏙 In today’s fast-paced world, are we losing the true essence of urban living? As cities continue to develop at breakneck speed, I’ve found myself increasingly passionate about the need to retain what really matters: a sense of community. Urban spaces shouldn’t just be about flashy developments and commercial success. They should be places where people come together, where local businesses thrive, and where there’s a true sense of belonging - a place people genuinely love to be #urbanliving. Helping creating these spaces has become my true interest. There’s something incredibly fulfilling about fostering environments that strike the perfect balance between progress and people, where the pace of modern life doesn’t overshadow the importance of connection and community spirit. We need to shift our focus back to #placemaking - designing urban areas that encourage human interaction, creativity, and sustainability.

I think we can all agree that every good strategy encompasses the key elements by which a project will ultimately be measured. That’s why Scott Higgins and I believe that the great cities of the future, and great city-building projects, will be measured on societal metrics.   What does that mean exactly? It means how a city: ✅ publicly acts like a community. ✅ connects citizens and makes them feel they belong. ✅ celebrates their uniqueness and defines their identity. ✅ fosters trust and compassion among their citizens.   The key to achieving these different outcomes is a different starting point.   That’s why future city-building strategies must first define their vision within this same societal context. A powerful societal vision, coupled with a new design process, gives cities everything they need to create something new.   I’ve been working on this new design process and will be sharing more in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I can say that it features 12 concepts (“JOY Principles”) that help lead people through an exploration of new contexts, objectives, and measurements for city building.   The Principles are discussed in The JOY Experiments so if you’d like to get a head start, you can pre-order a copy of my book at the link in bio. #citybuilding #urbandesign #urbandevelopment #urbanplanning #joyfulcities #joyexperiments

At the core of experiential offerings is a transformative process. Folks emerge a different person from their interaction with place. In that sense, the city, like Adam said in his talk, is experience design at a massive scale. Leading interventions and projects with how we want the transformation to look like is a worthy endeavour and can be a game changer in the work of Main Street, BID, and downtown managers who seek to transform their places into putstanding destinations and boost their attractiveness.

This project demonstrates the power of data-driven decision-making in urban planning. By leveraging Minnovation’s pedestrian monitoring solutions, the City of Glen Eira created a vibrant food precinct that meets the needs of pedestrians, supports local businesses, and showcases the best of Bentleigh’s culinary scene. 

At Lightner Group, LLC, we’re more than builders—we’re visionaries. As the nation faces an unprecedented shift in office space utilization, we're pioneering the transformation of vacant office blocks into vibrant, sustainable residential communities. Our latest project, 'Community Reimagined,' embodies the future of urban living: where AI-driven design meets the soul of sustainability and affordability. Imagine a world where the concrete jungle blossoms into green spaces, where rooftops aren’t just roofs but living, breathing ecosystems, and where every block fosters a sense of belonging. This isn’t just a dream—it’s the reality we’re crafting. Join us on this transformative journey. Be a part of a movement that turns today’s challenges into tomorrow’s thriving neighborhoods. Let’s build the future, one green, resilient community at a time. #CommunityReimagined #AffordableLiving #Sustainability #LightnerLegacy #BuildingTomorrow #InnovationWithPurpose