Torque LTD’s Post

What type of development do you think makes the biggest impact on a growing community? Development is more than construction—it’s about shaping communities. At Byzantine Homes, our mission is to design spaces where people can live, work, and thrive. From integrating public spaces into developments to ensuring projects align with community goals, we’re focused on creating places that matter. #BuildingCommunities #SmartDevelopment #OntarioRealEstate #SustainableGrowth #MixedUseDevelopment #CommunityFirst #SmartCities #UrbanLiving #SmartDesign #FutureCities

How do you feel about mixed use buildings?

Public Spaces ++ [improving communities] Improving communities from a city perspective involves a multifaceted approach that enhances the public realm—streets, squares, parks, and other shared spaces—making them more inviting, accessible, and conducive to social interaction. Design streets that prioritize pedestrians with wider sidewalks, safe crosswalks, and pedestrian-only zones. Develop greenways that connect parks and natural areas, promoting walking and cycling while improving urban ecology. Foster development near transit hubs to create lively, accessible neighborhoods that reduce travel times and vehicle emissions. -- Incorporate art installations, benches, and social seating areas that invite people to linger and interact. -- Implement temporary changes (e.g., parklets, street closures) to test concepts before committing to permanent changes.

🚲 A new article by Stby is featured in the latest issue of Landscape, the Journal of the Landscape Institute. Since 2016, Stby has conducted 15 Streetlab projects in Amsterdam, and we expanded this approach to facilitate a co-design process for London’s Golden Lane Estate. Geke van Dijk discusses the Bike Parking Consultation in London and our use of this methodology. ⬇ Follow the link to read more about the article and download a free PDF of Landscape Summer 2024. 🧠 If you're interested in learning more about our Streetlabs methodology, you’ll also find links to previous projects. https://lnkd.in/eRQ68AXZ #publication #landscapejournal #servicedesign #cocreation #mobility #publicspace #sustainabledevelopment #policy #workshops

Don’t bother speculating. This phrase is often uttered while facing uncertainty. Consider this perspective instead: Speculation is not just idle daydreaming; it's a disciplined exercise in creativity, a powerful tool for devising novel solutions. History is rich with stories of visionaries who broke barriers and reshaped their fields through speculation and creative thinking. In the heart of New York City, a philosophical battle unfolded between Jane Jacobs, a visionary urbanist, and Robert Moses, a powerful urban planner. Moses envisioned a city shaped by grand infrastructure with neighborhoods yielding to the concrete majesty of urban design. Contrarily, Jacobs championed the vibrancy of city life, envisioning urban environments thriving on human interaction, diversity, and creativity. Their clash came to a head over Greenwich Village, where Moses planned a destructive highway. Jacobs, seeing the potential devastation to the community's social fabric, mobilized opposition, advocating for a city that nurtured human connection and complexity. Through her creative speculation about urban living, grounded in the value of organic, messy human networks, Jacobs halted the expressway project, preserving Greenwich Village's integrity. This victory underscored the transformative power of collective imagination and community engagement in shaping urban futures. Creative Speculation Exercise: Design a Pocket Park that fosters human connection and community spirit, inspired by Jane Jacobs. Choose a Space: Select a neglected or underutilized area in a community. Complete This Statement in Your Mind: The Pocket Park will transform this space from a _____ to ______. Visualize Your Pocket Park: Incorporate elements that encourage interaction. Thought Cloud: Imagine visiting a park that fits within the tiny confines of an actual pocket! Memory Keepsake: Before leaving the Pocket Park, you get a magical item to remember your visit. Tell us what it does in the comments below! #PurposefulDaydreaming #Speculation #Imagination #YonderGPT #AIcollaboration #CloudClub #creativity #pocketpark #humanitycentereddesign

⚡ TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY: Can you share a home with 30 families? In an age of subscription and shared services, from Spotify, Netflix, UberX to commuter bikes, the idea of ownership is hard to define. In this recent co-housing project by Boston Architects French2D, the idea of sharing takes on a completely different meaning. Bay State Cohousing, mixes private living quarters and shared spaces - think university accommodation (ie. UNITE Student Accommodation) with social benefits: weekly group dinners, built-in babysitters and access to shared tools and facilities such as guest quarters and play rooms for children. It takes inspiration from a type of intentional community building pioneered in Europe in the 1960s. I love many aspects of this story including community building, multigenerational housing, alternative approach to ownership, innovative funding to challenging planning and traditional land use politics. A great case study for creative solutions to alleviate UK's chronic housing shortage. #community #housing #social #innovation #cohousing #shared #ownership https://lnkd.in/e-tJaBRd

The City is developing a new precinct design for Bunbury’s Bicentennial Square – an iconic and cherished city centre precinct with great potential – and we want our community to have input! We know that city centre development and activation is one of our community’s highest priorities with the latest community scorecard identifying this as an area of improvement for our residents and ratepayers. We also know that Bicentennial Square is important to our community, and this is an exciting opportunity for residents, business owners and visitors to influence its future. Community members are invited to share their ideas, feedback and considerations for the potential design of the precinct through an online survey. Hard copy versions are also available at the City’s Administration Building. Located between the city centre and beautiful Leschenault Inlet, Bicentennial Square is a strategic site with great potential to become a thriving, activated town square, and vibrant community space. Based on community priorities and past feedback, considerations will include accessibility and inclusion, greening, culture and history, activation, beautification, and support for local businesses. Acknowledging recent community safety concerns in this area, the project will also include consideration of safety through environmental design practices. To find out more, check out the Bicentennial Square project page on the City’s website. This project is thanks to $100,000 in funding from the State Government and a $50,000 contribution from the City, which will also investigate further funding opportunities. This is just the first of a number of opportunities for community input into this exciting project. Our community’s insights are crucial in shaping a space that meets our collective needs and aspirations. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g4NhtX6p

The Main Street Visioning process is looking to transform Main Street between US-41 and School Avenue into a more welcoming, safe, connected, lively, and attractive hub of commerce and activity by evaluating all aspects of the right-of-way, including but not limited to travel lanes, parking, sidewalks, and landscaping. The project will evaluate how Main Street looks, feels, and functions to develop a vision that supports and reflects the community’s needs and values. Click the link to take the survey. https://loom.ly/EmRNsy4

Rather than just serving vehicles as transportation networks, our streets can be spaces in which to convene, create, and experiment The enhanced roles streets can play include: Streets as Living Rooms: the “third spaces” where communities are forged. Placemaking strategies that create the infrastructure for these meaningful interactions include tactical plazas, parklets, open streets, and sidewalk cafes. Streets as Canvasses: a place for creative expression. Programs that enable these activities include Street Murals, Temporary Art, and Paint Box. Streets as Experiments: public spaces where new tech- nologies are tested and integrated into the built environ- ment. The New Urban Mechanics’ Public Space Invitational, the Kiosk Program, and the Soofa bench initiative are examples of how placemaking can provide space for experimentation. ✍️ City of Boston, Tactical Public Realm Guidelines

Public Realm shape the heartbeat of our cities. It influences how we live, connect, and thrive. Here are 6 Common Public Realm Typologies that can transform our cities into living, vibrant spaces: 1️⃣ Stepped Landscapes Add depth and flow, inviting people to pause, climb, and explore. 2️⃣ Pocket Parks Tiny green havens that break up concrete jungles. They are perfect for relaxation or a quick escape. 3️⃣ Sidewalk Enhancements Boost accessibility, prioritize pedestrians, and add life to the journey. 4️⃣ High Streets Economic and social lifelines that drive local culture and commerce. 5️⃣ Neighborhood Squares A stage for public life. Spaces where conversations spark and community bonds grow. 6️⃣ Street Markets Vibrant, ever-evolving hubs for fresh produce, local crafts, and cross-cultural exchange. Each of these spaces is like a puzzle piece, helping shape a city that feels alive. 🌱 If we prioritize these spaces, treating them as the heart of urban design, we’re doing more than just planning structures; we’re creating communities where people feel they belong. ☘ Think this is valuable? Save it 🔖 and share it ♻ with your community! P.S.: Which typology do you think has the most impact? ⤵