How Should We Design Cities in 2016?

As more people are migrating towards cities we need to become better at designing the outdoor spaces so they respond to our needs. The way cities are designed matters hugely in how much exercise we get, how we socialise and how we get around. Diabetes and other life style diseases are on the rise and design of cities has a lot to do with it.

For long enough the cars have been allowed to set the design standards with pedestrians and cyclists squeezed in between - it is time to turn things around.

Cities should encourage cycling, walking and running. This is done by creating intricate networks of attractive paths, roads and squares which are safe, supportive and enhances the spacial wellbeing for the user.

The best cities to live in are the ones that are walkable and cyclable and created around high quality public transportation. According to the Economist the most ‘livable’ cities in 2015 are:

1. Melbourne, Australia

2. Vienna, Austria

3. Vancouver, Canada

(2015 Global Liveability Ranking)

Interestingly, what binds these cities together is not only great infrastructure and amazing urban spaces, it is also their connection to remarkable adjacent rural landscapes, allowing their inhabitants an urban lifestyle, but with close visual and physical connection to nature.

Dublin has the same unique and attractive opportunity. You can see the sea and the mountains from most places in the City Centre allowing a sense of nature’s grandeur along the edge of the city.

So get going Dublin - we would love to see you high on the most livable cities list very soon!