15-minute city

How master plans in the two cities hope to transform their historic, and historically underutilized, waterfronts.

The buildings define the spaces, the spaces are a healthy mix of active uses, and the activities that offered between buildings are thoughtfully orchestrated to create urban experiences that are satisfying and memorable. A planner, landscape architect, and urban designer for more than 20 years, he has led a vast number of projects in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia. Because the potential to introduce a broad range of sustainable civic benefits is so great as these cities reemerge from the vicissitudes of the past, we have to remember cities are in a state of constant flux. Complete communities are based on compact, walkable, and sustainable neighborhoods that offer the goods and services we need locally in a human-scaled and comfortable setting. Having a clear sense of this responsibility allowed us to analyze community-level data in a way that would provide a clear perspective on exactly how much of what kind of services and businesses should be apportioned throughout the newly developing communities. The key thing to remember, though, is that data-driven design tools prompt and assist designers in doing their work more effectively and efficiently. Of course, the data and algorithms are intricately linked with proven urban design principles and community feedback to provide a strong foundation for district planning and modeling. Every time we do this, we gather reams of new data points and knowledge that can be used to further refine the algorithms for future applications. In both Cleveland and Detroit, we worked closely with local planning firms that knew the street-by-street social and economic nuances of each city. Besides making room for small business enterprises, artists, and creative makers to flourish, the urban development plans for these areas need to ensure that residents have a safe haven in which to live, work, and play. The model produced through this parametric process was then further developed to project population growth and quantify, locate, and generate program-specific development to realize the goal of complete community development. [land use](/definition/land-use), amenities, transit, and economic opportunities in the local areas under consideration.