Local governments can enjoy the economic benefits of improved streetscapes resulting from slower speeds , fewer accidents , less wear and tear on the roads thanks to walking and cycling infrastructure , and lower ongoing costs of infrastructure maintenance , with a staggering average benefit to cost ratio of 13 to 1 of lighter , noncar based infrastructure . 32
PLACEMAKING : AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS The process and outcomes of placemaking are fundamental to creating local environments such as those described above . They can provide for not only sustainable economic activity , but the social and environmental context that circulates these and the enormous range of co-benefits back into the communities that enable it .
Though many elements contribute to ‘ good ’ public realm , to consider any of them individually can miss the richness of what is possible when combined . Reflecting this interconnectivity , placemaking is far from merely being a planning or urban design issue . There is an opportunity for economic development professionals to engage with the process , working across council and with the community to realise this broad spectrum of co-benefits that community-driven public places can underpin .
REFERENCES
1 . Steuteville R . ( 2014 ), “ Four types of placemaking ”, Congress for the new urbanism , available online at https :// www . cnu . org / publicsquare / four-types-placemaking ?
2 . Project for Public Spaces ( 2007 ), “ What Is Placemaking ?”, Project for Public Spaces , available online at https :// www . pps . org / article / what-is-placemaking
3 . Graus , P . ( 2020 ) ‘ Reconnecting Cité and Ville ’, in Courage , C . et al . ( eds ) The Routledge Handbook of Placemaking . Milton , UK : Taylor & Francis Group
4 . Government Architect NSW ( 2018 ), Evaluating Good Design
5 . Project for Public Spaces ( 2018 ), Placemaking : What if we built our cities around places ?
6 . Sanderson P ( 2012 ), Creating Great Places that Work : The GHD Placemaking Delivery Methodology
7 . Project for Public Spaces ( 2018 ), Placemaking : What if we built our cities around places ?
8 . Government Architect NSW ( 2016 ), Better Placed - A design led approach : developing an Architecture and Design Policy for New South Wales
9 . Robinson S ., Barkham R ., Carver S ., Gray H ., Siebrits J ., Holberton R ., Soholt H ., Marini R . ( 2017 ), Placemaking : value and the public realm ,
CBRE , available online at https :// www . cbre . com . au / research-reports / Global-Placemaking-Valueand-the-Public-Realm-May-2017
10 . See https :// www . pps . org / gps / lqc and https :// www . pps . org / article / lighter-quicker-cheaper for many examples
11 . Caballero S . & Rapin P . ( 2020 ), COVID-19 made cities more bike-friendly – here ’ s how to keep them that way ”, World Economic Forum , available at https :// www . weforum . org / agenda / 2020 / 06 / covid-19-made-cities-morebike-friendly-here-s-how-to-keep-them-that-way /
12 . See Wyndham City ’ s ‘ alfresco parklets ’ pilot here : https :// www . wyndham . vic . gov . au / sites / default / files / 2020-09 / Tactical % 20Urbanism % 20 - % 20Alfresco % 20Parklets % 20in % 20 Wyndham % 20Sep % 202020 _ 0 . pdf
13 . See the NSW ‘ Places to Love ’ initiative here : https :// www . dpie . nsw . gov . au /__ data / assets / pdf _ file / 0006 / 348387 / Places-to-Love-FAQs . pdf
14 . Llewelyn-Davies ( 2003 ) Economic Benefits of Good Walking Environments , Transport for London
15 . Transport for London ( 2018 ) walking & cycling - the economic benefits
16 . Claris S & Scopelliti D ( 2016 ), Cities Alive – Towards a walking world , Arup
17 . Transport for London ( 2018 ) walking & cycling - the economic benefits , available at https :// tfl . gov . uk / corporate / publications-and-reports / economic-benefits-of-walking-and-cycling
18 . Transport for London ( 2018 ) walking & cycling - the economic benefits
19 . Transport for London ( 2018 ) walking & cycling - the economic benefits , available at https :// tfl . gov . uk / corporate / publications-and-reports / economic-benefits-of-walking-and-cycling
20 . Lee and March ( 2010 ), Recognising the economic role of bikes - sharing parking in Lygon Street , Carlton , Australian Planner , vol 47 , no . 2 , pp . 85-93 ; DOT 2013 ; Transport for London ( 2018 ) walking & cycling - the economic benefits , available at https :// tfl . gov . uk / corporate / publications-and-reports / economic-benefits-ofwalking-and-cycling ; Angelopoulos S ., Boymal J , de Silva A ., ( 2019 ) Economic benefits of 20-minute neighbourhoods , RMIT Placemaking Economics Group , Melbourne
21 . Lawlor E ( 2014 ), The Pedestrian Pound : the business case for better streets and places , Living Streets
22 . Carmona ( 2017 ) Street Appeal - The value of street improvements ; Transport for London ( 2018 ) walking & cycling - the economic benefits , available at https :// tfl . gov . uk / corporate / publications-and-reports / economic-benefits-ofwalking-and-cycling
23 . New York City Department of Transportation ( 2013 ), The Economic Benefits of Sustainable Streets , NYCDOT
24 . Transport for London ( 2018 ) walking & cycling - the economic benefits , available at https :// tfl . gov . uk / corporate / publications-and-reports / economic-benefits-of-walking-and-cycling
25 . Gossling et al . 2019 ; Litman 2021
26 . Transport for London ( 2018 ) walking & cycling - the economic benefits , available at https :// tfl . gov . uk / corporate / publications-and-reports / economic-benefits-of-walking-and-cycling
27 . Robinson et al . ( 2017 ), Placemaking : value and the public realm , CBRE , available online at https :// www . cbre . com . au / research-reports / Global-Placemaking-Value-and-the-Public- Realm-May-2017 ; Lawlor E ( 2014 ), The Pedestrian Pound : the business case for better streets and places , Living Streets
28 . SGS Economics and Planning ( 2021 ), Rural
Victoria Housing Blueprint , Prepared for Rural Councils Victoria , https :// media . ruralcouncilsvictoria . org . au / wp-content / uploa ds / 2021 / 12 / 06122347 / 20210351-RCV-Housing- Blueprint-FINAL-211201-WEB . pdf
29 . Garrard J . ( 2009 ), Active Transport : Adults – An overview of recent evidence , VicHealth
30 . Wyckoff M ( 2019 ), Placemaking as an economic development tool , Land Policy Institute , available at https :// www . canr . msu . edu / nci / uploads / files / pmguidebook _ final _ wcag2.0 _ v . 01.06 _ metadata . pdf ; Hadden Loh T , Lienberger C & Chafetz J ( 2019 ), Foot Traffic Ahead , The George Washington University School of Business & Smart Growth America
31 . Carmona ( 2017 ) Street Appeal - The value of street improvements ; Transport for London ( 2018 ) walking & cycling - the economic benefits , p . 6 , available at https :// tfl . gov . uk / corporate / publications-and-reports / economicbenefits-of-walking-and-cycling
32 . Claris S & Scopelliti D ( 2016 ), Cities Alive – Towards a walking world , Arup
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
GRAEME THIESSEN Graeme Thiessen is an urban and regional planner guiding policy decisions that create better opportunities for current and future generations . Interested in understanding how the built form of cities co-exists with economies and the environment , Graeme ’ s advice helps inform solutions that lead to meaningful impact . Graeme ’ s work is founded in data and a genuine belief that good policy should consider human behaviour . Uncovering insights on how people interact with their cities helps Graeme guide policy that works with , rather than against , the community .
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