Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa Real Estate Investor Magazine - May 2017 | Page 41

Finding the best possible answers for urban
renewal
Reviving our modern city spaces is far more intricate than
just looking at what geography and floorspace allows.
There is an awareness of possibilities, of improving spaces
for optimal living and socialising, an almost feeling of
‘social responsibility’ to create the best possible answers.
Jacques van Embden, Managing Director of urban
property developers, Blok, notes that this awareness and
the ideal of Thirdspaces link directly back to the need for
urban renewal.
“Maximising the potential of our cities is crucial to
improve urban living. How we design our built spaces
ultimately shapes the form our cities take. These do not
only pertain to our living environment, but also to our
places of work and where we socialise.
“I would go so far as to say that Thirdspace and lean
thinking in urban planning go hand in hand. In an
interview with Planet Lean, Boyd Cohen, urban and
climate strategist, says that “lean approaches to city
building and citizen co-creation are critical to remaking
our cities”. He also states that: “Cities need to embrace
new forms of innovating, embrace design thinking and
lean startup ideas to rapidly test (and fail) and eventually
succeed. Only then maybe does it make sense to scale a
solution throughout the city or to other cities.”
He adds: “With the rate our cities are growing,
developing and evolving, our thinking needs to be
focused on how we are designing and creating optimum
results. We have to ask ourselves: how are we using what
we have to create a ‘fully lived’ space, as Soja defined it.”
Using space wisely for greater functionality
Van Embden further explains that the concept of
Thirdspace also applies to residential homes and flats
– a key design element that Blok incorporates in all
its developments. “When we design apartments, we
incorporate Thirdspaces first. These are the areas that are
otherwise passive in an apartment, such as a passage or
underneath staircases. They are the nooks and crannies
where the clever use of space leads to great functionality
in a home such as a home office or a bar, and most of all
these spaces make a house or apartment a home.”
Van Embden concludes: “If we look to the future
of design and urban development, the concept of
Thirdspaces is key in ensuring we are creating sustainable,
inclusive and viable solutions that will continue to help
our city and living spaces thrive. If we are aware of how
we are structuring our cities and catering for its residents
in terms of these spaces we are developing, we are
successfully shaping a better solution for urban living.”
RESOURCES
Planetizen, Taylor & Francis Online, there’s no
space like home, Planet Lean, Blok
www.reimag.co.za
MAY 2017 SA Real Estate Investor
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