Construction World November 2017

→ towards sustainable urbanism. The goal being 'sustainable and livable', the idea is to live simpler and far more connected as people and built environments to the natural world around us. And thanks to this rising conscientiousness, cities are starting to rethink the way they build and plan, so that green high-performance buildings and infrastructure are connected by walkways, cycling paths, bus routes and other transit systems with a low carbon footprint. But the reality is, these pockets of progressiveness are still rare. Even if fantastic innovations are remodelling the neighbourhood, rarely do they ‘talk’ to the core components of urban planning and together build an overall vibe – a sense of place that pulsates with purpose. Usually they hit the technical and ideological targets of the building, and that’s about it. Rebecca Solnit put it this way: “In great cities, spaces, as well as places, are designed and built: walking, witnessing,

being in public, are as much part of the design and purpose as is being inside to eat, sleep, make shoes or love or music. The word citizen has to do with cities, and the ideal city is organised around citizenship — around participation in public life.” The role of the engineer is not only to create an exceptional space but to foster a place that has personality and flavour. Advising on the future If we wear the capes in this superhero saga, shouldn’t we do more than just serve up what the client ordered? Surely, we should be using our powers to show the way? With insight into the project’s long-term impact, who better to advise and negotiate for the end user, owner, and community than the engineer? Understanding the clockwork of a city is understanding what makes it tick and come to life. And understanding this requires some serious head locking between

urbanists, scientists, economists, ecologists, architects and engineers. Through this kind of tight collaboration, we can pick up the city’s peculiar heartbeat and make sure that each of our investments together make the city become a better version of itself. Engineering is both prophetic and proactive. We pull down conceptions into reality and modify our physical world with the unimaginable. The privilege and responsibility of it should both thrill and terrify us. That’s why it’s never enough to cut, copy, paste, repeat our knowledge and experience. After all, as Abraham Maslow suggests, if the only tool you have is a hammer, you treat everything as if it were a nail. Pumping out the same solutions for different problems won’t get us there. The onus is on us to stop, study and speak through our designs to the flavour and flow of that particular city pocket. It’s definitely a big responsibility, but it’s an even bigger privilege.  *From Aurecon’s Just imagine blog.

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2017