Jason Heinrich, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Holistic Bottom-Up Densification of Suburbia

Cities have been governed by common sets of urban rules (e.g. setbacks, density, height, land use) that represent a lowest common denominator for planners to implement urban forms. These rules are often clumsy substitutes in pursuit of utopian ambitions of healthy communities and their application is defined centrally with absolutes due to precedent. The development of new computational tools and research into healthy, sustainable cities can enable new metrics and new frameworks.

Question: What are holistic metrics that should govern urban planning, and how can they be applied in a bottom-up framework for local decision-making?

Proposal: The previous proof-of-concept design suggested that introducing new urban rules such as protecting natural capital and limiting heat exhaust can yield localized solutions to improving our cities. The simulation of possible results used a form of the Augustijn-Beckers settlement algorithm adapted for Vancouver owners and development patterns. First I shall expand and test a holistic set of rules (that include environment, economic, cultural, political, and social implications). Secondly, I shall improve the simulation of a multi-agent simulation for bottom-up decisions by testing a diverse set of agent behavior. Machine learning (e.g. neural networks) will be used to study and simplify the high order complexity of a multi-agent. It will be used to run multiple rule simulation and strategically iterate between diverse behaviors and rules. Thirdly, resulting trends from the simulation (e.g. growing energy sharing infrastructure, incremental development, ecological refuges) will be designed to provide proof-of- concept speculative visualizations for a sustainable neighborhood.

The research focus of Next Generation 2nd prizewinner Jason Heinrich went through significant transformation during his studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture (SALA). For Jason, winning a Next Generation prize was “one of the most exciting things in my life! It was such an honor to be on a stage and feel like an equal next to other architects whose work I’ve studied. It validates the work I’ve done and it’s motivating and inspiring to do even better work,” he said, in an interview with SALA.

Sustainability has become a core principle of architecture and construction in North America. Winners of the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction presented in Chicago show how the leading edge of sustainable design means reaching far beyond “common sense”. Their approaches use proven instruments that are cleverly applied to improve the quality of life. So the world builds better.

Based on democratic principles of governance, communication, and participation, the project identifies a set of rules for establishing a sustainable urban neighborhood in the city of Vancouver in Canada. Instead of relying on a pre-established urban pattern, the strategy foregrounds a number of important criteria – such as the density of the urban fabric, the effect of shadow on neighboring buildings, views from each lot, parking needs, and green spaces – that are to be collectively negotiated by stakeholders in order to define the neighborhood’s future development. The approach establishes minimally-invasive interventions, which will develop in time according to the needs of both individuals and group collectives. 

Holistic urban growth begins with cooperative negotiation between all agents

Regeneration and development in our cities requires a holistic approach and a cultural shift that includes the many actors that constitute and build our cities. Master planning is a remnant of a mechanistic worldview that attempts to prescribe sustainability, but cities are complex systems built on relationships. How could a city rule set foster cooperation and negotiation between the many inhabitants of a city? Relational Urbanism proposes a framework for development where local action and context dictate growth patterns based upon local negotiation and mutual benefit between parties. It does not assume all parties will make sustainable choices, but signifies a shift to a holistic system of city making based on a democratic, collective intelligence and culture of its people.