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Households

Urban integration

CONTEXT

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This section aims to tackle the urban integration of a housing development and its effect on the quality of life and health of the residents.

Achieving a good level of urban integration for a residential development or apartment building means taking into account (fostering/designing/implementing) certain urban aspects or qualities such as DIVERSITY (functional, typological, social), PROXIMITY (connectivity, location, mobility, accessibility), AUTONOMY (independence, security, accessibility) and VITALITY (density of activities, uses, social spaces, facilities).

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  • Diversity. The diversity of functions allows the integration of different uses and services in a local space which can be accessed on foot or by bicycle, without the need to have a motor vehicle. Social and typological diversity helps the integration of people with different levels of income, ensuring that the public space is used by anyone and everyone regardless of their social condition.
  • Proximity. Proximity refers to the nearness in terms of time and space of social spaces, everyday amenities, public transport stops and shops to and among housing, in such a way that it is possible for everyone to carry out their everyday activities on foot following routes that link the various uses.
  • Autonomy. Accessibility and security allow the vast majority of people to have access to the city and its services without depending on anybody else or having to use a car.
  • Vitality. It facilitates contact, exchanges and communication between people.

Functional diversity, proximity and accessibility are urban qualities that reduce people’s isolation and favour their autonomy. Loss of autonomy and independence may cause isolation problems and therefore physical health problems, such as an increase in obesity and overweight, but also an increase in mental health problems like anxiety, depression and emotional discomfort (see 5.3.2 Accessible Apartment Buildings).

For their part, social and typological diversity and vitality are urban qualities that favour and foster social cohesion and harmony, reducing the likelihood of suffering mental health problems caused by isolation, such as anxiety and depression (see 5.3.1. Diverse Apartment Buildings for All).

 

OBJECTIVE

  • Reduce people’s isolation and foster their autonomy
    • Favour the diversity of functions and uses
    • Foster proximity
    • Implement accessibility
  • Increase social cohesion and harmony
    • Favour social and typological diversity
    • Foster urban vitality

PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Proposals and recommendations for the development of housing (public and private).

  • Favour diversity
    • Foster the coexistence of different uses in apartment buildings.
    • Foster a variety of shops and amenities, especially in buildings shared with housing.
    • Modify the building’s environment and accessibility in such a way that it facilitates physical activity.
    • Generate social spaces in the buildings and their environment to foster the presence of different groups.
  • Foster the proximity of the local environment
    • Take into account the distribution and the walking distance between the various uses and services within a radius of 300 metres with an accessible route on the scale of the immediate surroundings and within a maximum radius of ten minutes on foot without difficulties on the neighbourhood level.
    • Foster the location of and urban connectivity with services, amenities, public spaces, public transport, shops and other housing. Design accesses to the buildings to foster this proximity. Plan connections with public transport with stops at a maximum distance of six minutes on foot.
  • Implement the accessibility and autonomy of the urban environment
    • Prioritise walking and cycling and provide suitable parking spaces for the buildings.
    • Have physical elements that generate a perception of security.
    • Have information elements to ensure nobody gets lost (in the case of large residential complexes).
  • Foster the urban vitality of the local environment
    • Foster intermediate spaces between homes and buildings, and between buildings and public spaces.
    • Design the relationship between the ground floor and the facade and pavement to ensure the potentiality and variety of activities.
    • Design apartment buildings that take advantage of and generate public spaces.

The room to manoeuvre available to councils for public developments is relative, given that they depend on the plots of land they own. In this sense it is necessary to:

  • Prioritise plots integrated into the urban fabric.
  • Introduce planning mechanisms to improve the integration of the most isolated environments. 
  • Achieve healthy sites for their developments. This can be achieved through various instruments:
    • Reservation of land for its acquisition as Municipal Land and Housing Assets (PMSH); and the transfer of assigned assets for PMSH.
    • Establishment and operation of a register of undeveloped plots.
    • Acquisition of land, buildings or housing on the free market and through the rights of first refusal and redemption.

REFERENCE EXPERIENCES

Information only available in Catalan

 

 

  • Edifici 111 - Terrassa. 2007-2011 Flores i Prat arquitectes. L’accés als habitatges es realitza a través d’un pati interior obert que esdevé un lloc de trobada, d’estada i de jocs.  
  • Edifici mix d’habitatges i allotjaments temporals - Barcelona. 2018. Coll Leclerc Arquitectes. L’edifici combina habitatges protegits de lloguer amb un equipament d’allotjaments temporals per la incusió de col·lectius més vulnerables. 
  • Sargfabrik housing- Viena. 1992. BKK3 Architectur. Cooperativa d’habitatges que ocupa l’interior d’una illa i presenta una volumetria complexa que s’articula amb l’entorn i el teixit existent. El conjunt proposa equipaments comunitaris i aporta diversitat d’activitats públiques i privades.
  • Barri BO01 - Malmo, Suècia. Barri amb 350 habitatges de nova planta dissenyat amb criteris de sostenibilitat i pensants des de l’escala humana. Incorpora elements per afavorir la biodiversitat. 
  • Valoració de la proximitat de las zones verdes, equipaments i serveis. – 2012. Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza. Document que analitza la ciutat a partir dels Indicadors Comuns Europeus A4 “Disponibilitat d’àrees públiques obertes i serveis locals bàsics” que quantifica si aquests espais es troben a una distància accessible a peu. 

 

LEGISLATION

STUDIES AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION

OTHER LISTINGS OF THE GUIDE

  • Edificis d´habitatges diversos i per a tothom
  • Edificis d´habitatges accessibles

More information about addressing the Public Health Service: entornurbasalut@diba.cat

Date of last update:
dl., 30 d’ag. 2021 09:29:11 +0000