World Urban Planning Day: The importance of sustainable planning in cities
The growth of human concentration in cities and the increase in housing and traffic in urban areas are social phenomena that we have been witnessing for decades, and to which urban planning has to provide solutions. But not just any solution is worth it.
As cities grow, more needs and challenges are presented to us, and the environment is undoubtedly affected by this, a fact that we cannot afford in today's society. That cities grow is not a problem in itself, they simply have to expand and evolve, increasingly thinking about Smart Cities models, based on citizen collaboration, planning, creativity and of course, taking advantage of technology to be more sustainable. Only in this way is it possible to achieve urban and social innovation that generates the necessary efficiency in cities.
How can we achieve a more sustainable city through urban planning?
Construction of recreational areas or 'healthy enviroments'
More and more people are concentrated in cities, which generates a high concentration of people in very specific areas, where the environment is harmed, and consequently the quality of life of its inhabitants.
By healthy spaces we refer to areas such as parks, squares or any type of urban recreational areas that help dissipate population concentrations. In this sense, although urban planning plays a fundamental role, it is also necessary for people to become aware. A great example in the city of Valencia is the old riverbed of the Turia River, a green space almost 10km long that runs through the center of the city and guarantees a lung of oxygen for all its inhabitants.
House Building
As we have mentioned before, more and more people are concentrated in cities, so it is necessary to expand the urbanizable areas. The problem is that sometimes there is no choice but to build in areas close to infrastructures such as roads, railways, airports, or industrial zones. Any of these scenarios introduces different risk factors that significantly damage the quality of life of the people who occupy these areas.
In this sense, one of the decisions that should be included in urban planning is the installation of acoustic screens in urbanizations where an acoustic study determines that they are areas susceptible to excessive noise.
Urban Mobility
In a recent post we talked about mobility and safety solutions in urban environments, given that traffic problems and challenges are beginning to emerge as a priority for city managers.
In fact, many cities are embarking on processes of adaptation to new formulas for sustainable mobility. For example, for many years now, a more sustainable awareness of urban mobility has been promoted through the use of bicycles.
This is proven with the fact that most cities have an urban reorganization underway that includes an ambitious plan for the implementation of cycle lanes.
On the other hand, the social phenomenon of electric scooters is here to stay. Currently scooters circulate on the bike lane, but who knows if in the future specific urban routes will be planned in order to guarantee the differentiation of vehicles and safety in urban mobility. It is precisely these types of issues that are intended to be made visible and promoted with World Urban Planning Day.
Innovation through urban design: the drive towards the sustainable city
Throughout the article we have spoken to you in terms of ‘urban planning’. However, the true engine that allows sustainable development based on the characteristics of a Smart City, on the design for social innovation or ‘social design’.
Innovation and urban planning by the hand of the World Design Organization (WDO)
World Design Organization is an organization that is dedicated to promoting industrial design as a profession capable of generating products and infrastructures that help create a better society, with a special focus on the environment.
The WDO recognizes cities for their effective use of design to stimulate economic, social, cultural and environmental development; among which Valencia is included as the World Capital of Design 2022.
The objective of this initiative is to turn design into a tool for sustainable social and economic development. In this sense, design is essential to improve people's quality of life and act as an agent of change. It is about finding and gathering creative proposals that are capable of giving relevance to social design and urban innovation.
In addition, although from the name of the project it seems that everything begins in 2022, it does not. The mere fact that Valencia has already been chosen as the future World Capital of Design, is already producing collective synergies to give visibility to the problems that concern urban areas in order to give them solutions working from the local to the global.
The improvement of the environment implies research and development of new urban formulas, to which social design is capable of providing answers that benefit groups. Without a doubt, our cities are changing for the better… Thanks to transcendental proposals full of creativity, design and innovation.
Mobility and security solutions in urban enviroments
We are currently witnessing an increasingly accelerated evolution of our societies, and like all progress, it has its positive part and its negative part. However, this is not something new. For years, cities have been facing more and more challenges due to their unstoppable growth, the increase of traffic, the aging of the population ... All this requires providing solutions that from Metalesa we are willing to offer in order to ensure urban security...
Thanks to our experience and the products we design, manufacture and install, we are able to provide solutions to various problems that occur in cities, tackled from different fronts:
Mobility
Most cities are in the process of adapting to the new mobility formulas that have emerged relatively recently.
With the aim of ensuring the sustainability of cities, for many years most cities began to establish a new urban reorganization that included bicycles on their roads; therefore, bike lanes began to be enabled to go anywhere. Now it is much more complex than that.
The popularity of electric scooters is undoubted, and it is a phenomenon that is going to increase. Sustainable, practical, efficient ... But it also represents a challenge in mobility issues, for this reason, the proliferation of new urban routes is necessary in order to guarantee safety. What products for urban security can we provide from Metalesa?
Urban Parapets
It is a containment system specially designed to be installed on urban roads, in order to provide safety and aesthetics in urban areas such as streets, avenues, roundabouts ...
With the installation of urban parapets in the cities, it is intended to guarantee the safety of both pedestrians, cyclists and people who use the electric scooter to get around. In addition, they are also used to adequately contain vehicles that circulate through urban areas or those limited to 50 km/h.
Cyclopeatonal Railings
In addition to the urban parapets, in Metalesa we have more products destined to the protection of those groups that move around the cities using ‘more vulnerable’ transports; this links with one of our main objectives, to ensure road safety.
Cyclo-pedestrian railings are containment systems for cyclists and pedestrians. They are usually installed in road areas where bicycles and mopeds circulate. Therefore, it is a safety element that cannot be missed in order to reduce accidents.
Its height between 1.3 m and 1.5 m depends on what the requirement is. In addition, at Metalesa we add an aesthetic touch to our cyclopedestrian rails so that they integrate perfectly into the environment.
Bollards
With the same objective of guaranteeing safety of mobility, we design, manufacture and install bollards to prevent vehicles from entering pedestrian areas.
It is a steel pole anchored in the ground, ideal to cushion shocks. Therefore they are essential in any urban area and establishments such as shopping centers, gyms, open parking lots ...
Acoustics
Noise pollution is another of the fronts to which we have always wanted to solve, and on which it is increasingly necessary to take action. Not all the problems that a city brings are visible ... noise is not, and from our experience and contact with groups that suffer from it, we can affirm that it is a very serious problem.
The growth of cities has influenced in increasing the acoustic problem. Cities have been expanding, and for example, the presence of housing estates near industrial estates is not uncommon. In addition, although more and more limits are imposed on the passage of vehicles through downtown areas of the cities, the excess of traffic, and the noise pollution they entail, continue to be a topic on the agenda.
How do we get involved from Metalesa to solve the challenge of ending noise that is so damaging and so bothersome?
Acoustic Screens
Acoustic screens or anti-noise screens have the mission of minimizing the impact of noise pollution in cities. We have assumed that they are necessary on roads, in the vicinity of the railway network or in industrial areas ... but we are not always aware of the noise level with which we live in urban areas.
Our Urban Screens
The growing concern for acoustic quality in urban areas has led us to design urban screens that fulfill a double function: protection and aesthetics. At Metalesa we have a wide variety of acoustic screens specially designed to be installed in cities. Methacrylate screens, wooden or metal acoustic panels are the most demanded for their functionality and adaptability to the environment.
Urban Support Equipment
We are increasingly part of more advanced and developed societies in all aspects. For this reason, the aging of the population is an evident phenomenon. Hope and quality of life is much higher than a few years ago, which, being a positive fact, means having to adapt cities to this part of the population, enabling urban structures to guarantee their protection and facilitating their limited capacities for mobility.
These are more vulnerable groups for security purposes, so it is necessary to pay special attention to them. In addition, of the urban parapets and the cyclo-pedestrian railings explained above, at Metalesa we manufacture all kinds of fences and railings that adapt to the needs of each urban space and the group that routinely travels it, especially thinking of older people.
Steel railings, cable railings, or perforated sheet metal are some examples of urban fences that give cities protection and style.
The development of cities is something unstoppable, therefore, we must adapt and assume the challenges that arise as society progresses. At Metalesa we are ready to solve these challenges and we will be happy to help you if that is also your goal. For more information about our urban products or to request a quote, do not hesitate to contact us by calling 96 088 9944 or sending us an email at metalesa@metalesa.com.
We create and believe in Smart Cities
In the 21st century, our cities are immersed in such a process of technological development, that it is not unreasonable to say that we are already living in what the cities of the future will be. Smart Cities are committed to innovation as a force for change, its aspiration lies in improving the quality of life of its citizens and making a more efficient and sustainable consumption of resources
At Metalesa we have been researching for a long time to develop products and services that have SMART technology, hence we have several projects underway to lead the future market for the 'smart transformation' of transport infrastructures.
What are the features of a Smart City?
- Collaboration: Not only companies have a voice in Smart Cities, it is about creating collaboration synergies between companies, municipalities, citizens ... we can all contribute to improve the sustainability of our cities!
- Planning: In a Smart City, decisions must have a reason. What is it missing in my city that would make life easier for people? When facing an opportunity, technological and innovation tools available in the market are analysed to develop product or service.
- Creativity: Technology, innovation and creativity go hand in hand. This combination allows us to create solutions that make a difference from what has previously been used.
- Sustainability: It is one of the fundamental legs of Smart Cities. Each contribution to our city must seek for sustainability in the environmental field. The road to Smart Cities is a positive evolution in every way!
In this way, it is not only about innovating, but also a sustainable city must set the objective of achieving efficiency and sustainability through people and technology.
Some conditions to become Smart City
- To have a social, environmental and economic development based on sustainability criteria.
- Carry out good management of natural resources.
- Citizens are committed to the values that characterize a Smart City.
- Urban infrastructure and equipment are equipped with technology to provide public services that make life easier for citizens.
At Metalesa we create Smart Cities
Not only we create them, but we also believe in them. From our very beginnings, our vision and the values that have characterized us have always prioritized being a leading company, and therefore we are currently very aware of the great opportunities that cities offer us at the level of innovation.
For this reason, all throughout our history we have been able to contribute with our experience to those cities that have needed our services. For example, all our processes are carried out under the philosophy of Industry 4.0, use of technology in all operations of our company.
Our modern containment systems are designed to be incorporated into the future ecosystem of a Smart City, always starting from the basics, guaranteeing road safety. Summing up, the benefits of living in a Smart City are numerous, as they are fuelled by improvements in information and communication technologies which exponentially increase their effectiveness in its service to the citizens. Are you betting on a smart city? Contact us and we will show you all the possibilities we offer in technology, innovation and creativity for urban environment.
