Context and source
A City Made By People published the 2021 resource “How to Build a Better City in 2021”, with contributions from a large group of urban practitioners and organisations. Listed contributors include Lior Steinberg and Dymphie Braun alongside voices such as Clarence Eckerson Jr., Jason Slaughter, Melissa Bruntlett, Marta Aguilar, Maud de Vries and Lucas Snaije, Gerald Babel-Sutter, Elena Sandrone and others. The collection compiles short, practice-oriented perspectives on how cities can be redesigned to be fairer, healthier and more sustainable.
Reframing what a “smart” city means
The publication argues that cities should stop “shaping themselves solely around technology and economic growth” and instead start from a clear social vision. It defines a smart city as one that is “fair, inclusive, safe, and inviting to people of all ages and abilities”, with technology treated as a secondary “bonus” rather than the driver. The text links the pandemic period to a clearer view of how many urban environments fail to foster happiness and everyday wellbeing.
Inclusion, representation and intersectional design
Several contributions call for an intersectional, feminist approach to city-making that brings in diverse lived experience. The resource highlights how marginalised groups—women, people of colour, queer communities, young people and others—can join forces to challenge interconnected systems of discrimination and privilege. It frames participation as a core urban outcome: creating places, services and systems that enable equal access to social, economic, cultural and leisure life, regardless of capacity, ethnicity, gender identity, age or cultural background.
Reallocating street space and reducing car dominance
A recurring theme is shifting space away from private vehicles and towards people. Practical models mentioned include neighbourhood-scale open-street programmes such as Barcelona’s Superblocks, daily initiatives, and weekend “Ciclovía” approaches. The aim is to make streets safer, improve public life and support low-carbon mobility by redesigning streets to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport, while acknowledging different needs (including children, caregivers, older people, and people with disabilities).
Walkability, cycling and the “15-minute city”
The resource promotes walkability as a foundation for good urbanism and points to the “15-minute city” idea: essential needs should be reachable within 15 minutes by walking, cycling or public transit. It also notes how working patterns were already changing before COVID-19, increasing the relevance of mixed neighbourhoods and potentially creating opportunities to reuse surplus office real estate to support more balanced districts and affordable workspace.
Nature-based solutions, climate adaptation and healthier neighbourhoods
Multiple authors advocate re-greening cities by de-paving and increasing parks, soil and planting. Suggested actions include turning unused parking and abandoned lots into community gardens and pocket parks, improving water infiltration and reducing flooding while supporting biodiversity. Nature-based solutions are presented as tools for climate-change adaptation and disaster-risk reduction, paired with cleaner transport choices to reduce pollution and emissions.
Food systems and community resilience
The publication connects sustainable urban living to local food systems, describing how “support your locals” dynamics strengthened local food initiatives. It calls for integrated food policy at city level, treating food as central to health, community cohesion, inclusion and environmental education. Across themes, the resource emphasises community-building and belonging as critical urban infrastructure for resilience in crises and for long-term wellbeing.
Example data points and lived context
Alongside general strategies, the text includes concrete local context such as Bucharest being described as highly congested (with drivers losing 27 days per year in traffic on average) and polluted, yet geographically suited to cycling due to its flatness and many residents living within roughly a 10 km radius of the centre. These snapshots are used to illustrate how tailored, place-specific action—especially for cycling and public-space transformation—can unlock rapid sustainability gains.