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In 1817 Karl Drais, a German baron, invented the first bicycle to move faster to the royal garden alleys. It was the year when society was forever challenged by a new perspective: a new way of building spaces for people, for social engagement, for healthy and sustainable communities. The quintessence of this notion is nothing more than: TO MOVE FREELY in a safe space. With urbanization, it seems that we can no longer move with security in our space. We require an environment that will diminish obstacles or other interferences that could put in danger our space, our lives, our right to move free, unwounded.
Avoiding Pollution: A reward for human race
Look around you and you will see more vehicles than trees. We must ask ourselves: Should we continue to build up a better place for these “killing wheels” instead of raising children in a more natural “wheel of life.” It is essential that we put our land and city spaces to better use; land use through social- conscientiousness. We have the ability to nurture a healthier, thriving and better educated social era with a new mentality. We need new generations to have a desire to breath cleaner air, to be healthier and more active. This is possible through the positive influence of better urban landscapes.
Urban Design
Most of our cities are sprawling with skyscrapers, congested roads and polluted air. This will continue to be so until we decide it is necessary to change it. Our current urban designs depend largely on large corporations making profit, building incessantly on our lands, with little or no regard for social health and well-being. The responsibility also lies with us. Our local and state governments will only incorporate community input in their transportation, land use and design efforts if WE push hard enough for them to do so. We need to prioritize the need to for ‘greener, more eco-friendly, cycling and pedestrian-friendly’ urban cores that are not consumed with traffic and pollution.
Social Purpose
We must find a purpose within us, to make space, to want to live healthier, to care for our fellow human beings. It is promising to see so many startup companies interested in greener methods and practices. Many established corporations are also taking steps to help heal our planet. We must take the next step to create healthy and sustainable communities through urban planning. We need help to support innovative ideas that can bring change, so that we may live in a better manner. We need legislative effort to bring forth much needed action for creating better public spaces for moving, walking, and breathing.
We need to realize that we live in a world of inequities in every field: health, safety, values, success, education, politics, religion, and disease. For all these reasons, we need to change our inner world to re- build the outside one. We need a new perspective on the importance of health and public spaces. We can achieve this goal by creating new systems, implementing eco-friendly ideas, and having input in creating better urban design. In order to be successful, it is necessary to have one very powerful tool: Awareness.
Nik Donovic believes that what may be good for business today may negatively impact the environment tomorrow. He believes it's time to stop being selfish with the environment and start being sustainable.
