Behavioral design thinking in urban design bridges the gap between behavioral insights and technical planning, emphasizing empathy, iterative prototyping, and user-centered approaches.
This approach became famous through the seminal work of Jan Gehr, a famous Danish architect and urban design consultant. Gale has had a major impact on the field of urban design, focusing on making cities more livable and sustainable by prioritizing human needs. Jan Gehl’s principles focus on designing cities for people, and understanding how people use and interact with space helps create cities that are vibrant, livable, and sustainable. This suggests that it is important for creating a safe urban environment5. Several cities around the world have adopted this approach, becoming attractive exemplary lighthouses for human-centered urban design. Close observation and analysis of human behavior has enabled the construction of pedestrian-friendly spaces, human-scale buildings, and accessible public areas that encourage social interaction and active transportation.
Some of the world’s most sustainable lighthouse cities, such as Copenhagen, Melbourne and Bogotá, are leveraging design thinking and behavioral insights (Box 2). In each of these cities, the application of behavioral insights extends beyond physical infrastructure to the subtle cues and amenities that encourage desired behaviors. Unlike traditional urban planning, which focuses primarily on functional aspects of infrastructure, these interventions are designed with a deep understanding of human psychology, motivating people towards more sustainable and health-promoting behaviors. It is intended to guide you. fun. During the planning stage, people often fear change and perceive it as a threat to the status quo. But as the COVID-19 road closures and neighborhood redesigns in many cities around the world have shown, people quickly adapt to structural changes in their surroundings, and once introduced, the benefits Profits are often valued highly. In this sense, the coronavirus constituted a natural living laboratory.
Box 2 How cities can use design thinking
Copenhagen’s shift to prioritize bikes over cars didn’t just involve building bike lanes. It was underpinned by a deep understanding of behavioral incentives. For example, Copenhagen’s bike lanes are designed with attention to details that are important to cyclists. Examples include straight routes that make cycling the fastest means of transportation for short distances, physical separation from car traffic for safety, and even green waves for cycling during peak hours. To minimize stops at red lights. These features speak directly to our behavioral tendency to choose the path of least resistance, making cycling an easy, safe, convenient, and most importantly, time-saving choice. The new Carlsberg neighborhood drew on Gale’s lessons and was designed around the movement of people, not cars (Figure 1).
Second, the revitalization of Melbourne’s alleys was based on the insight that people are attracted to vibrant, human-scale spaces. By transforming these spaces into art, cafes, and green areas, cities capitalized on the human tendency to socialize and explore interesting environments. This intervention is based on the understanding that the environment can shape social interactions and encourage more pedestrian activity, thereby reducing dependence on cars.
The success of Bogota’s Ciclovía program is a testament to urban planning that taps into the latent desire for community engagement and physical activity. By closing the streets to car traffic on Sundays, the city not only provides a safe space for exercise, but also fosters a sense of community and belonging. The initiative understands and leverages the social dimension of behavior, encouraging people to take part in physical and social activities outside the home, which also reduces vehicle emissions.
