Why does the built environment matter?

For my first comment piece for the incredible BENews, I wanted to reflect on why the built environment matters.

For those of us who are urbanists, we see the correlation between a healthy and happy space with the bricks and mortar built. But translating this to a language that is tangible to the masses is hard and inspiring those in the business is also challenging as they try to meet ever-more stretching targets and KPIs.

With the cost of living, the recession and growing concerns around mental health and equality, it is easy to overlook the role the built environment has to play. A few years into my career, initially in planning consultancy, I was sat around a boardroom table with some of the big cheese developers. It was a discussion about value and profit, key elements for all businesses; in a second-rate location, they wanted starting prices of £350,000 for a one-bedroom home.

I sat there reflecting that being on £25k a year and without family money, home ownership would be completely out of my league unless I moved away from London or found a partner to do it with. I leant over to a friendly face in the planning team and asked: “Who is expected to live in here?”

“International investors,” was the reply. I responded: “So not people like you and me?” I was met with a resigned shrug of the shoulders.

It was in that moment I realised the correlation between the built environment and its employees is fragile. Why does this matter? It matters because those around the boardroom couldn’t make the connection between their role in the built environment and their own issues.

Those around the table had issues of their own, from looking to buy their first home through to divorcing and needing to find a space for their new circumstances. This is just one example and far from an isolated one. For years I’ve heard colleagues and peers in the industry complain about their individual circumstances and not take into account their role in contributing to the situation.

Moving on, when I became a parent, navigating the city, I realised the fundamental flaw of it. Push a buggy and you’ll see why. Roads uneven, paths too narrow/non-existent or steps when a ramp is needed. Failing to address accessibility means disregarding the various needs and the role of the built environment in meeting them.

The fact is that if a space isn’t accessible it has a huge impact for many. Having recently befriended an older person, I suggested we meet at a café – I was met with “no”, I asked “Why not? (the coffee there is great!)” “I can’t get there” was the reason. She explained to me that there was no lift, and the stairs were too steep. There is so much lost in not getting the built environment right. Isolation among older people is at an all-time high, but if going out requires mental gymnastics about where and how to travel, it is understandable that sitting at home then looks appealing.

Finally, the death of Sarah Everard has brought the built environment into focus, and rightly so. Navigating spaces in the dark is hard at the best of times, but worse still, it is dangerous. There is certainly a consciousness amongst developers about their role in creating a safe environment, but it’s not just for safety, there are other practicalities too.

One of my favourite anecdotes about why everyone should be involved in the built environment is about the tale of ‘the carer’ and the planning department. The carer is also a councillor in the East Midlands. The planning team were sat round a table discussing a local car park. The car park was underutilised and they couldn’t understand why, because they’d invested lots of money into the town centre. Why weren’t people coming to shop, play and entertain themselves? The carer, who felt intimidated by the team, asked them: “Have you parked in the car park?” “No,” they replied. “Well, that explains it – it’s too dark, the parking spaces are too narrow, and if you have a buggy you’re wasting your time being there.”

The built environment impacts the economies within them. If people can’t access the space, then they can’t spend. The disconnect between the plans on paper and the people interacting with and within those places is so vast.

So why does the built environment matter and why do you matter working in the built environment? It has a tangible impact on our lives and the issues at their core: can we afford a home, can we thrive in the areas we are living in at home or the workplace, can we see friends, can we feel safe and can businesses attract employees? It can’t just work on paper, the built environment needs to work in life.