Urban Design: 5 tips from the architect Wojciech Odrobina It's time for urban design to reclaim cities for people, not cars Architecture and urban planning face the challenge of reversing the damage of disproportionate and harmful urban growth for people. Sustainability and citizen participation are the axes that should guide any urban planning and architecture project. Wojciech Oprobian is a visionary architect who has worked hard to ensure that urban design and architecture are at the service of the citizen, and not the other way around. His vision and experience are the best inspiration for many professionals and his messages are the best advice for architects and designers who want to give a new approach to urban planning. In addition, it is a way to detect emerging opportunities in urban design and use them to complete training and bet on courses that give a new approach to architecture and urban planning. 1. Public life must be the axis of urban design It is recommended that an urban planning that invites coexistence and that all its members participate in the life of the city prevail. 2. Stop cheap architecture This means putting an end to this urban design approach that requires us to invest hours in traveling in private cars and that damage our health and mood. In addition, it forces citizens to depend on fuels, which is not sustainable due to climate change, the abuse of resources and the constant rise in prices. 3. Use urban planning to offer multisensory experiences That is, that the citizen has a pleasant feeling when walking through urban areas and receives beneficial and positive impacts. To do this, urban planning must consider people as protagonists and offer them spaces and urban design that help them in their well-being and the development of their sensory capacities. 4. New approach to public transport If the idea is that cities are for citizens, they must offer an accessible, alternative, efficient public transport system for everyone, so that the private car loses relevance and effectiveness. This is also a way to prevent many poorly communicated areas from becoming isolated suburbs or lower-income residents from using their city's services. 5. Days counted for private automobile cars It may sound drastic, but it is the perfect measure to end many problems and return cities to pedestrians and sustainable urban planning. Many cities are already limiting car access to certain urban areas and prioritizing the use of alternative and more environmentally friendly transport and urban space.