The 'urban buzz' creating new urban areas

The first objective of developing a new urban area is to create the "urban buzz": that sense of thriving life in the streets, parks and other public spaces in a new development area. The urban buzz is important not only as a symbol of society but also as a generator of urban energy, and significant financial and cultural value. Streets support micro and small businesses, and create jobs. More than that, they create places for people to meet and hold conversations that lead to ideas, inventions and innovations which can potentially shape the future.

Many discoveries and transformations, from the birth of the financial services industry in London to the inspiration for great literature in Paris, even the breakthrough research in DNA at Cambridge, have taken place in the "street spaces" of thriving cities. For cities to continue attracting talents and encouraging people to settle down, urban planners need to build an environment in which people feel not only safe and secure but also stimulated and enriched.

So how do you create the urban buzz when planning and designing new urban areas? Xiong'an, a new area in Hebei province, northern China, has been designated to facilitate the relocation of non-capital functions from Beijing.