Today, October 7, 2024, is World Architecture Day (link below). The theme this year is “Empowering the next generation to participate in urban design.” With that in mind, AIA New Jersey invited Luke Vastano, AIAS, to contribute his thoughts regarding this topic. Luke is pursuing an accelerated dual degree in a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of Urban Design-Future Cities at Thomas Jefferson University. In addition to his studies for his BArch/MUD, Luke is the president of the AIAS Chapter at Jefferson. Luke also works at The Authority of Cumberland County, NJ, under the supervision and direction of Bruce D. Turner, Architect, where Luke assists Mr. Turner with architectural and construction management responsibilities for capital improvement projects throughout the Cumberland County NJ region.

Urban Design Coming of Age

The Urban Design process begins far before the materialization of a building. Rather, Urban Design is largely a study of people. Understanding density, diversity, and other elements that comprise of the urban fabric are the driving factors behind an effective design within our modern cities. When using this approach, designers can create architectural interventions within a city that inherently improve everything that 2024 World Architecture Day is focusing on.

Inherently, there are substantial sustainability benefits to a community that is designed with consideration to what spaces like a library are becoming instead of what they currently are. Urban communities that locally possess these types of spaces have lower commute times to fulfill those needs, which leads to less carbon emissions. Spaces that are adaptable and multifunctional eliminate the need for multiple single use buildings to consume more space in communities and use more unnecessary materials. Spaces that are designed in consideration of the future, result in a prolonged duration for the embodied carbon of the building environment, rather than a continued contribution. This is what I believe to be the key to sustainable urban design practices. Using the evolving needs of the people you design for as the driving factor of urban design.

Luke A. Vastano, AIAS

Thomas Jefferson University