Accessibility and livability From digital control to city management Cities are taking control of shrinking public space to ensure better accessibility and livability. Technology can offer valuable support by providing rich data from smart sensors and networkwide, multimodal traffic management. Digital control and city management help make the city more attractive to everyone. Accessibility and livability have a huge impact on the wellbeing of city residents. And cities are popular: urban populations are growing, as are the numbers of entrepreneurs and visitors. This means demand for amenities is growing, including shops, hospitals, and schools, as well as for office space and bars, hotels, and restaurants. And above all, new homes are needed – Amsterdam alone is planning to build 7,500 new houses every year. All this new construction will lead to urban densification. The urban space is shrinking and streets will become ever busier. Parcel delivery vans, construction and waste disposal vehicles only add to the congestion. In sum: accessibility and livability are coming under pressure. Wellbeing is not the only thing affected by this development. A livable city is a city with a healthy economy. Expats like to come to a city where life is good and work is plentiful. If the city center is designed to facilitate walking, people are more likely to visit bars, restaurants, and shops to spend money there. And entrepreneurs want their businesses to be accessible. 06 Digital control of public space Use of the urban public space is dynamic. People go outside on sunny days and stay in when it rains. School children, college students, and commuters travel to and from their schools, universities, and offices on school- and workdays. The traffic situation is totally different during vacation periods, and major events similarly have a dynamic of their own. On King’s Day, many urban centers are closed to motorized traffic altogether. The city is constantly in flux. Cities are increasingly seeking to establish control over the public space so that they can use this dynamic to improve the experience of residents, entrepreneurs, and visitors. This means various interests have to be weighed up, as traffic and modes of transport on the roads are prioritized in time and space. Data and digitization can help to do this and give the city digital control over the public space.
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