The world is urbanizing. Between 1995 and 2015, the number of megacities worldwide – defined as a city with more than 10 million inhabitants – has more than doubled, from 14 to 29. Small and medium cities, meanwhile, now account for 59% of the world’s population and are growing at even faster rates. At the same time, however, there are certain challenges like aging infrastructure that are being confronted worldwide.
Improving Community Life with Innovation
At WSP, we care about your city because it’s our home too. The teams who live and work in these growing metropolises must lay the foundations for infrastructure that can adapt over time, in parallel with our changing lifestyles. Smart cities must be designed resilient and continue to provide opportunities for employment while offering comfortable living accommodations.
There is also a pressing need to reduce the energy and water use of established cities as well as the amount of waste they produce, but there are many political and economic barriers to the substantial changes that are required. Cities are where future economic growth will be concentrated – but that growth must be decoupled from negative environmental and social impacts. Thanks to our local presence in over 500 cities around the world, we work in the communities we live in and design comprehensive, innovative, and cost-effective solutions that make those communities more livable and at the same time meet the needs and requirements of each client by optimising the municipality’s infrastructure.
For example, we have implemented a variety of innovative solutions for the community of Southfork, near Edmonton, Canada, which has made Southfork the number one selling community in the city of Leduc. Working with Tamani Communities, we have provided landscape and civil engineering services since 2010. As of 2015, we have serviced approximately 750 lots. Southfork Stage 3A included landscape design for the storm water pond, a large park that contains a toboggan hill and playground, and an abundance trails and greenspace throughout the neighbourhood. Stage 3A and newer stages have since focused on introducing a variety of family-orientated housing options into the neighbourhood.
