Mehr Lebensqualität in der Stadt

Keeping senior citizens safe and giving them greater independence in their city districts is the aim of the UrbanLife+ project. Drees & Sommer and its team of development managers have been a part of the project right from the start.

The city of the future will be an agreeable place for everyone to live in. People who are no longer as mobile as they were, or cannot see or hear as well as before, should nevertheless be able to take an active part in the community and not have to withdraw to their own four walls. For people to remain mobile in their senior age, they have to be able to move around cities safely.

The research project UrbanLife+ is developing and testing technological solutions in two pilot districts in the German city of Mönchengladbach: the urban Hardterbroich-Pesch district and the more rural Rheindahlen district. The social holding company Sozial-Holding der Stadt Mönchengladbach is one of the partners in the consortium running the project, along with the University of Hohenheim, Leipzig University, the Bundeswehr University Munich, and Drees & Sommer. Local implementation partners are also involved.

‘A Great Assignment with People from Different Disciplines.’

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has made funds of EUR 6.2 billion available for UrbanLife+ from the beginning of the project in November 2015 until the end of 2020. Björn Sommer, a project partner from Cologne, is excited to be part of such a unique project.

He commented: ‘Often, development management deals with short-term consulting assignments, such as feasibility studies. There is something very appealing about getting immersed in a longer project on which you can work constructively in a team right from the off, and have a significant role in steering the project – all with people from very different fields such as IT, software development and social services.’

Human technology interaction (HTI) plays a major role in the project. For instance, intelligent benches will detect that a senior citizen wants to sit down and immediately rise to a comfortable sitting height. The user will be at the forefront of such innovations.

Flower Seats

One of the newest objects being developed by the Drees & Sommer team as part of the project is the sitting flower which comes up out of the ground when needed. As Mustafa Kösebay, who was part of the team developing the idea, commented: ‘The benefits are easy to see.’

He continued: ‘It is a good way to provide much of the urban area with age-appropriate seating, without having to allow for large areas to accommodate it.’ In their retracted position, the seats are protected from the weather and vandalism. A prototype is currently being designed by the creative experts from the urban planning department and is soon to be built.

Navigation System Guides People Safely to the Restroom

Further possibilities include adaptive street lighting that adjusts its strength to the visual faculties of passers-by to enable them to find their way easily in the dark.

A navigation system currently being developed will guide people to the nearest bakery or to a public restroom, avoiding typical tripping hazards such as curbstones, surfaces unsuitable for walking frames, or streets with a steep gradient. Explaining the concept, Mustafa Kösebay of Drees & Sommer said: ‘We use public space as a cloud.’

All Based on Geodata

To develop these assistance systems in addition to others, the research partners working on the project need huge amounts of data. They have to know exactly where specific structures are, as well as their attributes and whether they can be fitted with technical equipment.

The project team from Drees & Sommer carried out inspections on foot and with a survey vehicle to record geodata and other information on benches, curbstones, street lamps, bus and tram stops, sidewalks, and traffic lights

Safety Atlas as a Manual

Geographic information systems (GIS) were used for the surveys. Experts use the data collected to create three-dimensional terrain models, from which they extract information on how to keep public paths free of obstacles. All this information is compiled and organized in a database. This helps the university partners in the technical development of prototypes. The data is also used in the safety atlas being created by the Drees & Sommer team. This safety atlas is a manual for urban planners and Human Technology Interaction (HTI) developers, which is intended to show how future districts can be made senior-friendly. The two Mönchengladbach districts are just the start.

Urban Life+ Runs Until the End of 2020

Urban Life+ is a fascinating research project. It is envisaged that the findings from the two districts in Mönchengladbach will help to make it easier for older people to get around public spaces. The project will continue until the end of 2020. A team of development managers from Drees & Sommer has been involved right from the start.