Press Releases
New Cities: Urbanism for a Changing World
New modes of urban development in fast-growing parts of the world present new opportunities to create vibrant, sustainable, and connected pieces of urbanism.
In many parts of the world, newly planned cities meet the needs of growing economies, urbanizing populations, and rising aspirations. As urbanists, we seek to create quality experiences of density and diversity of uses within environments that challenge conventional understandings of what defines a city. Planning a district from scratch requires us to think critically about the local environmental and cultural context, translate ideas seamlessly between urban design and architecture, and anticipate future growth needs and usage changes.
To be successful, these developments must balance essential infrastructure such as roads, utilities, and transit with sensitive scale, a lively mix of program types, and locally resonant architecture to create a distinctive place.
Rethinking Destinations: The Airport City
A new model of development brings downtown density to airport-adjacent parcels, capitalizing on global interconnectivity, creating vibrancy, and catalyzing innovation.
Amplifying Place: The Resort City
New models of lifestyle-oriented development anchor and generate urban space through hospitality, challenging the traditional divide between “resort” and “city.” KPF’s commitment to urbanism extends both to resorts, which can function as self-contained cities, and novel urban ecosystems that connect hotels and mixed-use functions to create “cities” with an emphasis on leisure.
A Contextual Approach to Globalization: Saudi Arabia
In fast-growing Saudi Arabia, KPF is delivering projects that bridge the nation’s rich heritage with its ambitious future, fostering vibrant urban environments and innovative solutions for challenging climatic conditions.
Assessing Our Impact
It is a rare opportunity to be able to build a brand new city from scratch. It is also a responsibility we do not take lightly. History is littered with examples of utopian ideas that failed upon execution. Despite, or perhaps because of its lofty ambitions, Songdo, South Korea is not one of them.
What can we learn from this technology-enabled smart city several decades on? What factors enabled this planned community to evolve to meet unforeseen changes in how we live, work, and play? And how has the changing role technology plays in our lives impacted a city based on digital connection?
