Soft City
Recently architect and urban planner David Sim visited Ljubljana as part of the international conference Urban Future, whose central theme is creating better cities. On the occasion, David Sim presented the translation of his book Soft City, published by the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia in cooperation with Corwin. The translation in Slovene was contributed by Andrej Kurillo, and the foreword was given by architect and deputy mayor of the City of Ljubljana, Rok Žnidaršič. The book presents a modern view of urbanism that puts people, their everyday lives and well-being at the forefront.
The central idea of the book is that urban densification should serve to improve the quality of everyday life. Instead of impersonal and purely functional construction, Sim advocates the creation of cities where public space acts as an “outdoor living room,” a place for meeting, socializing, and spontaneous interactions.
The author points to a shift from building for efficiency to building for empathy. This is an approach that focuses on people and recognizes that we are sentient beings. Overly monumental and coldly modern buildings often fail to appeal to human emotions, which is why Sim emphasizes the importance of people-friendly architecture and urbanism, which he describes with the term “lovability,” i.e., with the warmth and sense of homeliness of the space.
The concept of a “soft city” further emphasizes the importance of direct experiences: well-being, social interactions, and everyday feelings take precedence over abstract technological perfection. In such a city, small moments become crucial, such as the journey to school or work, a chat with a neighbor, the smell of coffee from a nearby cafe, the feeling of safety when cycling, or sleeping with the window open. All of these elements significantly contribute to the quality of life. In an era of digitalization, Sim emphasizes that having contact with others is more important than ever. Cities must therefore promote diversity, inclusion, and mutual care, since social relationships form the core of urban life.
To achieve livable urban density, the author identifies nine key criteria. Such a city needs a diversity of built forms, which means a wide range of building types, and a diversity of outdoor spaces – from private to public. Also important are the flexibility of space, the human scale and walkability, which ensures easy accessibility and connectivity. In addition, residents must have a sense of control and identity, and the environment must offer a pleasant microclimate, have a minimal carbon footprint and greater biodiversity.
The “soft city” thus represents an important shift in thinking about the cities of the future: from technically perfect but alienated environments to warm, inclusive and livable spaces, where people are at the center.