Shifting towards a happier and healthier urban life

In conversation with David, he tells us that his fascination with cities and ordinary things started early. At the age of five, with his nose in the children's books such as Busy, Busy Town by Richard Scarry, his thoughts already wandered to all the things that happen in cities. He remembers that, playing with Lego and building a city which was constantly growing and changing, he told his mother who was tired of constant carpet of LEGO spread across the living room floor: "It's a town mom, it will never be finished".

David: "A city like that should actually give you space to be the best version of yourself. I have always been interested in everyday things. Super ordinary. Waiting at the bus stop, putting out the rubbish, children who need to be able to play somewhere, sleeping with an open window. What always fascinated me was that in Scotland, where I was born, the beautiful and good things were saved for special occasions, like Sunday Best. And were therefore rarely used. Certain rooms were a kind of show room that you don't go to. In Scandinavia, where I have lived and worked since my studies, it is the other way around. Every day is special and so the good and beautiful things are for every day. The clothes for every day are therefore more important than that suit that you might take out of the closet once a year or less.

It is funny that I ended up in Scandinavia because of the Lego of my youth. I remember it said 'Made in Denmark' on the boxes the Lego came in. And there were children’s stories by Tove Jansson and Astrid Lindgren, and later I became aware of design from IKEA and Marimekko and then different, more progressive politics. I imagined a more beautiful, fairer, more balanced and healthier life. Certainly when I compare that to the eighties - my youth - under Margaret Thatcher, when the UK became increasingly Americanised. In Sweden, I met wholesome students who baked their own bread and repaired their own torn clothes.

In the more than seventeen years that I worked as a creative director at Gehl Architects in Copenhagen, I spent a lot of time with Jan Gehl (the man) and learned a lot from him. Here the worlds of real estate and healthcare came together. Or urban spaces suddenly acquired a different, greater value by filling them in differently. A good example of this is Broadway in New York. Once a thoroughfare where the car was king, and now an urban space for people to linger and spend time. Before Gehl’s work, you could not sit anywhere on Times Square, it is now one of the most iconic public spaces in the world, offering a kind of holiday feeling in everyday life.

I think it is great to see that young people also understand and convey the message of Soft City. The image of a somewhat simpler and more meaningful life, and in particular, with more attention to the outdoors. Cities are challenging: how do you realize high densities on a human scale. How do you balance all the different needs e of proximity to facilities, friends, family. How do you make a city child-friendly? Greener? More sustainable? These are the questions we are working with our small team at Softer. To make a shift in urban life, towards something happier and healthier.”