‘Better’ Exists And Residents Have A Right To Demand It
Studjurban Presents Walkability and Accessibility Document at Local Council Association’s Resident First Initiative
Malta could be doing things much better than it is doing at the moment and citizens and their respective localities need to learn how to demand better standards according to Perit Antoine Zammit, founder of leading architectural and urban design firm Studjurban.
Dr Antoine Zammit was addressing the launch of the third pillar document Walkability and Accessibility prepared by Studjurban as part of Resident First, a nationwide initiative in collaboration with the Local Councils Association that has found the endorsement and support of all local councils in Malta and Gozo.
“Unfortunately, the critical number of people who question and challenge the status quo is not there yet but this ‘better’ exists, and citizens and local councils need to be empowered to demand that things are done better. They have the right to expect this,” he said.
Resident First promotes sustainable mobility as one of its four pillars, with two out of five subjects – Electric Vehicles and Parking Management – already presented in separate studies.
Walkability and Accessibility covers the third study of the Resident First initiative and consists of a document that has been compiled over the past two years covering standards, good practice, case studies, resources, references and funding opportunities.
“Unfortunately, most local councils lack resources, time and expertise which hinders them from bringing meaningful changes in their localities,” explains Dr Antoine Zammit, pointing out how these limitations are also a reason why localities are failing to apply for funding in time.
“The studies we are presenting under this Resident First initiative are technical studies that go into a lot of detail. However, the documents we are presenting have been prepared in a way that makes technical things accessible and therefore, more relatable for local councils while further increasing the expertise at Regional Council level.”
“These documents are there to educate but more importantly, I hope that this work will empower local councils by making them aware of what standards they should be demanding and how to do things better. This better exists and residents have all the right to demand it,” concluded Dr Zammit.
The 4th document Shared Transport will be presented to Local Councils and other stakeholders on the 13th of November.
