Vision

Building the Digital City

As a trained urban planner, I’ve always been fascinated by the art and science of designing spaces that serve the people who inhabit them. Over two decades ago, when I first encountered Drupal, I was struck by the parallels between city planning and building digital platforms. Both involve balancing the needs of users with the constraints of resources, and both require vision to create spaces that are functional, accessible, and sustainable.

Today, as a person active within TwelveBricks that operates in this space, I find myself drawing on those same principles to address a different kind of urban planning: the digital landscape. In this blog, I want to take you on a journey through this landscape and explain why the middle ground—where innovation meets practicality—is the future of web development.

The Digital Landscape: A Tale of Two Extremes

Imagine a cityscape stretched out before you. On the far right of the horizon, you see sprawling luxury villa neighbourhoods. These are built by the digital agencies. They create bespoke solutions, each tailored to the specific needs of their clients. Every project is a masterpiece, crafted with meticulous care and significant investment. These digital villas come with all the trimmings—intricate gardens, custom-built swimming pools, and architecture that turns heads. But here’s the catch: they’re prohibitively expensive, with price tags in the hundreds of thousands, and they take months to complete. These agencies, increasingly blending various tools and platforms, are moving further away from specialization in Drupal.

Now look to the far left. Here lie the prefab housing developments of the digital world: standard SaaS solutions. Think of rows upon rows of identical houses, quickly constructed but lacking individuality. These platforms promise speed and affordability, but at what cost? Their proprietary CMS systems often prioritize flashy features over substance. They distract content editors with endless formatting options and menus while sacrificing performance and accessibility. For end users, this results in websites that feel cluttered, inconsistent, and, frankly, uninspiring. These cookie-cutter solutions might serve a purpose, but they fail to deliver the quality that users truly deserve.

The Park in the Middle: A Space for Innovation

Between these two extremes lies a space that’s often overlooked: a vibrant, well-designed park where digital infrastructure meets human-centered design. This middle ground embraces what I like to call “customer intimacy as a service.” It combines the efficiency of standardization with the flexibility of customization to create solutions that are both accessible and tailored to users’ needs.

Here’s what makes this approach different:

• Content-First Design: 
  Just as a well-planned city prioritizes walkability and public spaces, the middle ground focuses on what really matters: the content. A streamlined user interface gives editors exactly what they need to create and manage great content without unnecessary distractions. No flashy bells and whistles—just tools that work.
• Performance and Accessibility: 
  Think of this approach as a city with smooth roads, clear signage, and thoughtful design. It ensures every website scores a perfect 100 on Google’s Web Vitals across SEO, accessibility, performance, and best practices. It’s like designing a city where every sidewalk has curb cuts, every intersection has crosswalks, and every street is lined with clear, informative signs.
• Quality at Speed: 
  In this park, homes aren’t just fast to build; they’re built to last. By reusing and refining the best practices and modules that Drupal has to offer, we can deliver high-quality websites in as little as two weeks. Each site is tailored to the unique needs of the client, just as a well-designed neighbourhood reflects the character of its residents.
• Sustainability Through Reuse: 
  Urban planners know the value of reusing materials and spaces to create sustainable cities. The same principle applies here: leveraging decades of expertise to create consistent and reliable solutions.

The Future of Web Development

As the digital landscape evolves, it’s clear that neither extreme can fully meet the needs of modern users. The high-end agencies, with their focus on bespoke solutions, are becoming increasingly disconnected from the day-to-day realities of businesses that need agility and affordability. On the other hand, the prefab SaaS solutions sacrifice quality and user experience in their quest for speed and scalability.

The middle ground offers a better way forward. It’s a space where technology serves people, not the other way around. By combining the efficiency of standardization with the flexibility and quality of customization, this approach builds a future where websites are not just tools but carefully designed spaces that empower users and delight audiences.

Much like urban planners shape cities that stand the test of time, this middle-ground approach to web development is about creating environments where content thrives, users feel at home, and businesses achieve their goals. The future isn’t in extremes; it’s in the balance. It’s in the park where innovation meets practicality.

So, as you look out over the digital landscape, ask yourself: where do you want to build? In the cookie-cutter rows of prefab solutions? In the gilded, exclusive neighbourhoods of bespoke agencies? Or in the thriving, vibrant park in the middle, where quality, speed, and accessibility come together? The choice is yours.