Novel Times, Novel Measures

Open space is at a premium in cities across the globe. A few recent trends identified by the United Nations point to a dire need for prioritizing open space in the built environment. For the first time in the history of the world, more people live in cities than not. Of that number, over one third live in what the UN chooses to call “slums”. If there were ever a time to re-evaluate our culture’s woefully inadequate urban planning, this is that time. The continuing dire situation in New Orleans — what the New York Times called the “Death of an American City” — stands as a terrible reminder.

For my own part, I can attest to the need for more open space, and green space in particular. The past 14 months in an urban environment — albeit a very affluent one by global standards — have heartily emphasized the need for green spaces for my own mental health, as well as that of the community. We need to embrace the simple fact that people are happier when they are in close proximity to green, public space. It is a necessary respite from an urban architecture that has all but denied the organic matrix from which it sprang.

In addition, nearly four months without a car have confirmed how little consideration is given to the full human experience in urban planning. My pedestrian day is wholly dictated by the route mechanical and geometrical consideration of cars. Where I walk, what I look at, even the air that I breath are all directly impacted by the unfortunate preponderance of cars. If one assumes that the human experience can be fulfilled by clever geometry, then maybe we should congratulate our architects and land-use planners. I choose to believe, however, that the clever geometery of asphalt planes and cubes of concrete and steel — no matter how well-designed — cannot reflect the deepest emotions and inspirations of the soul.

So what do we do with our urban environment? Do we leave it up to greedy developers, greedier politicians and superman designers to determine land-use patterns? Do we forfeit our inherent right to have a say in the planning our our built environment? Hell no! We envision what we want and then go out and make it. I am continually pleased and inspired by the works of all shape and scale transpiring here in the Bay Area. Natural gardening is taking back our lobotomized lawns and deadened driveways. Urban agriculture and permaculture projects are sprouting like spring seedlings, especially in East Bay neighborhoods like south Berkeley and North and West Oakland.

The creative creative chaps at Rebar are combining art, ecology and design to tackle the problem of urban blight from a different direction. They’ve taken on the concept of “parking” and turned it upside down and colored it green with a recent installation called PARK(ing). Take a look:

People, families and communities are recognizing the need to be an active participant in designing and cultivating our built environment. It may take the political and economic establishment decades to catch up to the cultural pioneers doing this important work in their own backyards today. It can be as simple as planting a seed and as and impactful as voting for a presidential candidate. I’ll be making my impact felt in the 10′ x 20′ plot of land next to my cottage and will be sure to share the process. Go green!

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Filed under: San Francisco, The Urban Environment