An Urban Design Masterpiece: The NY High Line

South end of the High Line

Space to wander or to sit and wonder

Old rail lines were preserved!

Taking a break

Awesome landscape architecture

New opportunities created for public art...

...Along with new development by Zaha Hadid!

AND retail space

A great separation from cars

What a fun experience!

"Shut Up and Listen!"

Since the advent of what we term "modern" and/or professional urban planning around the 1900's, it's clear that it may miss the point of what it's designed to do: plan for people. In my humble opinion, I believe this is partly because of a population explosion; before large cities we had towns and small villages - connected communities of people that, to a certain extent knew each other and worked for or with each other. As populations expanded, degrees of separation began to build between people, and we kind of forgot the most important element of all: each other. 

Dr. Sirolli is one of my Dad's friends who believes in a "person-centered approach to community and economic development," and he's been very successful with this. While it is not directly related to city planning, the messages he brings fourth are.

We must shut and up and listen. Listen to our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers; listen to our community. That's it. And yet while it seems simple, it's not easy. 

Dr. Sirolli makes another interesting point, he says that there is a problem with community meetings. "Entrepreneurs never come, and they never tell you, in a public meeting, what they want to do with their own money, what opportunity they have identified. So planning has this blind spot. The smartest people in your community you don't even know, because they don't come to your public meetings." This idea then, that Dr. Sirolli has capitalized on, has been to create a social infrastructure that hasn't existed previously, learning how to get people to come and talk to him and ultimately helping them based on their needs.

Some people might be wondering "well, what does this have to do with planning cities?" While in some ways, connecting entrepreneurs with a community's future brings the conversation to another level, at a basic level I can extract what's most important: Listening to communities, and not just communities, but individual people. Planners and community leaders shouldn't be there to direct but rather to connect, empathize, strategize, and represent. This builds trust, strong communities, even friendships.

In recent years it seems that there's been paradigm shift, putting the focus on the people of communities, with trail runs and experiments that involve everyone or "I Wish This Was" sticker campaigns. 

Final words from Dr. Sirolli's TED Talk:

"What we have to look at is at how we feed, cure, educate, transport, communicate for seven billion people in a sustainable way. The technologies do not exist to do that. Who is going to invent the technology for the green revolution? Universities? Forget about it! Government? Forget about it! It will be entrepreneurs, and they're doing it now."

__________

Links/sources:

Dr. Sirolli's TED Talk
Strategy and Business article about Dr. Sirolli
History of Urban Planning Wikipedia

"Cities of the Future should be Designed with Well Being in Mind"

An article from December 2012 in the Guardian states "perhaps the key challenge of the 21st century is to improve our well being - to ensure we are happy as well as healthy. After all, what is the point of living a long life if we do not enjoy it?" I believe she is right.

Currently, a majority of the world's population lives in urban areas. This percentage is expected to grow, as economic incentives pull people into urban areas. Cities must figure out how to accommodate a growing population without sacrificing fundamentals to a healthy and happy life. I also want to argue that one of the most important factors in growing urban areas is being able to maintain a place's unique sense of identity, allowing the creation or build-upon a community feel.

New models for the future are starting to develop. Well-designed urban villages, homes, and spaces that create and help build a sense of community incorporate some of the following features:

• pedestrian-oriented
• "high quality environments" - inclusion of shops, restaurants and other local facilities
• homes with space for family members to eat and relax together
• natural light
• green views
• "right" proximity to neighbors
• safe streets
• neighborhoods with destinations
• unique places with their own identities

We should focus on making better use of our existing spaces. We do not need to take advantage of the fact that space is not a limiting factor in the United States. The issue seems to be with the quality and character of the space, not the amount. 

"Imagine a world where homes, streets and neighbourhoods make you feel good about yourself, help you reach your potential, keep you healthy and safe, and support you in making good relationships. This is my vision for the housing of the future - the pursuit of well being and creation of spaces that help us to flourish." This quote from the author of the Guardian article, Elizabeth Burton, who is a professor of sustainable building design and well being at the University of Warwick, captures it all.

I like to imagine places that simply make you feel good. My intention with this blog is to explore what some of those contributing factors might be.

Source:
The Guardian

Check out the 2014 United Nations World Urbanization Prospects:
http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/Highlights/WUP2014-Highlights.pdf