nine lessons learned from the landscape of Iceland

On February 23, 2013February 25, 2013 By Chuck WolfeIn everyday urbanism, infrastructure, pedestrianism, placemaking, sustainability, urban views1 Comment

I believe in the value of visiting contrasting places–divorced from the familiar—in order to read landscapes of shelter, wheels, weather, landforms and light. From these observations, our urban dialogues gain their basis, and to my mind, their sustenance.

I like to bring this purposeful travel home, first, for visual inspiration, and second, to inform professional practice regarding settlements and cities. I found fodder for both a few days ago in Iceland, amid a basalt terrain of lava fields seemingly created only yesterday, among contemporary accounts of renewable energy and epic stories of settlement dating back little more than a thousand years.

In Icelandic landscapes, in small towns, and in the resurgent capital city of Reykjavik, are scenes and stories that transcend nature, culture and the built environment. In the imagery of such places, we see scaled expressions of urban settlement and transport, both past and present, including dramatic examples of human interactions with the raw elements of nature.

Others have described how the legendary sagas that help define the country’s national identity largely lack a description of visual surroundings, but rather center on elements of humanity and survival. As a modern supplement, here is my more image-oriented summary of lessons learned from Iceland’s interplay of the natural and built environments, including human capacity to adapt to the opportunities and constraints of place.

1. Measure urban sustainability by clarity of the sky at night

The legendary Northern Lights dominate the evening. Why not use clarity of the night sky as a new measure of city sustainability?

2. Encourage minimalism that blends with surrounding nature

A small church and outbuilding on the Snæfellsnes peninsula honor natural surroundings with simplicity and scale.

3. Allow fusion businesses and food trucks in an urban setting

A branch of Copenhagen’s cutting edge Laundromat Cafe and a contemporary food truck show Reykjavik as consistent with worldwide urbanist trends.

4. Provide street retail integrated with sidewalk life

Streetside shopping activates the sidewalk in Reykjavik.

5. Use building color to make a statement in all seasons

In Stykkishólmur, an iconic red offsets winter weather.

6. Champion practical building materials consistent with tradition

Where native trees are scarce and light is variable (short in winter, long in summer), color and corrugated iron cladding have replaced turf, stone and concrete as dominant building features in Reykjavik.

7. Employ simple materials for monuments, blended with surroundings

In Borgarnes, a symbol of human significance echoes surrounding nature.

8. Foster the interaction of urban fabric with an iconic city pond

In Reykjavik, the historic town and a modern city hall frame Tjörnin, the best-known small waterbody in Iceland.

9. Recall the contrast of the man-made with landscape and clouds

Throughout the country, unrivaled cloud formations offset paving and structure.

To fully understand cites, I believe we should return to places where human settlement still stands in awe of larger forces, and to view the nascent built environment with discernment and care. For me, last week’s fundamental journey to Iceland, largely beyond the echo chambers of placemaking and policy, was a primer on the very underpinnings of human movement, settlement and consequent urbanization.

To supplement this limited introduction to Iceland’s sense of place, I urge readers to consult a wealth of available information about other, equally relevant aspects of the country, such as an atmosphere nearly free of pollutants and the successes of sustainable geothermal energy—not to mention the long, dramatic history of colonization, postwar independence, emergence from poverty and contemporary reinvention after the 2008 financial crisis (symbolized by the remarkable success of Reykjavik’s unique Mayor, Jón Gnarr).

This post first appeared in similar form at The Atlantic Cities, here.

Thanks particularly to Mark Johnson of Civitas, whose proud Icelandic heritage gave me a crash course in Iceland that fostered a much keener eye.

realigning nature and the city, coyote style

On February 12, 2013February 12, 2013 By Chuck WolfeIn everyday urbanism, infrastructure, pedestrianism, sustainability, urban viewsLeave a comment

Successful integration of nature and the city is a hallmark of sustainability. Sometimes it occurs without effort or provocation, while other times it results from projects or plans. In both instances, the natural and artificial merge, morph and redefine urban reality going forward.

Last week, on a Seattle winter evening, my dog and I stood at a neighborhood street corner in a spontaneous meeting with an urban coyote who, for several moments, owned my neighborhood pavement with conviction. Upon our rounding a corner and coming face-to-face, the coyote cast a long stare (with those “I am not a pet” eyes I once saw in Africa), turned around, and moved on. For this feral, walkable urbanist, the city sidewalk was clearly as customary a migration route as wooded paths or the open plain.

Several recent articles address the growing presence of coyotes in urban areas as an indicator of changing relationships between the city and larger, surrounding ecosystems. Whether considered pests or admirable interlopers, they are increasingly sharing (PDF) our places and spaces.

A landscape architect friend explained this integration as a merger of surrounding nature with urban culture and physical form, two things that need not be as distinct as we might expect. In my recent experience, no longer separate from the city, an animal corridor aligned with the sidewalk, a mainstay of urban transportation. I saw a spontaneous integration of nature and the city without any “urban sustainability plan” in place to allow indigenous wildlife safe passage on city streets.

This “city in nature” is not the same as calculated insertions of “nature in the city”, where artificial edifices are more systematically undone and replaced with fundamental green. I recently saw a good example of the latter across the world, while touring the Madrid Rio Project (PDF) by bicycle. This large-scale linear park was built as the M-30 motorway relocated within a submerged tunnel, allowing for restoration of the Manzanares River above.

There, I spoke with another landscape architect about what it means to reprogram places from built to natural. In particular, we discussed a former motorway ramp (shown here) that now displays greened pedestrian space imposed on the former roadway, complemented by its elegant (and once autocentric) river-hugging form and artful curve. He explained the approach: At core, there is nothing natural in the city, he said, and anything we can do that resonates with the public and creates a sustainable result, is defensible, proper and legitimate.

Through the experiences described here, and the respective views of the two landscape architects, I’ve learned more than expected about the ways urban and natural systems can merge and redefine. Whether nature embraces the city by coyote habitat adopting urban infrastructure, or a project brings back nature to the city, such as in Madrid, there are some common themes to consider.

Few themes are more basic than the intersection of nature and the urban environment.
This theme is elemental to urban ecologists and landscape architects as well, to whom habitat restoration can play a key project role.
As championed by Harvard Professor Joan Busquets, the most sustainable cities integrate natural geography and systems into the urban fabric.
The first landscape architect is right in his observation that nature, culture and physical form–once separated, now more easily merge.
The second landscape architect is also right; multiple approaches exist to introduce the natural to the built environments, and innovation that resonates—from greened ramps to restored beaches to vertical gardens—need not honor authenticity or precedent if done sustainably.

In the end, watching the coyote’s use of the sidewalk also taught me that while there is arguably nothing natural in the constructed city, the proposition has its exceptions, or compromises. For instance, in addition to common advice about coexistence with urban coyotes—such as protecting small pets at night, there is a larger issue at play: From multiple perspectives, the role of nature and the city will continue to realign.

In fact, before too long, our cities’ versions of Madrid’s green, repurposed motorway ramp may have some non-human users along the way.

Today’s post first appeared in similar form in THe Atlantic Cities, here.

how we should use pictures to think about cities

On February 5, 2013February 5, 2013 By Chuck WolfeIn everyday urbanism, infrastructure, pedestrianism, placemaking, urban views, vignettes1 Comment

The actor and director Orson Welles once said:

“I dont believe in learning from other people’s pictures. I think you should learn from your own interior vision of things and discover, as I say, Innocently, as though there had never been anybody.”

I agree, and apply Welles’ point of view to portrayal and comprehension of the urban environment. I learn about cities by shuffling my own photographs—not others’—and comparing similar human activities in different places.

For me. what stands out in this case?

Four contrasting photos of the American crosswalk and Barcelona’s Las Ramblas show direct, inspirational differences in the relation between people and public rights of way. Determined, mechanistic crossings on the left contrast with the ambiance of street life on the right. Photos like these freeze the activity in view, allowing novel dissection of everyday transactions which we otherwise take for granted.

In the American crosswalks, I see the pedestrians in separate spaces, on their way to a distant elsewhere, and not part of the street they traverse. Their perpendicular disconnection with the right of way is particularly clear from my camera’s vantage point.

In Barcelona, the vantage point on a walking street merges with the activity around it. There is a unity of people with their surroundings, and stares are not empty, but engaged with the adjacent place.

From thoughtful composition of one’s own, simple urban photographs, stories unfold, which both define problems and suggest solutions. But in their own experience, regardless of the imagery, some readers may prefer a crosswalk’s anonymity to the proximity (and pickpockets) of walking streets and tourist lore.

Those individual preferences make my very point. Here, rather than dictate walkability to others with my pictures, I show and tell.

However, like Orson Welles, I urge readers to think for themselves about what they see, and draw conclusions from their own vision, photos not required. Allowing for multiple perspectives about what is best in the city is a practice that I highly recommend.

This post first appeared in similar form in The Atlantic Cities, here.

picturing ten urban qualities we deserve to see more

On January 29, 2013January 29, 2013 By Chuck WolfeIn everyday urbanism, pedestrianism, placemaking, sustainability, urban views, vignettesLeave a comment

In recent months, architect friends have explained how several post-Recesssion projects focus sustainability goals on the end-user experience, rather than simply pursue flagship “green” designations. It seems there is a commendable and renewed emphasis on the particular needs of building use, and, significantly, the specifics of a building user’s relationship to the surrounding urban area.

I see this as a tilt to the qualitative aspects of the urban experience—an approach I believe should stay as a lynchpin of evolving urbanism.

I find that when writing outside of the confines of my “day job” as a lawyer, I usually pursue these qualitative aspects. I like to emphasize the impressionistic and, essentially more etherial, emotional “bookmarks” of experiences in cities around the world. By and large, these bookmarks recall modern expressions of traditional urban life. Together, they are a useful summary of evolving human experience in the city.

As background to work on my forthcoming book, I itemized and illustrated several of these more qualitative bookmarks while traveling last year. Here is the result, combined with learning from earlier travels, and framed, as “ten urban qualities we need to see more”.

Spontaneous competition in simple places

The aspects of the city that avoid rigid regularity are among the most interesting and memorable. Here, an empty storefront provides the stage for competing glass providers to advertise with several different labels. Commercial needs drive unpredictable results in even the simplest of situations.

Signage with a direct message

Commercial signage also provides a prime venue for urban observations. When such signage carries a lifestyle or political message in direct form, the purpose of the associated business is clear. In this urban place, living animals prevail, without question.

Wood-framed storefronts and proud displays

Natural building materials give an organic sense of invitation to an otherwise ordinary world of metal and cement. While not possible in all climates, and demanding of maintenance, wood-framed retail establishments punctuate their surroundings. Passersby are often drawn to these exteriors based on variety, color and well-presented merchandise within.

Water features that emulate nature, in context

While not always allowable for health and safety reasons, water features in the public domain emulate spontaneous puddles, pools and streams of urban times gone by. Just as sidewalk tables or benches give a human scale to the street, careful placement of water complements greenery and presents the unexpected. There are lessons learned from such small-scale improvements, especially if they are linked together in a restored natural system, or meet a dual aesthetic and drainage purpose.

Classy blokes in front of classy places

“Third places” with character, such as local bars, are nothing new. Rather than mandate all alcohol consumption occur within, outdoor customers can provide ambiance and interface with daily life. Such street interface need not be uncivil, and, in this case, resounds with local character.

Commercial porches, with color and vantage points to the street

Some parts of the world present traditional architectural styles that mix commercial and residential uses, and offer “eyes on the street” from open verandas above. This is a logical, and not artificially segregated approach to neighborhood. Rich color often enhances such traditional building form.

Spectacular examples of shopping tradition

Debates about density often lack a rich visual record of active, close-knit community. In this case, a shopping day crowd fills city spaces in a comfortable way, consistent with local culture. While not adaptable to all cities without permanent or scheduled pedestrian uses of rights-of-way, this example shows dynamic potential of which many are not otherwise aware.

Young children in open squares

One of the universal aspects of safe urban open space is a place for children to explore at more than arm’s length from parents or family. The most simple human experience, such as viewing a shadow, also becomes touching theater to nearby observers. This photograph is a challenge and a test–can children safely act the same way near where you live?

Culturally indigenous engravings in the built environment

Another universal and traditional pattern is for the built environment to reflect important cultural aspects of its builders. In Portugal, a common feature of public squares reflects the ocean, is important to a historically seafaring people, and walking produces a feeling of the rolling sea. Have we lost unity of purpose that such places can no longer be built?

Merger of family and business in fundamental ways

Here, family and small city roadside business merge with indescribable precision, reminding us of fundamentals we should not forget. Commercial transactions and family purpose were once commonplace. The evolving city, with increasing mixed uses and work close to home, might learn from images such as this one.

All images composed by the author in the United States, Australia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Malta and Tanzania. Click on each image for more detail. © 2009-2013 myurbanist. All Rights Reserved. Do not copy.

This post first appeared in The Atlantic Cities in similar form. Click here.

counting down: “people, place and nocturnal light”

On January 24, 2013January 24, 2013 By Chuck WolfeIn everyday urbanism, pedestrianism, placemaking, urban abstractions, urban views, vignettesLeave a comment

Here is one more of my eleven favorite night city photographs from 2011 and 2012 that will hang for the month of February at Cafe Verite’s Madrona location in Seattle. An earlier post summarizes my theme, which focuses on “meetings” of light, people and the built environment.

Three of the photographs will also appear in my upcoming book, Urbanism Without Effort, (Island Press, 2013). One is the likely cover photo.

For Seattle locals (or if you will be visiting), stay tuned for notice of a small gathering during the month. Mini-cupcakes will add to the ambience my several snapshots of the 24 hour city.

myurbanist

Category: everyday urbanism

nine lessons learned from the landscape of Iceland

1. Measure urban sustainability by clarity of the sky at night

2. Encourage minimalism that blends with surrounding nature

3. Allow fusion businesses and food trucks in an urban setting

4. Provide street retail integrated with sidewalk life

5. Use building color to make a statement in all seasons

6. Champion practical building materials consistent with tradition

7. Employ simple materials for monuments, blended with surroundings

8. Foster the interaction of urban fabric with an iconic city pond

9. Recall the contrast of the man-made with landscape and clouds

Like this:

realigning nature and the city, coyote style

Like this:

how we should use pictures to think about cities

Like this: