Social Media Makes My City Smaller

[Source: Yurbanism]

Besides cities and urbanism, my other main passion is social media: From blogging for a variety of sites, to Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Yelp and LinkedIn the list goes on and on.

While Twitter is often criticized for being narcissistic, this point of view shows a misunderstanding of what the application is really about. Indeed, if that is how you look at Twitter (or any other social media platform), then it’s no wonder you don’t like it.

I use tools like Twitter and Whrrl to reach out beyond the people I would otherwise know and go to places and events I wouldn't otherwise attend. This helps me get to know my city better. As my social network grows, my city shrinks.

Creating Community

I went from “being lost in the urban desert” three years ago, to “finding my way through the urban desert” last year, to “creating community in the urban desert” right now. This evolution of my tagline shows how social media has provided a roadmap to navigate through the vast spawltopia that is Phoenix. Through social media, I have met others that share similar interests and similar values and built an urban ‘tribe’. I have discovered new and cool places, I have even begun repositioning my career. Would this have been possible without social media? Perhaps; but not as quickly and definitely not as deeply.

Connection Devices

“The feeling of being connected, more so than the feeling of being mobile, provides the necessary context from which to be productive, both in terms of work and social life.” —Eric Gordon

Part of the misunderstanding fog social media is how we define in it. First too many people put the emphasis on the MEDIA part of it, instead of the SOCIAL. To me, Social Media is all about the people, the tech are just tools to facilities the social. Indeed I view tools like Facebook and Twitter the next step in a long chain of social tools From town criers to neighborhood bulletin boards to telephone trees, the current crop of social media applications stand on their shoulders.

Another definition problem is the use of the term ‘mobile devices.’ While mobility is indeed a huge part of their functionality, their true power comes from their power to connect not only with each other, but with our surroundings. As Ezra Goldman points out:

people are likely as mobile today as they ever were. What’s different is that we’re more accessible and connected when we do move around.

Engagement Devices

Social media provides us with the ability, not simply to ‘check in,' but to pay attention to not only where we are, but what (and who) is around us. By using location-based apps, we are pausing, if only for a moment, to engage with our social network AND physical surroundings. We are connecting where we are with what we are doing with who we know. Our experience becomes richer because of such engagement.

Sure, like any tool, connection devices are misused. They can draw us away from the immediacy of our surroundings, alienating ourselves from those who are with us physically. But their power to connect us and draw attention to things that matter around us outweighs this side effect. And instead of critiquing the devices and their users our time would be better spent developing ways to enhance our understanding of our surroundings while at the same time encouraging un-mediated interpersonal interaction.

The modern American city has never been bereft of these complications — from the hand-held camera at the end of the nineteenth century to the mobile phone at the end of the twentieth, the city has always been a mediated construct. The city enters into the cultural imaginary as a hodgepodge of disconnected signifiers, often organized by the technologies that produce them. —Eric Gordon, Urban Spectator

Conclusion

Far from isolating me somewhere in cyber-space, social media has allowed me to engage my city—and my friends—at a far deeper level than was possible before. It has made my city smaller, more interesting and more friendly and my life would be poorer without it.

NOTE: The title of this post was borrowed from a post written by Vancouver journalist and blogger Lisa Johnson. I tried to come up with my own, but couldn’t top it. I hope Lisa doesn't mind!

Urban Savoir-Faire

[Source: Yurbanism]

I first heard of the term ‘urban savoir-faire’ in a podcast by Adam Greenfield—the same podcast I learned about Schelling points. Adam describes how the increasing networked world we are living in, and the near ubiquity of smart phones is coming at the cost of traditional urban aspects of serendipity, solitude and anonymity. Together these aspects form the makings of ‘urban savoir faire.’ Such aspects are the intangibles of living in an urban environments. They give people an innate ability to navigate their city with a polished refinement.

Before ubiquitous computing, it took years, if not decades to understand the rhythm of a city; including such things as the true (vs. published) transit schedule, or the dive bar with the great grilled cheese. But once you understood it, you gained a panache and sense of accomplishment, and felt connected to the city in a unique way. Now, people don’t head to the light rail station until their iPhone tells them the next train is moments away, and use services like Yelp to find the great ‘hole in the wall.’ that is now packed with suburban ‘tourists.’ In other words, our increasing networked society has diminished the concept of urban obscurity and added a new level (and meaning) of transparency to the urban environment.

This in and of itself is not a bad thing. Our lives are a bit better, and definitely run smoother because of this shared knowledge. From a personal perspective, I would not have been able to get up to speed on the ins and outs of downtown and central Phoenix so quickly without such networked information. However, the soul of the city is in danger of being lost in this efficiency.

In this interview, Adam mentions sociologist’s Richard Sennett argument that what makes urbanity is "precisely the quality of necessary, daily, cheek-by-jowl confrontation with a panoply of the different." I agree. When anybody can navigate a city easily, it becomes less of an authentic experience and more, for a lack of a better word, a suburban one. Ubiquitous computing smooths the rough edges from the urban experiences and eliminates many of the intangibles that make city life unique.

The challenge is: how do we take advantage of the benefits of the networked city, while keeping the concept of urban savoir-faire alive?

There-apist's Dictionary: Commute

Commute

Commuting is popularly defined as 'regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full-time study.' Somewhat ironically, given our current dependance on the automobile to ‘commute’ between home and work, the term originated during the early days of rail transit. People who travelled form the new fangled ’suburbs of cities like New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago would buy ‘commutation tickets’ (what we now call ‘bus’ or ’transit’ passes) that commuted ('changed,' from Latin commutare) a bunch of daily fares into a single payment. In other languages, the term for commuting is typically a variation of ‘pendulum.' (HT: Language Hat)

Rethinking Mixed-Use Urbanism

The Magic is in the Mix

'Mixed-use' is one of the most over-used, yet most misunderstood phrases in urban development. In recent years, ‘mixed-use buildings’ has become the new planning dogma, just like ‘specialized buildings’ was before it.

Many cities have invested a lot of money in developing mixed-use buildings, streets and neighborhoods, but haven't achieved the urban vibrancy they want. This is often times because their underlying urban fabric remains coarse (i.e. large and monotonous).

In most new urbanist mixed-use developments the residential units are often all high-end condos and the retail is usually a series of chain stores. Moreover, little in the neighborhood is more than a few years old. Thus, although the uses may seem mixed, the culture is monolithic. At the same time, many arts districts face the same fate of attracting monolithic culture (albeit completely different from the previous example). A block of live work galleries doesn't make for a vibrant neighborhood bur rather an artists ghetto.

Looking for a Phx

In downtown Phoenix, these two extremes are seen in the artist collectives and bars that have functioned, but never flourished along Grand Ave for the past decade or so on one hand; and the monotonous collection of upper middle-class restaurants and retail outlets being rolled out at CityScape on the other.

The reason that these types of mixed-use areas fail to live up to expectation is that they are too economically—and therefore, functionally limited—to be lively, interesting and convenient for a range of people. They lack the intermingling of class and functionality that offer the stimulation and interest essential to a vibrant urban core.

So the question remains: If mixed-use isn’t the answer, what it?

Urban Diversity

Perhaps a better way of looking at mixed use, is ‘diversity’. This was a basis tenet of Jane Jacobs in her classic tome, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Diversity, according to Jacobs, isn't simply a mix of uses but an integration of business types:

“True diversity requires the “mingling of high yield middling yield, low yield, and no-yield enterprises” —Jane Jacobs

To me, “mixed use” means more than mixing residential and commercial. It also means proximity to other uses like schools/universities, parks, museums, courthouses, industries, meditation, train stations, etc. The reality is that not every building needs to have multiple uses or tenants but each block should and each neighborhood must.

These kinds of destinations help to define a city’s identity. They do so through the variety of uses and public spaces that highlight local assets and unique talents and skills of the community—educational, cultural, and commercial—that are all open and available to all visitors to enjoy for free.

Such neighborhoods allow residents to visit, become involved and stay awhile. They are not defined by architecture, but rather the uses that are front and center and the buildings and design elements that support them.

Replacing Mixed with Multiple

“It is fatal to specialize... the more diverse we are in what we can do the better.” —Jane Jacobs

Perhaps then it is time to move beyond the simple concept of ‘mixed use’ to a more robust style of development. The time of simply thinking of urban development as “Starbucks over condos, maybe with a train that comes every day” has passed.

Instead we need to start thinking of creating neighborhoods that build authentic places through multiple uses that are intimately related, interconnected and interdependent. After all, true urban diversity comes from the relationships between uses, tenants, and the organizations within a place.

Genius Loci and Adaptive Reuse

[Source: Yurbanism]

Recently, I've explored the concept of genius loci. I started with a look at the theoretical underpinnings of the concept. Next I looked at genius loci in practice. Today, I would like to look at a concrete example of how genius loci is being preserved and enhanced in Phoenix.

One concrete area where the City of Phoenix has made some baby steps in promoting authentic urbanism is with their adaptive reuse policy. The concept of adaptive reuse grows directly from genius loci. Before the days of cookie cutter developments often designed in corporate offices thousands of miles away, buildings were designed by local architects and builders who became deeply familiar with the site that there were building on. As well, often the original owners of these building were local business people who were familiar with the history and nature of the site. As such, most historic buildings are, at the very least, sympathetic to their site, and in many cases have become an integral part of their place.

When the original use of a structure changes or is no longer required, as with older buildings from the industrial revolution, architects can change the primary function of the structure, while retaining some of the existing architectural details that make the building unique. In many cities, adaptive reuse has come to define the character of many neighborhoods, and in some instances, creates neighborhoods where none existed before.

While Phoenix is late to the game, having lost the majority of our original buildings in the downtown core, in one of their more lucid moments, Phoenix City Council passed one of the nation’s most advanced adaptive reuse ordinances. The program is far from exhaustive, however, as, even the City continues to tear down buildings with importance cultural and historic significance but it is a step on the right direction and an important part of preservation what little ‘genius loci the city has left. In total, the program has supported 30 total adaptive reuse projects in the past 18 months, although a few of them did not proceed past plan review due to the economy.

One example of adaptive reuse that will be familiar to many Phoenicians is modifying an older building structure for use as a restaurant or bar. Notable examples include Tuck Shop, The Lost Leaf, The Roosevelt, Paisley Town, Hula’s Modern Tiki, The Vig, Postino, The Parlor, St. Francis and The Duce.

Such projects help impart spirit of place in two main ways. First, they help keep the existing ‘spirit of place’ by building on what is already there. Second their use as new, and often unique businesses add a new level of genius loci to their neighborhood, in a way simply not possible with the ubiquitous series of cookie cutter chain restaurants. As Peter Koliopoulos, the designer of The Vig Uptown has noted, this new wave of adaptive reuse projects is just the beginning of Phoenix becoming a real city with its own identity and character instead of an anonymous series of chain restaurants and big-box stores.

Genius Loci in Practice

Via Yurbanism

Earlier, I introduced the concept of ‘genius loci.’ Today, I’d like to begin to explore it’s practical application in cities.

Every place has its own unique qualities, not only in terms of its physical makeup, but of how it is perceived. As I discussed yesterday, these unique qualities help make up the genius loci of a place. In principle, it is the responsibility of the stewards of the city—whether they be politicians planners, business owners or developers—to be sensitive to these qualities and strive to enhance them.

Alas, too often in the ‘real world’ these same people work to destroy them. Rather than adapting their visions to the genius of their place, they try to force their own vision (usually a vision borrowed from another place) on the city. These so-called stewards are preoccupied with the physical lens of the city and concentrate only on its built form, neglecting what makes their city special.

Indeed, these leaders need to take a step back and begin to appreciate residents use the streets and spaces of their city from hour-to-hour, day-to-day and throughout the year. They need to do a better jobs honoring the resident spirit of a place and understand how residents, from ALL walks of life interact with the city and have adapted their daily patterns to what already exists. By doing so, it is possible to create a powerful genius loci in almost any neighborhood, and indeed with almost every project on almost any property.

Building a strong genius loci in a city or neighborhood begins by paying attention to the spirit of place already there. Rather than pointing to a place on a map and planning to build something solely because the property is available, affordable or conveniently located, it is important to consider what already exists. The first step, therefore, is to find the abiding character that inhabits the site—no matter how subtle.

A sensitivity to what is already there tells you what would be appropriate or inappropriate when planning and deciding what should be added. The character and atmosphere of the neighborhood or surrounding properties and any existing building styles are often as important as the planned use and design for the site. Aspects as varied as the surrounding land, the history of the neighborhood or district, and how the property interfaces with the larger geographic area all need to be considered, and indeed should offer the starting point and creative inspiration for any development.

Coming soon: One area where the City of Phoenix is making progress in developing ‘genius loci.’

Do you have a favorite place in the city or your hometown? What characteristics makes it special or memorable? Can you name any recent developments, here or elsewhere that have done a good job at incorporating an existing ‘spirit of place’?

What is Genius Loci?

Genius Loci = Spirit of Place

To live in a city is to live in two places at once. The physical city of roads, buildings, parks, and related infrastructure. This is where work live, eat, and play on a daily (and routine) basis. It is the world of planners, politicians and developers. Hovering beside the physical city is the contextual city. It is the realm of people: citizens, residents and visitors. It is what gives cities their ‘life’ and directly shapes our urban experience.

Each city has a unique ‘spirit of place,’ or a distinctive atmosphere, that goes beyond the built environment. This urban context reflects how a city functions in ‘real time’ as people move through time and space. Viewed through this lens, the architecture and physical infrastructure of a city give way to the rhythms of the passing of the day and transition of the seasons. This provides the ‘temporal spectacles’ that define a city.

This context of a city is more formally known as ‘genius loci,’ or the genetic footprint of a place. Latin for ‘the genius of the place,’ this phrase refers to classical Roman concept of the protective spirit of a place. In contemporary usage, genius loci usually refers to a location’s distinctive atmosphere, or the afore-mentioned ‘spirit of place,' rather than a guardian spirit.

The concept of genius loci falls within the philosophical branch of ‘architectural phenomenology.’ This field of architectural discourse is most notably explored by the theorist Christian Norberg-Schulz in his book, Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture.

Via Yurbanism

A City is A Drama in Time

[Source: Yurbanism]

The soul of the city resides in each of its residents

Sir Partrick Geddes once observed that “a city is more than a place in space, it is a drama in time.” Just as the dramatic arts follow certain recognizable currents, so does a city. Factors such as identity, self-esteem and a feeling of belonging are important touchstones or points of reference for plays and cities alike. And, while the physical form of the city is important as the stage on which this drama unfolds, it is the residents of the city who are the actors of this drama.

In other words, the city is more than it's architecture an infrastructure. It is a synthesis of the relationship between people and their urban habitat. if we are going to build successful vibrant urban places, we need to appreciate that urbanism is more than design and buildings,and do a better job in studying our roles as actors on the urban stage.

Placemaking, Public Space and Community Culture

[Source: Yurbanism]

Placemaking, Public Space and Community Culture

One area where I diverge from many of my community minded peers in Phoenix is over what community really is. A lot of people in Phoenix think that we can overcome our sprawling urban form, by creating virtual communities and organizing events where people can meet up on regular basis. While this is a start, it s not enough.

To me, community builds on the shared traditions, attitudes and interactions of social groups; in other words, ‘culture.’ To have an urban community requires an urban culture, and this requires a key type of public social interaction that Phoenix continues to lack.

Namely, we lack good cafe and sidewalk culture. I’m not simply taking about great places to hang out and get a decent coffee—we are doing well in that area. Rather Phoenix continues to lack vibrant public spaces (e.g., plazas, patios, parks) full of life—aka people. Sure we are trying, but other than a small group of people in small areas of downtown and uptown Phoenix we lack the impromptu interactions with both friends as well as consequential strangers.

Our city’s lack of sidewalk culture is almost exclusively due to our auto-oriented built environments. A telling example of this came in response to a post I wrote on the lack of vibrancy at Civic Space Park. Many people cited that lack of proximate parking as the reason. In other words people are continuing to put their cars over their community.

This is not necessarily their fault. Quite simple our urban form discourages true urban culture. Our shops are surrounded by vast parking lots, separating them from the streets and sidewalks. Store fronts are too far apart, and there are too many vacant lots in between areas of activity. Moreover, the streets are too wide and focused on moving cars at the cost of moving people by other, more community oriented, methods.

Until a change occurs both in our attitudes AND our infrastructure, a true urban culture will struggle to find a foothold in Phoenix. This isn’t to say it’s impossible; rather that it needs more than the opening of a new pharmacy, the planting of a few shade trees or creating a bike boulevard. It will require a large and long-term commitment on the part of all of us who care about a vibrant urban core.

The Street is the Essence of a City

[Source: Yurbanism]

Streets as Places

If the city is the essence of society, the street is the essence of a city. —What We See: Advancing the Observations of Jane Jacobs

The life of any great city occurs on the street. Streets are the most public of domains. They are where we engage in activities. They are the ultimate connective tissue, weaving the city together and integrating its physical and social infrastructure. They are the basic frameworks for urban design and the bond of communities. Streets contain businesses where we get the goods and services we need and want.

Jane Jacobs, in The Death and Life of Great American Cities, said cities need “a most intricate and close-grained diversity of uses that give each other mutual support, both economically and socially.” On great commercial and mixed-use blocks, this happens naturally. Such streets—when woven through neighborhoods and districts—provide a framework for social interaction and economic growth. They also represent the character, history and culture of the community.

Streets and their sidewalks, the main public places of a city, are its most vital organs. Think of a city and what comes to mind? Its streets. If a city's streets look interesting, the city looks interesting; if they look dull, the city looks dull. —Jane Jacobs

However most of our streets are not like this. While they were once a place where we stopped to talk with our neighbors and watched our children played, they are now dominated by the automobile. Even where sidewalks are present, they are often inhospitable places. Most streets are still designed to separate people from cars and too few are walkable, lively or sociable.

This needs to change if we want to revitalize our neighborhoods and cities. What happens on streets affects what happens on sidewalks. And what happens on our sidewalks affect what happens in our homes and businesses. Streets need to be designed as places in themselves, prioritizing the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, disabled people, seniors and parents with children above the motorist. City governments need to make sure that traffic engineers and urban planners work with each other to design streets that work for the people who use them.

The mood of a city could depend on something as simple as street width. —David Yoon

PPS's 11 Principles of Great Places

[Source: Yurbanism]

11 Placemaking Principles for 2011

With the advent of the new year, top ten lists are all the rage. The only problem is, most of them look backwards at what happened in 2010. I've always been a forward-looking person, so instead of reflecting on what was I've decided to focus to the year ahead with top 11 lists for 2011.

On Monday, I posted a list of 11 new years anti-resolutions; today, I'm returning to may passion for urbanism and placemaking, with 11 principles that we should all keep in mind in the year ahead.

The list below is an abridged version of an article first posted on Project for Pubic Spaces (PPS). PSS is a great resource is a great resource for those of us interested in helping people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communities.

Eleven Principles for Creating Great Community Places

1. The Community Is The Expert

The important starting point in developing a concept for any public space is to identify the talents and assets within the community...


2. Create a Place, Not a Design

   If your goal is to create a place (which we think it should be), a design will not be enough... The goal is to create a place that has both a strong sense of community and a comfortable image...

3. Look for Partners

   Partners are critical to the future success and image of a public space improvement project...They can be local institutions, museums, schools and others.

4. You Can See a Lot Just By Observing

   By looking at how people are using (or not using) public spaces and finding out what they like and don’t like about them, it is possible to assess what makes them work or not work. [ED, this was Jane Jacobs modus operendi]

5. Have a Vision

   ...essential to a vision for any public space is an idea of what kinds of activities might be happening in the space, a view that the space should be comfortable and have a good image, and that it should be an important place where people want to be...

6. Start with the Petunias: Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper

   ...The best spaces experiment with short term improvements that can be tested and refined over many years! Elements such as seating, outdoor cafes, public art, striping of crosswalks and pedestrian havens, community gardens and murals are examples of improvements that can be accomplished in a short time.

7. Triangulate

   “Triangulation is the process by which some external stimulus provides a linkage between people and prompts strangers to talk to other strangers as if they knew each other” (William Holly Whyte)

   In a public space, the choice and arrangement of different elements in relation to each other can put the triangulation process in motion (or not). For example, if a bench, a wastebasket and a telephone are placed with no connection to each other, each may receive a very limited use, but when they are arranged together along with other amenities such as a coffee cart, they will naturally bring people together (or triangulate!)....

8. They Always Say “It Can’t Be Done”

   “If they say it can’t be done, it doesn’t always work out that way.” (Yogi Berra)

   Creating good public spaces is inevitably about encountering obstacles, because no one in either the public or private sectors has the job or responsibility to “create places.”...Starting with small scale community-nurturing improvements can demonstrate the importance of “places” and help to overcome obstacles.

9. Form Supports Function

   The input from the community and potential partners, the understanding of how other spaces function, the experimentation, and overcoming the obstacles and naysayers provides the concept for the space. Although design is important, these other elements tell you what “form” you need to accomplish the future vision for the space.

10. Money Is Not the Issue

    This statement can apply in a number of ways... if the community and other partners are involved in programming and other activities, this can also reduce costs. More important is that by following these steps, people will have so much enthusiasm for the project that the cost is viewed much more broadly and consequently as not significant when compared with the benefits.

11. You Are Never Finished

    By nature good public spaces that respond to the needs, the opinions and the ongoing changes of the community require attention...

Be sure to read the whole article HERE.

I hope that you are able to incorporate at least a few of these principles into your work, community advocacy and/or thought processes in the year ahead. Placemaking doesn't occur in a vacuüm, it takes all of us to work constantly at creating the type of places we want for our communities.