Everyday Urbanism
The two images above are from the streets of San Francisco;
each one shows how an aspect of everyday life has impacted the environment.
Creating public spaces, such as the image on the top, allow for people to stop
and experience the place that they inhabit. Instead of using all of the spaces
along the side walk for parking, the city planners have given the human users a
place that they can utilize. The second image also shows a shift from a car
centric society to one that encourages other forms of use. The bike is an easy
way to get around the complicated streets of San Francisco and the implementation
of rental bikes on the street shows that the city is attentive to how it is
being used by the occupants. These types of bike rental systems are becoming
more common in downtown cities where vehicular travel is difficult and
impractical.
Food trucks are another
acknowledgment of the everyday lives of users with their mobile nature and easy
access. The images above show how these impact the environment that they
occupy. When a food truck parks by a sidewalk, it creates a node of space where
city dwellers will stop and gather. The second image illustrates how when a
large group of these trucks come together in on area a new temporary structure
exists there. This image shows what happens when make shift structures are
built to accommodate this type of mobile restaurants. As architects we should
be thinking about where occurrences like this would happen and how to create a
space that is inviting.
Solar Corona, the image on the top, and El Campo de Cebada,
the image on the bottom, are both
community spaces located in Spain which were developed by the surrounding
community. These spaces were at one point vacant lots that were not enhancing
the environment. In each example the community took responsibility in creating
the types of spaces that they would utilize as a group. This includes building
structures for seating and shade. Both of the areas are used often by the
inhabitants because they are directly related to the way these neighborhoods
wanted to use a community space. How as designers can we encourage and enhance
these types of spaces within the city?
"Everyday Urbanism" is currently a very popular topic in the realm of architecture + socialism and urban planning + society. The above studies are all great examples of current trends in everyday urbanism; but how can we take it a step further? For example, what if we were to ask ourselves the question: "How can we merge the idea of primitive methods of farming with progressive methods of construction?" We know that crop harvesting is happening in dense urban environments in the form of small urban gardens, operated by local community members. But what would happen if this idealogy could be taken to the next level; adding an organic, productive layer of infrastructure to a city (like Manhattan), without disrupting the current network? Although the idea itself may seem far-fetched, current research on the subject proves that this concept has logistical potential and could be of serious benefit to a community in terms of job creation, year-round crop production, the ability of restaurants to grow their own crops, and ultimately the elimination of the "unproductive" street buffer, and the introduction of the "productive (agricultural) boulevard".
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