Shaping a life
Who is having the most influence in shaping our life?
The traditional though seems to relate to urban planners, urban designers or architects who directly form the physical space through their plans and designs. They define the different kinds of space in the urban area and each space has its own function which is previously defined. For example, parks are designed for walking, playing and hanging out activities; or pavements are defined as a walking path. These spaces within their function seem to be rigid without any flexibility. Is that the real way which is shaping our life?
I give an example in my country where the street life is shaped on the pavements. In this situation, pavement is not merely a walkable space but a range of activities are happening there. It could be a small corner of a street cafe where people enjoy the black coffees and chat with their friends before going to the offices in the morning; it could be a small restaurant where people have a bowl of Pho for their breakfasts; it could be a small open space where the elderlies hang out with their friends and have some exercises in the early morning. Many different activities happen on the same space without any previous definitions or managements.
So who is actually shaping this street life? Absolutely it is not the intention of the professionals or officers. In fact people who is living on those street and directly involve in using the street sidewalk are contributing to shape this special life style. All those activities are rooted in their demands. The elderlies need a space for exercises; young people and families need space for coffee and breakfast. Without any previous designs, those spaces are surprisingly successful and they are becoming a typical feature of Vietnamese society.
The traditional though seems to relate to urban planners, urban designers or architects who directly form the physical space through their plans and designs. They define the different kinds of space in the urban area and each space has its own function which is previously defined. For example, parks are designed for walking, playing and hanging out activities; or pavements are defined as a walking path. These spaces within their function seem to be rigid without any flexibility. Is that the real way which is shaping our life?
I give an example in my country where the street life is shaped on the pavements. In this situation, pavement is not merely a walkable space but a range of activities are happening there. It could be a small corner of a street cafe where people enjoy the black coffees and chat with their friends before going to the offices in the morning; it could be a small restaurant where people have a bowl of Pho for their breakfasts; it could be a small open space where the elderlies hang out with their friends and have some exercises in the early morning. Many different activities happen on the same space without any previous definitions or managements.
That's similar to China. I feel sometimes vendors shape the space a lot. At the beginning there might be just few venders. More and more people stop at the vendors and buy something. If those vendors sell specific category of goods such as vintage clothes or used books. They would attract other similar vendors. After certain time, it might become a big styled market and create public space naturally.
ReplyDeleteWhen the peoples lives spill out and take over spaces, that creates some of the best spaces.
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