Law within Politics
We laughed together as a group during class on Tuesday over a general discussion of the class defining politics, and if picking the color of a paint was a political decision. Paint isn't a political decision within the home with regard to urban or political law, but politics can have a great importance on the aesthetics of architecture, especially regarding the facade and exterior materials. I want to explore in this post the role of law / legislature over people.
Many cities and local jurisdictions have some sort of design review board or appearance committee where the architecture is restrictive of certain materials; zoning is in place as a group of people at the city or urban level to try to plan out the best type of city and develop growth of businesses and healthy life styles for citizens.
Politics also determine who are architects - in a broad sense of the word - where you must complete educational, experience, and examination requirements in order to claim being a licensed architect. I know that many of us are planning to become licensed down the road and having almost completed our education requirement are looking to experience and examination requirements.
The right to the city discussion in class that people have a right to the input of the towns and places that they live in, and I believe everyone should be a part of those discussions but many people do not. Last semester in Charleston I was able to witness some of the West Ashley Development Plan Community Meetings that were hosted in a public school on a weekday evening where a planner came in to discuss the development plan and receive input from the citizens. There were plotted pages of the drawings on the wall and members of the City of Charleston Planning Department came to act as liaison representatives between the public and the city to write down comments on big sheets of paper with a sharpie and host discussions about what was missing in the report and what the citizens would like to see change in the future.
West Ashley Development Meeting, Fall 2017
Natural corridors within West Ashley
The possibility of natural sea levels rising was an interesting mapping of how the natural world and urban development may be in conflict. Because Charleston is next to the coast and the Ashley River is on the north edge of West Ashley, talking about modifications to flood evacuation routes and places where further urban development may be restricted was interesting to me.
West Ashley residents talking about the development of urban corridors and redeveloping
I know a three of the architects on the City of Greenville Downtown Steering Committee for architectural development and a member of the planning commission and the urban panel. I think all of us as young professionals should get involved with volunteering and being aware of changes that shape our city when we get out of school, being connected to the places where we live so we can make our cities better. If architects don't step up on issues of zoning, planning, urban appearance, downtown (re)development, then other types of people and professionals - lawyers, bankers, finance individuals, business leaders - will step in and fill those roles without us. The issue with those other professionals taking important roles in leadership positions within "the right of the city" is that they may not be thinking as critically of issues within the broad spectrum of all the ways architects think about problems.
Many cities and local jurisdictions have some sort of design review board or appearance committee where the architecture is restrictive of certain materials; zoning is in place as a group of people at the city or urban level to try to plan out the best type of city and develop growth of businesses and healthy life styles for citizens.
Politics also determine who are architects - in a broad sense of the word - where you must complete educational, experience, and examination requirements in order to claim being a licensed architect. I know that many of us are planning to become licensed down the road and having almost completed our education requirement are looking to experience and examination requirements.
The right to the city discussion in class that people have a right to the input of the towns and places that they live in, and I believe everyone should be a part of those discussions but many people do not. Last semester in Charleston I was able to witness some of the West Ashley Development Plan Community Meetings that were hosted in a public school on a weekday evening where a planner came in to discuss the development plan and receive input from the citizens. There were plotted pages of the drawings on the wall and members of the City of Charleston Planning Department came to act as liaison representatives between the public and the city to write down comments on big sheets of paper with a sharpie and host discussions about what was missing in the report and what the citizens would like to see change in the future.
I know a three of the architects on the City of Greenville Downtown Steering Committee for architectural development and a member of the planning commission and the urban panel. I think all of us as young professionals should get involved with volunteering and being aware of changes that shape our city when we get out of school, being connected to the places where we live so we can make our cities better. If architects don't step up on issues of zoning, planning, urban appearance, downtown (re)development, then other types of people and professionals - lawyers, bankers, finance individuals, business leaders - will step in and fill those roles without us. The issue with those other professionals taking important roles in leadership positions within "the right of the city" is that they may not be thinking as critically of issues within the broad spectrum of all the ways architects think about problems.
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