Jane Belongs to the Streets
"The sight of people attracts still other people, is something
that city planners and city architectural designers seem to find
incomprehensible. They operate on the premise that the city people seek the
sight of emptiness, obvious order and quiet. Nothing could be less true."
This very clear and concise statement struck a chord within me. Generally people enjoy sharing public space with other people, and as architects we sometimes leave that out of the equation. Allowing people to function freely without restrictions seems to be the best catalyst to the health of the city. I think her use of the word emptiness is an interesting choice as well. After visiting Berlin some years ago, I enjoyed the city but I was left with an uneasy feeling while walking around at night. I now can contribute this to the large expanses of space with no one in them. These large areas called "Platz" (or place) seemed to be too expansive to their own detriment. One could not see or interact with other people in the space. This phenomena was not quite the same in Paris with their own large open spaces, but I believe this is because one could easily tell what was private space and what wasn't. Cities like Genoa and the North End in Boston do less with more. Their smaller streets and sidewalks allow for interaction and communication between people, one could even feel lost but not uncomfortable. There were signs of life even when the people were physically absent from the street. A clothesline or a potted plant allowed me to relax just knowing that these people could trust their neighbors enough to leave their personal belongings outside. I guess what it boils down to is that urban planning doesn't have to be grand and stunning, It just has to be able to attract an everyday crowd.
I think you are 100% right Kevin. While we like to design detailed things so we don't get bored, sometimes a simple sidewalk is all that is needed to foster everyday moments!
ReplyDeleteGotta appreciate her boldness to state the obvious. Sometimes what seems obvious I guess gets covered up by the culture at the time, takes someone with strong convictions to reinstate that
ReplyDeleteWe always go for these "big open spaces" meant for "community," but who is really going to use that space if its mostly empty? I totally agree with you and Jane Jacobs on the idea that seeing people attracts more people. Whenever I am in a city, the empty spaces and empty sidewalks are typically the ones I try to avoid.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you Kevin, and the comments on this post. I would most definitely (naturally) gravitate towards the area occupied with more people. Thinking about if there were two streets side by side (one large and populated, while the other small and abandoned) - that both led to the same destination, I would be much more apt to take the larger street with more people, than the narrow empty street.
ReplyDeleteI am with you on this son, "I guess what it boils down to is that urban planning doesn't have to be grand and stunning, It just has to be able to attract an everyday crowd."
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone's choice above in taking the path of populated street versus the lonely road. It would be interesting to take a larger poll of this in just the context of which street someone would take on their walk to work based on their comfortability with interacting with other people...I'm willing to bet some money that by week four of walking to work in a bustling city I may start taking the deserted path to avoid the windy city-folk crowd if I was able to safely end at the same place in the same amount of time. Midwesterners walking downtown in negative 30 degree weather are not too friendly...
ReplyDeleteHaha why you gotta break the mold and poke holes in my theory Hayley
DeleteThis is a great point. I think it is so important to design for physical interactions and experiences with spaces that bring the community together. I think it is going to be something we, as emerging designers in this pandemic, will really have to reimagine. How can we design spaces that will safely attract crowds? Jacobs talks a lot about how people feel more safe and secure when they are around other people, but now that idea seems to have been flipped on its head with social distancing.
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