Can we decide to see reality as a beautiful starting point?

 

"Architects and urban designers are typically taught to design toward stasis. Any notion of urban stability, however, is sooner or later contradicted by the city's inherent flux... Daily use of city places provokes responses and counter-responses to utopian visions. The result, the everyday cacophony of the city is not traditionally defined as beautiful. When the designer begins with everyday reality and defines it as beautiful, existing situations become a starting point rather than a stumbling block. Reality, as opposed to utopians stability, provides inspiration." -- Everyday Urbanism

Often when presented with a design project, we are taught to see it through the lens of a design PROBLEM instead of a design OPPORTUNITY. When we see our work as merely solving an existing problem, it leaves room for the architectural ego to decide to create and define beauty neglecting the thought that beauty might already be present. This makes me think of how Dan Harding often talks about a project site or a design project in general -- he always seems to start by musing on the beautiful things that exist there before he starts to dream of what we could add to it. He starts with the idea that the everyday is wonderful and beautiful which fuels his excitement for the reality that we are invited to ADD to it, not subtract or change it completely. While this is something that has been modeled for us, it's not something we always pause long enough to realize. We tend to jump in with our ideas instead of looking closer to the wonder of what already exists and the way people feel about the space we've been invited into. Maybe it's time we allow the everyday reality of our project sites to provide us with the inspiration instead of seeking to merely inspire the site out of our own efforts!