Lesson Learned

Having decided

its all been done (a million times over)

I make note of old women

clucking at babies,

smoking cigarettes,

seamlessly urgent in chatter

except to cluck

and pay for their coffee

It's all old news really

except, to me

lacking any language at all,

just wondering

what happens 

if you deprive the old

of the very young?

Easton Branam

Old City, New Challenges

As cities come and go, social life, the spaces and forms of the place change dramatically through time. Copenhagen has a long and extensive layering of livelihoods that shape and form a interesting mix of Scandinavian culture with the razor-finish of the modernist movements in art and design into every corner of the city. Copenhagen is certainly a future of the city with a strong emphasis in public life, but it has a long past the limits its ability to integrate cutting edge solutions for green infrastructure, ecological services, and new technologies that will surely develop and may require a certain amount of space unavailable in the dense fabric of the European model. 

Europe has a deep history of different levels of the public realm, and life in the city. The continent has many examples of some of the finest public spaces in the world where many people gather, enjoy one another's company and move on. These areas are finely finished, well crafted and made with utmost care. The question may remain in a visitors mind-where do all the people go to get respite from the incessant drone of the city? Where does the world apply a model like Denmark's, when the gritty, unequal sides of cultures around the world still remain in poverty, disrepair, or are just a symbol of a hard or quirky lifestyle. The perfection of European cities is beautiful, but after returning to Seattle, I missed those imperfections as it adds another layer of complexity to work in, solve and move this country forward. In turn, the US still seems to have an interesting, funky, somewhat gritty feel that can also bring interesting and dynamic elements to city life.

The United States as a long history of relying on natural resources for our regional economies and extensive history of connections to the environment, be it National Parks, or the grand street trees that line many boulevards around the nation. This long connection to natural forms gives our country a unique and unmatched qualities that Denmark will be unable to match in terms of richness, ecological value and connection to wild landscapes. This past history with the natural world gives the US a great opportunity to integrate green infrastructure that can not only help minimize damage to our extensive wilderness systems in this country but can actually add to the biological richness and help blend the urban fabric into the surrounding landscape that we rely on for our national heritage.  

Copenhagen has a new challenges to integrate greater amounts of ecological services into many of the interstitial areas of the city instead of relying on the large-scale fixes of civic infrastructure to treat all stormwater or not have valuable plants helping reduce much of the storm water demand that cities take care of every storm. The US, though it will unlikely adapt any ecological services with any better or faster system, has a better opportunity to do it and possibly a greater need to protect the heritage that made our country what is now-wild, natural and undeveloped areas. Copenhagen has undergone extensive manipulation for over 1000 years and most likely lacks any intact environmental system that provides any great ecological function that it once did but it can promote a new urban ecology that will form into a new system of old, new and the modern concepts of the sustainable future.

I was surprised to find that the city is as efficient as Copenhagen is in energy production, heating and water cleaning. It does provide a spectacular model for other Western cities to strive for doing similar projects but we must not forget that we have a wonderful opportunity to use natural system in our cities, while developing greater alternative energy infrastructure, storm water cleaning systems and food systems. 

Cheers, 

Aaron

Less is More- Let's talk about design

Warm sunshine, cool breeze, and the rhythmic sound of waves are 3 lovely impressions that hold my heart in that beautiful beach in Heisingborg.  When we had spent so much time on studying planning and those large scale / tiring site plans, I was so delighted that we could have this little time. -finally being in a small scale design. Walking, seeing, playing, enjoying, and observing in it. It is true that planning is harder and greater. It takes more effort to put different kinds of datas/maps together and make a near-perfect solution for it.  However, users/ people are originally in a small-scale environment. We walk in it and use it, so that someday we can pull ourselves up in the air and try to be a God to design this world. (oops I mean Designer) There was no planner in the beginning of everything. We always have to experience it, so that we can plan it. In this wonderful recreational waterfront at Helsingborg, I saw lots of well-done details, which make people feel neat, comfortable, and thrilled. A good design doesn't have to be fancy. In my opinion, catching the key point of Helsingborg beach was the biggest success of the designer.

First, take a look at Googlemap!

The whole area is set with a pure and neat element: wood.

wood is a magical element. It's neither soft nor hard. The most important is, it makes people feel hard physically but makes people feel soft mentally.

the major part of the design is made of wood.

The lying chair is made of wood.

The changing room is made of wood.

hi Mary!

Even the grocery shop is made of wood!

And then, the main point:
I consider this design to be successful because of this:

The beautiful Atlantic Ocean water

Unlike the similar design in Malmo, this beach section in Helsingborg is much shallower.
The designer noticed that. - the green, blue, and yellow ocean water,
which makes the whole site vivid.


Instead of using fancy structure or complicated combination of landscape elements, the designer used this pure, linear deck, plus some functional infrastructure such as BBQ rack and couple shower heads.

The simple design serves as a foil to the great-and-colorful-shallow ocean water.
so that people can comfortablely be in this space and enjoy the beauty of nature.

In addition,  due to a certain thriving seaweed, the rocks are slippery. People are hard to get closer to the water. Therefore the designer made four recreational bridges, which let people going swimming or hang out.

 

To conclude, less is more!


-Harley

below: the similar deck in Malmo:

deep! dark blue color water

Inspired by Nature

Oregon Coast 2007  by Marian Hanson

Since the early Europeans arrived, our Greater Seattle area has also seen many changes.  We are fortunate, however, to have many nearby examples of beautiful and functioning "natural" areas.  The beautiful curve of the Oregon shoreline seen in the photo and its accessibility to the water can give us ideas for our human-designed landscapes along our waterfront. 

In the photo below, this "natural" creek scene is actually by human design.  This area of North Creek on the Bothell, WA campus of the University of Washington was a mitigation site to allow the channeled creek within a farm pasture to once again meander on the site nestled within native plants.  In the background of the photo, a dam built by local beavers can be seen on a branch of the creek.  Besides providing habitat for wildlife, this site can allow for storm water fluctuation and filtration.  These functions lost over time by human development can be brought back to some areas with thoughtful designs. 

In The Sourcebook of Contemporary Landscape Design by Alex Sanchez Vidiella 2008, there are many inspirational designs in photos, sketches and planned views.  A few that may inspire our Seattle waterfront designs are the Zhongshan Shipyard Park in China (pg 204), the Hai River Embankment Design in Tianjin China (pg. 210), the Welland Canal (pg. 232), HTO Park in Toronto Canada (pg. 250), Union Point Park in Oakland CA (pg. 268), Bali Memorial in Australia (pg 378), and Las Margas Parks and Gardens in Latas Spain (pg. 554).  I hope this helps, Marian Hanson

Boundaries Be Gone

While Copenhagen and Malmö appeared to lack in ecological integrity, they are far ahead in the accessibility and quality of urban public spaces. Like Kris and Julia, I was absolutely enchanted with the interconnectedness…no ugly chainlink fences and dusty dogs runs, no barriers to interactions between age groups, no interruptions to contend with along kilometers of waterfront. The lack of public waterfront space is one of my MAJOR gripes with the US. Though I love cities, I too feel claustrophobic in them here because there are no long ‘runs’ (like a dog I just want to go go go for kilometers and kilometers without having to deal with traffic, commercial assaults, etc…).The Burke Gilman is certainly better than nothing, but in many places it is nothing more than cobbled together right-of-ways that don’t really afford a peaceful journey. The flip side to having so much accessible nature around us (and often an extensive private yard) is perhaps an apathy to good urban public space, similar to the arguments against urban ecology in the 1980s - who needs extensive public waterfront access in the city when we can head to the hills, the sea, or use one of the many urban parks. I look forward to challenging this notion in studio, and finding synergy between ecological and social space. OH, and getting a sauna on the Sound!

Mary

Images of the wide-yonder of the Malmö waterfront.

Nature Here Nor There

Like Dan and many others, I was surprised by the lack of ecological focus in Copenhagen, but agree that it is partly because there hasn’t been any ‘wildness’ for generations. As Dan noted, nature has a whole different meaning in the heavily occupied and utilized space of Europe. Seattle still has a wide-range of wildlife and native habitat, even if grossly threatened and endangered, which makes us more conscious of the ecological impact of and potential in urban environments. However, even in ‘wilderness’ – rich America (remember though, many places that we think of as wild have also been heavily managed), the integration of nature in the city is still in its infancy.

In Rivertown: Rethinking urban rivers, Mike Houck’s reflects on how Portland’s planners received the newly initiated Urban Naturalist Program of the Audubon Society in 1982. He was told that  “good-intentioned but ill-informed environmentalist do-gooders’ efforts to protect natural areas in [the] region was quixotic and contrary to Oregon’s land-use planning program, which was designed to protect nature “out there” in the rural hinterlands, not in the city” (2007, 179). Twenty years later Portland had succeeded in containing sprawl, with land consumption only increasing 3% compared to a population increase of 31%. However, within its urban growth boundary over 400 miles of streams had been buried to accommodate growth, and 213 miles were polluted resulting in dramatic declines in fish and overall biodiversity.

The Oregon State of the Environment Report, 2000 noted the shortsightedness of their land use approach: “The annual rate of conversion of forest and farmlands to residential and urban areas has declined dramatically since comprehensive land use planning was implemented during the 1980s. However, these laws were not written to address ecological issues, such as clean water or ecosystem function within urban growth boundaries” (Houck 2007, 179-180).  In The Cincinnati Arch: Learning from nature in the city, John Tallmadge gets to the heart of the matter: “Enshrining wilderness in distant places allows us to justify our abuse, neglect, or exploitation of local nature, which appear less worthy and so less heinous to victimize. Loving Yosemite makes it easer to trash Cincinnati…” (2004, 41).

See also Nature by Design by Eric Higgs for a great discussion on cultural versus natural landscapes, as well as for insight into the extent to which ‘wild’ North American landscapes have been manipulated by humans over many centuries. Let's keep these examples in mind when designing the waterfront since natural is just as much a design choice as manicured. Fortunately, ecology is now in the forefront of our thinking, thanks to the efforts of the like of the Green Futures Lab, strong policies and enabling legislation.

Mary - the one with no camera

Youth culture activates public space

I've been intrigued by the current debate around what "public space" means (with the Chihuly proposal for Seattle Center and such... In fact, listen to our very own Iain R. diving into it here:   http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=21413) and moreover by the array of opinions on what types of activities, amenities, surrounding building uses, etc. will "activate" a public site.   Attract people.  Invite them to stay.   And give them a reason to return.   Some argue for private, commercial uses to activate public space.  Shops, shops, shops!  Restaurants.   Cafes.  Food carts.  Others argue for mixed use that includes residential, in order to maintain a 24hr. presence.   But one thing I haven't heard many people asserting is that the presence of young people and youth culture activates public space... And yet some of the liveliest spaces I observed in Copenhagen embraced and showcased youth culture.  

I'm not talking about children (although... I could very well argue that, too!)  I'm talking about teenagers and young adults.  The proverbial "promise of tomorrow".  This demographic slice may not have a great deal of political power or disposable income to spend in restaurants, cafes and boutiques.  They may actually resent or reject these uses as not intended for them.   (Well... they're right, no?)    And people for whom restaurants, cafes and boutiques ARE intended may resent and reject young adults.   Why is that?   Might it be because when young people are not welcomed into public space they often find ingenious ways to appropriate sites (sometimes marginal sites, sometimes private sites, sometimes public sites) and claim them for uses that do appeal?  Think Woodland Park dirt bikers.  Think downtown skateboarders.   Think TUBS graffiti wall in the U-district.  Depending on our perspective, we call these uses "criminal trespassing" or "empowering."   I've already tipped my hand by calling them"ingenious", but I also recognize how and why they breed animosity and a breakdown in communication between generations.   Perhaps these uses are simply evidence of a missing social function.  A blind spot in planners' and designers' field of vision.


I'm not a skater, a climber or a graffiti artist.   And I'm not a young adult, either ;^)  However, I thoroughly enjoyed just being in the spaces pictured above... due in large degree to the energy and creativity infused by the youth culture present there.   I wanted to go back.  Just to see what was happening.   These spaces were clearly designed to invite and attract young people.  Perhaps they were even designed with or by young people.  Well... they worked for me, too. 


So I think we can do better job of intentionally inviting young people into public space, hopefully in a way that is integrated with other aspects of public life.  And by doing so, we'll likely also invite vitality, artistic expression, physical activity and inspiration.


Cheers, Pam