I woke up this morning to a very pleasant read pointed out to me by my friend Bart Mihailovich at the DownToEarthNW.com blog. David Byrne, yes, the singer/songwriter for the Talking Heads, wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal talking about his perfect city.
Byrne muses briefly, read-ably, about what characteristics he'd like to see in a city. While not everyone would like to live there (though, it sure seems intriguing to me), it's a good exercise, I think, for people to have some kind of vision about what they want. Only then can we all come together to create it.
Byrne has the advantage of being well-traveled; most of the people we meet in our everyday lives are not as worldly. But, that doesn't mean they don't have aspirations which could be enhanced by a community which serves those ambitions.
Bart asks the question on his blog: what is your perfect city? I encourage you to go read the Byrne article and tell Bart what you think. Tell me, too, if you'd like.
And a linkback would be greatly appreciated! :)
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As a child, I would look out the school bus window at the town kids who were walking to school, and I would wonder what misfortune had befallen their parents and forced them all to live so close together.
ReplyDeleteIn my early years of independence, I longed for a little house on ten acres with neighbors too far away to shout and be heard. Oddly, as time has passed, I find I want people, I want community, lots of it.
My ideal city?...
Large enough to "feel" urban, small enough to deive across in less than 45 minutes. Population about a million metro, I think. A sense of being forward-thinking, modern, with an appreciation for technology.
Residential development downtown and near downtown in sufficient supply that ordinary people can afford to live there. Downtown mixed use development that assures people on the streets at midnight.
Mass transit! Build a city with sensible densities and transportation plannning becomes a pleasure! Mix the modes to serve the citizens' needs.
Effective citizen participation in development planning such that the character of the city is maintained but that does not prevent progress.
Hetergeneous population. I like a neighborhood of all ages, where I see babies in strollers and kids on bikes and teenagers in groups, where single adults are comfortable and the elderly are part of the community. I want to see people of all colors.
Green stuff. I love the feel of dense population development, and it works best for me when there are trees everywhere, tucked into spots in front of buildings as well as in pockets of protected green space.
If I could draw from cities where I've lived: From Austin, I'd take lots-- the downtown mixed-use development where people are on the streets 20 hours a day with our stunning downtown architecture; green stuff everywhere you look; a fierce commitment to citizen participation; music; a fully hetergeneous population. I love the neighborhoods in Chicgo, the narrow streets, the local retail, the urban-yet-midwestern feel of it. Chicago Transit Authority works. From Columbus Ohio, I might take the cleanliness of the streets, the concentration of major employers downtown; but I might leave behind the reliance on the business community for development planning.