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urban manifesto: assuming a position joshua tebokkel m.arch 2 arch 675: urban systems instructors: dr. brian sinclair and alberto de salvatierra
Humanity has reached a turning point. Most of the earth’s population lives within urban areas. Several authors have compared the volume of people living together to that of communal insects, representing a new social evolution.1,2 Humanity does not have the same level of cooperation and interaction that allows natural ecologies to sustain themselves – to act as a cohesive whole. Cities and urban sprawl are a manifestation of a capitalistic, individualistic world view – a social, environmental, and economic catastrophe. This Manifesto is an overview of four critical aspects that are needed to challenge the current trajectory of civilization. These responsibilities do not hinge solely on the architect. It is a demanding but hopeful message, a collective effort to secure concrete change, that extends from urban planners, architects, and policy makers, to citizens - a “communitybuilding” effort as described by the Charter for the New Urbanism.3 A shift in thinking. “A radically different collective thought process of some sort has to be instituted.”4 This process begins with a human-centric focus. Urban systems are only meaningful as a human environment and cannot be viewed in isolation.5 Supportive of this focus are three other responsibilities needed in response to current global insecurities: sustainability, history, and technology. HUMAN. First and foremost, this manifesto
revolves around the importance of human beings as central to the pursuit. Cities are complex social conditions with complex social problems. They are a shared experience. Ryan, in The Largest Art describes the legacy of urban design “as both a formal and social enterprise but these latter ideals contributed little to the three-dimensional schemes that constituted the disciplines visual language.”6 Similarly, the New Urbanism recognizes that physical solutions alone are not enough to solve the social problems of cities.7 The social dimensions of development need greater consideration to create cohesive urban environments. A sense of belonging, quality of life, and the dismantling of segregation and stigmatization of groups of people, begins with housing opportunities and diverse formal and social communities. There are unintended consequences of neglecting these dimensions such as mass incarceration of racial minorities.8 It is not however enough of a call to action to designers to educate themselves and implement policy that affects social change. This manifesto is also a message to all of humanity. Urbanism as reached complete connectivity. Urban-rural, city-country – these relationships are solidified within a larger urban system. City and country dwellers need to become responsible, active, and educated as urban citizens. The immaterial aspects of a human-centric focus also require physical form within urban systems. Quality form and public spaces are required in communities for them to build identities, sense of place, and inclusivity. Ultimately cities require physical form, but the complexities of social interaction require careful consideration. “The public [is] a living, active agent, enmeshed in urban design as inhabitant, shaper, and designer.”9 People are autonomous and diverse, and therefore need to come together in a communal effort for better cities. SUSTAINABILITY. “Urbanization in the advanced capitalist countries has not in recent history been about sustaining bioregions, ecological complexes, or anything other than sustaining [...] capital.”10 Humanity faces a global environmental crisis evident in the rise of extreme weather events, disasters, declining biodiversity, and
pollution levels. These events are emphatically man-made. Cities are at the vanguard of climate volatility. The natural environment can no longer be a subset of the economy. Cities are uniquely positioned because they contribute significantly to environmental problems while simultaneously feeling their effects the most. Cities need to become part of a sustainable ecological system. The New Urbanism gives specific examples of how to begin to achieve sustainability in cities.11 Cities need to focus on urban form and urban mobility. In other words, increase density and diminish dependence on automobiles. Communities should grow as whole-places – a balance of living, working, and amenities that increases walkability and decreases energy waste. These are only a fraction of urban design, however. Urbanism should repair environmental damage, promote biodiversity revitalization, and preserve natural resources. Sustainability infiltrates all scales of the urban condition. Why do people water their lawns with potable water? Why do people have lawns? Could lawns be replaced with small urban farms? How does society consume products? What would happen to a city like Calgary if the limits, as they are today, became permanent – no more sprawl? The urban ecology needs to be conscience of what it does with space, how it utilizes recourses, and how urban relates to natural conditions. These responsibilities are not independent of each other. Sustainability is just as much about the human condition, history, and technology. For example, creating complete communities can destroy class segregation – amenities that were once available only to citizens with cars now become inclusive. HISTORY & TECHNOLOGY. “Architecture stands with one leg in a world that’s 3,000 years old and another leg in the 21st century. This almost balletlike stretch makes our profession surprisingly deep.”12 Architecture (and urbanism) is uniquely situated at the nexus of past and present. History and technology can be considered together. Urban design has an obligation to preserve and understand the past. Not only the built environment but the cultural history of places. A criticism of historic visionary urbanism such