The Wisconsin Undergraduate Planning Asssociation Presents
THE WISCONSIN URBANIST
Volume 1, Spring 2024
THE WISCONSIN URBANIST, founded 2023, is a journal-magazine produced by the Wisconsin Undergraduate Planning Association (WUPA). It features two primary types of content:
1. articles written by students
2. capstone projects from seniors in the Landscape and Urban Studies program
WUPA Leadership
Ndemazea Fonkem Co-president
Zachary M. Golden Editor-in-Chief
Shealynn Wegner Conference Coordinator
Leah Bulbula Alumni Relations Coordinator
Hollyn Gaffner Co-president
Julia Fechner Associate Editor
Will McAllister Conference Coordinator
Kareem Harris Alumni Relations Coordinator
Editor-in-Chief
Zachary M. Golden
Associate Editor Julia Fechner
Contributing Writers
Julia Fechner
Zachary M. Golden
Nathan Gutierrez
Landscape and Urban Studies Senior Capstone Authors
Samantha Caches
Tyler P. Franklin
Zachary M. Golden
Isabella Smith
Shealynn Wegner
Thank you
Alfonso Morales, Planning and Landscape Architecture Department Chair, for your support of undergraduate work Ndemazea Fonkem, for introducing the idea of a journal
Wisconsin Undergraduate Planning Association wupa@dpla.wisc.edu
Music Hall 925 Bascom Mall
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 53706
Copyright disclaimer: The Wisconsin Urbanist does not hold the copyright for some of the images used in this publication. Images are included under educational fair use and all rights belong to the respective image owners.
Downtown Waupun Redesign Proposal
Isabella Smith - UW-Madison, 2024
Objectives
Create attractive and functional spaces for pedestrians while maintaining access for vehicles and parking. Streamline parking spaces and improve effciency of public lots and roads.
Reinforce Waupun’s artistic identity through incorporation of art and sculpture to create beautiful public spaces.
Background and Methods
Waupun is a small city in East Central Wisconsin, lying on the border between Dodge and Fond-du-Lac counties. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,3441. The major industries in Waupun are agribusiness, manufacturing, and transportation. It is situated at the intersection of three major highways, providing convenient access to the larger metropolitan areas of Fond-du-Lac, Madison, and Milwaukee. Waupun is also home to a large high-security prison, situated just a few blocks from downtown. The downtown area of interest to this study is the historic core, encompassing the 300 and 400 blocks of Main St between Mill St and Fond du Lac St. There have been major investments in this area in the past decade, and the City of Waupun wishes to capitalize on this momentum and initiate development. I worked with UW Extension and the City Administrator of Waupun to build off prior work and engagements with residents and local youth. This capstone is a culmination of my undergraduate work in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture, as well as a thought piece to inspire further initiatives and promote development in Waupun.
Pedestrianization
Waupun’s central business district lies along Main St, also known as WI-49. The presence of a state highway cutting directly through the town has increased traffc and accessibility to and from Waupun. However, it has produced concerns regarding pedestrian safety. Since 2010, there have been 10 reported incidents involving vehicles and either bicyclists or pedestrians in the 4-block study area.1 This route is heavily traffcked by semi-trucks, generating high noise levels and reducing feelings of safety. Furthermore, the state highway designation limits potential changes to the road. Because of these limitations, we turn to the area behind the street-facing buildings as an opportunity to create dedicated pedestrian spaces while balancing vehicle traffc.
Parking and Vehicle Flow
Local business owners and customers have voiced concerns about the availability of adequate parking. However, two separate parking studies performed fve years apart found little reason for concern. In both, the proportion of occupied spaces fell far below the level deemed to be healthy. An effective parking capacity is generally considered to be around 85% occupation. This accounts for the number of spaces that can be realistically used in an area plus a small buffer for times of elevated demand. The 2018 parking study identifed an average occupation of 35.5% during normal business hours.3 Five years later, the average occupation in the area was 60.5%. While parking demand has grown signifcantly over the past fve years, it still falls below the effective level of 85% occupation. These studies show that there is suffcient parking, but it is being misused. The street parking flls up quickly and the
Waupun derives a large part of its historical signifcance from the legacy of Clarence Shaler, a local industrialist and entrepreneur with a passion for sculpture.5 After building a thriving career as an inventor, creating vulcanized tire patches, among other things, he retired in 1928 to pursue sculpture. He donated several pieces to the town, some his creations and some commissioned from other sculptors, including the notable “Dawn of Day” sculpture by James Earl Frasier depicting the plight of Native Americans in the United States. These pieces can be found scattered throughout the town, and the city is dedicated to preserving and advancing Shaler’s appreciation for fne art and sculpture. This heritage motivates the continued desire to incorporate art into public spaces throughout the city to solidify Waupun’s artistic identity and create beautiful and inspiring public spaces.
Proposed Interventions
I propose a number of interventions to this area, including creating a pedestrian walkway and patio space behind the buildings on the north side of Main St, converting N Mill St into a one-way with slanted parking spaces, developing a large public space on the 400 S block of Main St, adding bumpouts to each intersection, and incorporating lots of public art.
FondduLacSt.
Streamlined Parking
The Patio Off Main Figure 1 shows how the space behind businesses can be transformed into a pedestrian walkway and seating area with backdoor access to the adjacent businesses. This provides a safe and attractive space for pedestrians to spend time, separated from vehicle traffc by a bioswale and vegetation. This idea builds on suggestions from residents and local business owners as a way to create an interesting and welcoming downtown. Features of this space include trees and other plantings, exible seating areas and tables, lighting, shade covers, and art installations. This would require cooperation between business owners and the City to develop their backdoor access. However, increased economic activity due to increased usage is a likely outcome of this development.
City of Sculpture
Waupun’s City of Sculpture legacy will be further affrmed by installing sculptures throughout the downtown area. These sculptures may be temporary installations created by students or other community members to promote engagement and artistic expression. In the same vein, several murals will be commissioned on selected exterior walls lining the pedestrian walkways and other public spaces. These murals are designed to share the history and values of the city.
The off-street parking lots are redesigned to create space for the pedestrian walkways and green features. These off-street lots must be appealing and accessible to draw traffc away from the limited on-street parking, which is intended to be used for shorter durations and should have a higher rate of turnover. To further incentivize users who intend to park for a longer period to park in the off-street lots, parking meters have been installed along Main St. Besides generating funds for the city, parking meters deter long-term parkers. Parking meters are a highly contentious feature, but they offer several benefts. Beyond increasing the rates of turnover and facilitating self-sorting based on parking duration, they can reduce cruising, where cars travel slower than usual, searching for parking. Cruising can slow traffc and increase harmful emissions.4 There is currently a building, seen on the left in Fig. 2, that cuts off the twp public off street lots on the 300 block north of Main St. The owner also owns two businesses on the same block and is willing to sell or demolish it to create a cohesive parking lot. With this building gone, the separate parking lots can be connected.
n the 400 block south of Main St, the line of parking spaces abutting the backs of buildings has been pulled away, allowing for a walkway that connects the two open lots on either side of 41 E Main St. Slanted parking spaces ease entry and may also be used as pull in spaces for farmers market vendors on the weekend.
Figure 1: 400 N
Madison St.
Main St.
Pedestrian Interventions and Functionality
Bumpouts placed at each corner of the intersections along Main St will increase pedestrian safety by shortening the distance pedestrians must cross and providing better visibility. Furthermore, they may reduce instances of speeding by creating the perception of a narrower street.2 These bumpouts are designed to be mountable, to accommodate semi-trucks turning onto and off Main St. A midblock pedestrian crossing on N Madison St, marked and outftted with warning lights, will ensure a safe and continuous walking experience. Utilizing distinctive material on the ground, such as pavers, will further separate pedestrians and vehicles and ensure pedestrian safety. A designated space for delivery vehicles has been set aside on the 300 block to allow for access to businesses and continued commercial functionality of the space.
One-Way Conversion on N Mill St
To reduce the risk of vehicle collisions and create more space for parking, Mill St north of Main St will be turned into a one-way northbound street with angled parking spaces. This will double the amount of parking available on this street, reducing demand for on-street parking along Main St. Eliminating cars exiting Mill St onto Main St will simplify this crossing for pedestrians. Furthermore, as Mill St is one of the minor roads in this area, a conversion here will not heavily impact existing traffc patterns At the most, drivers will have to travel one block further east or west to access Main St if coming from the north.
Fig. 2: Backside of 300 N Block, Before
Fig. 3: Backside of 300 N Block, After
Figure 4: 300 N
Mill St.
Main St.
Madison St.
A Flexible Community Gathering Space
The two empty lots on the 400 S block have been transformed from underutilized space into a cohesive outdoor gathering area with space for seating, play, live entertainment, food trucks, and the weekly farmers market. This space aims to become a gathering place for the community and entice visitors downtown, whether or not events are taking place. This will increase foot traffc to neighboring businesses and establish downtown Waupun as a destination where one may spend a whole day.
These two lots are separated by a building, but rather than looking at it as an obstacle, it has been reframed as an opportunity for public art. Shifting the edge of the parking lot further away from the buildings allows for a back pathway connecting the lots and creates an even border. n farmers market mornings, vendors who tend to sell out of the back of their vehicles will beneft from these adjacent parking spaces. The rest of the parking lot has remained unchanged, with two-way traffc, electric vehicle chargers, and space for commercial delivery vehicles.
The larger western lot includes a stage and a larger paved area for live music and other performances, as well as scattered seating closer to the sidewalk. Behind the stage is a paved area dedicated to food trucks and other mobile vendors.
The eastern lot contains benches and other seating options for a quieter environment, inviting people to meet and linger.
Both lots are outftted with colorful overhead sunshades and string lights to ensure comfort and accessibility both day and night. In addition to the murals on the building walls, these lots are home to sculptures and other potential art installations.
This space works in conjunction with the Patio ff Main across the street, pedestrian safety interventions, and parking reconfguration to create an attractive destination full of activity and character that is also safe and accessible. This process is dependent on community engagement and collaboration between all stakeholders and residents, from school children to local business leaders. However, with the proper appraoches and continued momentum, there is no reason that Waupun’s wildest dreams for its future may not come to fruition.
Main St.
olivetreeresidences
By:TylerP.Franklin Client:AyeshaLiaqat
AsFitchburg,WisconsinhasgrownintoaformidablesuburboftheCityof Madison,theyhaveprioritizeddevelopmentthatincreaseshousingdensity. Thisfocusontownhomesandapartmentsthatincreasehousingstockwhile oferingmuchneededunitsforthefastgrowingpopulationhasnotbeen welcomingtoallthough.Manylongtimeresidentsoftheprimarilysuburban communityhaveexpressedconcernsabouttheincreaseddensityofnew developments,whichtheyviewtobedisruptingtheirperceivedquiet neighborhoodsandalteringthesightlinesfromtheirhomes.Thistension betweencityhousingpolicyandcommunitymembers’desireswas exemplifiedthroughtheplanningphaseofanewdevelopmentonthe prominentcornerofRimrockRoadandMaloneyDrive.Asdeveloper AyeshaLiaqatgrappledwiththeneedsexpressedbytheCityofFitchburg, shefacedpushbackfromneighboringresidentsfortheinitialplanbelow.
Whiletheplanshownonthepreviouspagewasinlinewiththedensity needsofthecity,neighboringresidentswereconcernedwiththeperceived highdensitytheywouldbeviewingfromtheirownhomesintheformof townhomes.Whenconsideringtheseshortcomings,Icreatedthree framingquestionstofocusonwhilecultivatingconceptualredesignsforthe development,whichledmetotheinitialconceptdepictedbelowthe frameworks.
1.Canweadjusttoexistingneighborhooddesires?
2.Canwemaintainamid-leveldensityof20units?
3.Canwecreateana ractiveandlivablearea?
Theconceptdesignaboverepresentsashiftfromasingularstyleof housingtoamorediverserangeofoptions,specificallywithboth townhomesandsinglefamilyresidences.Thereisadeparturefromthe needofmorehardscapepavementwithasingularpathway,whilealso retainingagreenareaforthecommunitytouseontheeastsideofthe property.Moreover,thereisaconnectiveapproachtothedevelopment withafrontandbackfeelingtotheunits.Eachwouldhavepresentable exteriorsoneitherside,toaddtothecommunityaspectoftheproperty. However,thefocusremainedoncontemporarydesignelementshere,while neglectingthedensitygoalsandexistingneighborhooddesires.
Whenconsideringthesethings,withspecificreferencetothesightlines, therewasheavysentimenttowardloweringthedensityorperhapsthe vieweddensityonthenorthernandeasternedgesofthepropertywhile maintaininga conceptualplanbelowwasdevelopedhintingtowardsanultimategoal.
Whatthisdesigndidwasreducethatperceiveddensityontheeastern edgeofthedevelopment,whileoferinganimprovedsetbackonthe northernedge.Furthermore,densityandparkingissuesbegantobe resolvedincoordinationwithadiversesetofunitstyles.Eventually,this conceptledtothe finaldesignbelow.
Thisdesigndoesnotjustbuildof thethreeframingquestionsstatedatthe beginning,butdirectlyanswerstheircall.Intermsofmeetingthedesiresof theexistingneighbors,themaintainedpublicamenityinthenortheastern cornerofthepropertytiedwithlowertrafichardscapethroughoutthe scopeofthedevelopmentarejustthebeginning.Themainimprovement comeswiththeenhancementofsightlinesfortheexistingneighbors.To thenorth,apaththatextendsthroughoutthedevelopmentisaddedwithin anincreasedsetbacktoeasetheconcernsofthenorthernproperty owners.Totheeast,thevieweddensityisdecreasedfromtownhomesto smallersinglefamilyhomesthatalignwiththeaestheticofthe longstandingneighborhoodtotheeast.Thischangedirectlytargetsthe mainconcerncomingfromthoseneighbors.
Whenconsideringtheneedforana ractiveandliveabledevelopmentfor newbuyersinFitchburg,thisplangreatlyimprovesupontheoriginalplan. Anumberofthedesignelementsincludedinthisplanhighlighttheideas outlinedbyDavidSimin“SoftCity,”ultimatelytyingtothenotionthatareas shouldbedesignedinawaythat fittheneedsofthoseutilizingthem.This startswiththeneedforconvenienceinthistypeofdevelopment, specificallyintermsofensuringthatcommutershaveaplacetoeasilypark theirvehiclesincloseproximitytotheirdwellings.However,thisdesignis notmakingcarsthepriority.Alargenetworkofpathwayshavebeen addedtoitinordertoputfocusonhumans.Infact,therepeatedelement offrontdoorsopeningof topathwaysratherthandrivewaysisdirectly aimedatenhancingthefeelingofhumanuseratherthancaruse.Diversity instructuretypeisalsorepresented,asdiferentpeoplehavediferentsets ofpreferencesforwheretheylive.Thisremainsimportant,butaunifying aestheticalsohelpsbuildthesenseofcommunity.Furthermore,thereisa focusoncreatingadevelopmentnotonlydesirabletohumansata face-valuelevel,butalsoinmoreintrinsicways.Thiscoincideswiththe harnessingofrecreationalopportunitiesinthenortheastcornerofthe property,andalsowiththeideaoflightthatSimoftenalludesto.Inthe Wisconsinwintersespecially,southernandeasternlightisextremely desirableforhomeownersasitoferssoftandwelcomingtones.
“Man is the subject as well as the object of architecture.”33
The Humanism of Aldo van Eyck
By Zachary M. Golden
At TU Del ’s 1987 International Design Seminar, Aldo van Eyck begins his lecture on an unusual note: “This morning, I put together about 25 slides of the most horrendous, horrible architecture you can possibly imagine – and you know how nasty I am.”1 These works come from among the most renowned designers in the discipline, apparently familiar to his audience of insiders. Targets include, for instance, “Philip J.” and “Oswald Matthias U.” – “I never mention criminals by their full name,” he tells the audience, to laughter. With a comedic cadence, he mocks these works of architecture and the thinking behind them. These projects are sophisticated and avant-garde – but nonetheless something is missing. He has “decorated” his slides to make them “a little bit more happy, a little bit nicer.” He paints a ring of colorful dots around an imposing Albert Speer façade. He tilts a rectilinear Aldo Rossi building at a 45 degree angle at risk of making it fall. His playful touches contrast with these rigid
and awkward buildings, standing abstractly as if lost in their own concepts, unwilling to have a lighthearted interrelationship with the lively world of human activity. His wit reveals absurdity. The audience, in their laughter, acknowledge his point. Van Eyck is harsh on architects because he believes they distract themselves from the true purpose of architecture: to create humanly meaningful places.
Aldo van Eyck joined CIAM in 1947, early in his architectural career.2 He and other young members were disillusioned with the functionalism CIAM had developed under Le Corbusier.3 They formed their own group, Team X, when CIAM dissolved in 1959. Team X did not abandon Modernist architectural theory entirely, but sought to inject a humanist sensibility.4 In 1962, van Eyck wrote The Child, the City and the Artist, a book-length explication of his architectural philosophy. While in line with the general thinking of his Team X peers, it was his individual expression; unlike
“This is columnitis... it’s a disease columns have.”
“That’s an oldie-bones like me looking out of the window... it’s like your drooping eyelid...”
“This is Aldo E... just a slight variation... it’s not as bad, is it?”
CIAM, Team X did not speak with one unified voice. No publisher picked up his “unusual” manuscript, and it remained unreleased until a posthumous edition in 2008.5 Some chapters were published as articles, mostly in the magazine Forum. 6 Through these and other published writings – along with his involvement in Team X and his built works – van Eyck’s thinking has reached the broader architectural community. This complete document, however, deserves more attention. It presents a spirited and thoughtful theory of architecture from a fascinating practitioner. He saw beyond the assumptions of contemporary practice and returned to fundamental questions. Abandoning grand schemes and abstract programs, van Eyck recentered architecture on man.
In The Child, the City and the Artist, Aldo van Eyck argues that architecture should configure space to correspond to human meaning. From his understanding of the discipline’s history, he concludes that the contemporary task of architecture is to provide a suitable environment for every citizen. For this task, an abstract and analytical approach is insufficient. Instead, he says architecture must become an artistic, imaginative, and “configurative” discipline.
THE TASK OF ARCHITECTURE
For van Eyck, the contemporary task of architecture is to create “habitable places” “for every citizen.” He lays out this position in the Chapter 7 essay “The False Client and the Great Word ‘No.’”7 He describes a past in which much of man’s environment was constructed by its users and a present in which specialists are responsible for all. As the vernacular
“That would be acceptable perhaps... the only thing is that there are eight doors and only two of those doors are real.”
“That is a useful human gesture... if you do a thing like that, by God you’re an architect.”
no longer predominates, the role of the architect expands.
“The architect has always been concerned with single buildings or a complex of single buildings. These were always particular buildings, commissioned by particular members of society. The humble multitudes, those that moved about in the countless little houses and streets, were never his clients. His attention was never directed towards them - sometimes indirectly, but in such cases his client was certainly another, like himself, socially and emotionally an alien. No, yesterday’s multitudes – today’s ‘anonymous client’ – contrived what they needed and regarded as good within the narrow scope and uncertain conditions which prevailed. True, they called upon an array of cra smen from their midst, but their affinity to them was direct – direct also their affinity to the humble miracles which resulted – they extended their own specific behavior into built form.”8
The built environment was not until recently designed entirely by architects. For most of the profession’s history, architects focused on “particular buildings” for “particular” clients – those wealthy and powerful enough to afford an architect’s expertise, a small fraction of the population.
“The humble multitudes” either fashioned their environs with their own hands or employed cra smen to do so. Van Eyck calls their output “the vernacular of the heart.” Vernacular architecture is not a superficial aesthetic
category. The meaning of the vernacular comes from the process by which it comes into being. Vernacular architecture is the direct expression of its inhabitants. Architect and client are one – or are at least closely a intimate process of creation, the people “extended their own specific behavior into built form.” The outcome serves its users because it is adapted to –or rather emergent from – the intricacies of their patterns of behavior, both cultural and individual. The vernacular is both practically useful and aesthetically meaningful to its inhabitants –two concepts which are di completely. Activities, routines, and rituals find the supporting infrastructure they need in built form. This infrastructure enables behaviors both to occur and to be meaningful.
Now the vernacular has receded. Our economy has become more specialized. In the developed world at least, individuals no longer construct their own environment. Professional architects take up the role vacated by cra inhabitants themselves. Their profession has a broader area of operation than before: not just
two circles appears “by us for us.” Though the designer and inhabitant are now neither the same person nor close acquaintances, an identification between architect and client remains necessary. The end product must be conceived in terms of the intimate experience of the inhabitant. The right circle shows this latter “us,” the inhabitant or user – his “real client,” with the words “for each man and all men.”
The le circle shows the former “us,” the designer. Here he presents three images, each representing a distinct “aspect” of architecture. These three aspects must be reconciled, says van Eyck – their “essence, not [their] form.” The top image is of the Parthenon, representing “an order that rests within itself.” This is architecture as a singular and discrete object with its own internal order. To the right is a drawing from Theo van Doesburg, representing “plurality and relativity.” Architecture here is not in a static and isolated realm. It relates or responds to the outside world – to the movement of life and to its formal surroundings. Van Eyck calls this “harmony in motion.”11 The third image is a vernacular town form, such as a “Saharan village or New Mexican pueblo.” This represents “the vernacular of the heart – the extension of collective behavior into built form.” Form and meaning are intimately related, and the individual structure is situated within the community as the individual citizen is situated within the community. Thus Van Eyck sets goals for his task: to design in identification with the client and to reconcile these three aspects of architecture.
THE INADEQUACY OF AN ANALYTICAL APPROACH
Modernism was the first attempt to extend architecture beyond its historical confines, to live up to the broader assignment architects held before them: to design for all. Van Eyck praises the spirit of the 20th-century avant-garde in art and science for creating an expanded sense of reality. Architecture, however, has not fully utilized the constructive potential of this spirit. Architects instead settled on the formula of functionalism and began to apply it repetitiously.
The young Van Eyck sees the theorizing of his older contemporaries as a distraction from the fundamental. Consequently, “architects and urbanists have become true specialists in the art of organizing the meager. The result draws very close to crime.”12 Where did architects go wrong?
The functionalist strain of Modernism has failed to address architecture’s expanded role because it views people and their activities through a lens of abstraction. Van Eyck criticizes the conceptualization of function as four keys: “to dwell, to work, to circulate and to recreate.”13
To see function in a more nuanced way, van Eyck argues, one need only visualize the 24hour cycle of activity. He describes functions in more concrete terms: “people…reading the paper; talking to the children; having their different meals; looking at the same TV program.”14
Crucially, he describes the experience of meaning in a given function. He gives the example of transport:
“‘Transport’ is abstract. Going, coming, entering, leaving, bringing, fetching, taking etc. will soon make that clear: to leave the dwelling in the morning may mean entering the street for a pleasant drive; it may mean leaving home to fulfill an unpleasantly hard job, in which case the street will be the extended doorstep of the dwelling. If it is to fulfill a pleasant job, however, the street will be the doorstep of the workshop. Unpleasant memory and anticipation may eliminate the street’s doorstep quality either way, but the experience of driving, nevertheless, may be exhilarating owing to the nature of the route and the fact that the sun is shining at last, or because the snow is thick on the trees.”15
Functionalism conceives of transport as a mechanism: the goal is “to get you there and back.” This conception neglects the experience of transport and its meaning for the individual. Our activities, in this model, are “compartmentalized.” Each is abstracted and separated from the rest of life. When an architect conceives of life as a set of compartmentalized functions, he designs an environment in which life is reduced to a set of compartmentalized activities. They are
“promoted,” becoming “absolutes.”
Van Eyck cried on television when visiting the new Dutch housing project Bijlmermeer, which has since gained a reputation as one of Modernism’s grand failures.16 He criticizes midcentury new towns and housing developments: “They…turned a building into an additive sequence of pretty surfaces…with nothing but emptiness on both sides…ostracizing all human meaning from place.”17 These failures stem from the attempt to make architecture into a purely analytical problem. This alone is not sufficient to address the full complexity of architecture’s task or the full richness of human life. Analysis, though useful, cannot by itself produce a design. To deal with reality and its meaning, we must take a leap beyond analysis into creation.18
AN ARTISTIC APPROACH
Van Eyck argues that an artistic approach to architecture is necessary. He emphasizes the “constructive force of imagination,” emblematized by the child – a symbol of discovery and regeneration – and by the artist, both referenced in the book’s title.19 In this light, he considers architecture to be an art. The aesthetics of this art, however, is not solely visual or formal; it includes the internal or embodied experience of meaning.20 This means to conceive of place not as the home for abstract functions, but as the home for occasion. He writes: “Space in the image of man is place and time in the image of man is occasion.”21 Occasion means not just activity, but also meaning. Our internal sense of meaning should be reflected in the outer environment.
A substantial portion of the book deals with various aspects of van Eyck’s conception of meaning, and seem at first glance to be tangential. Key concepts include “twin phenomena,” “the inbetween realm,” “reciprocity,” “relativity,” and “interiorization.” We will not discuss all of the details here, but these sections are significant as he builds his broader argument for a humanistic architecture.
Twin phenomena are two polarities. For example: “inside-outside, open-closed, massspace…order-chaos, individual-collective.”22 Twin
phenomena are not two alternatives, though they are o en portrayed as such. The two polarities, when treated as alternative absolutes, are “meaningless.” Meaning is generated from the coexistence of the two and the reciprocity between them. This relationship creates the in-between realm: the place where the two polarities meet. The in-between realm is a point of heightened meaning. Take, for instance, the door – “the localized setting for a wonderful human gesture: conscious entry and departure.”23 He also gives the example of standing in the water on a beach –“no landward yearning from the sea, no seaward yearning from the land.”24
Through the book he unfolds an argument that architecture and urbanism should be practiced as a “configurative discipline.”25 As for many of his terms, he provides no authoritative or concise definition. The concept of the configurative discipline can be best understood in light of twin phenomena and the in-between realm. Places are understood not as absolutes, but as relative. Places have reciprocal relationships with other places, and design should thus treat each place as an element with a relationship to a broader configuration. His key example is the reciprocity between house and city: “A house is like a small city if [it is] to be a real house – a city a large house if it is to be a real city.”26 The relationship between the two coincides with the relationship between individual and collective. He conceives of place in relative terms: a place – for instance a house or a city – is made up of smaller places.
Overall, he shi s the focus of architecture toward meaning. He does not wish to promote aesthetics as a strictly imagistic or formal enterprise. He also does not wish to promote functions or places as absolutes, which reduces their meaning by reducing their relationship to other things, cutting off a constructive reciprocity. His ideas here are not definitive principles to be applied mechanically, but starting points toward a richer conception of architecture.
CONCLUSION
Aldo van Eyck was not alone in his focus on human activity and meaning. This focus has been
a trend in architectural and urban thought over the past several decades. It was shared within Team X. In Japan, Fumihiko Maki of the Metabolist group similarly discusses form as emerging from activity. Van Eyck cites him at times.27 Rem Koolhaas, a contemporary Dutch architect known for his own focus on program, refers to both in his writings.28
Jane Jacobs and William H. Whyte each write about subtle social interactions and patterns of activity. Jacobs too polemicizes against abstract programs – CIAM’s Radiant City and Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City – and their application in American planning practice.29 Kevin Lynch, in The Image of the City, discusses our internal perceptions of urban space.30 Aldo Rossi, in The Architecture of the City, criticizes the notion that buildings should serve narrow and precise functions.31 Academics, drawing on pioneering writers such as Jacobs and Lynch, have embarked upon scientific investigations into these issues. Some of van Eyck’s emphases are mirrored in research: the internal experience of space in environmental psychology, patterns of activity and social interactions in sociology, and the relationships between places in economics.
Just because we have rejected dogmatic functionalism, however, does not render us immune from embracing new dogmas of our own. The adoption of a rigid or universal approach avoids uncertainty and ambiguity – which, though uncomfortable, are necessary parts of the confrontation with a creative task. If we outsource our thinking to a formula – whether that is the “Functional City” or one of the many alternatives available today – we are destined to continue producing inadequate places, which may conform to our formula but not to the richness of life.
Van Eyck’s example teaches us the importance of wrestling creatively with fundamental questions. He is a spirited analyst of contemporary circumstances and of what is eternal. We should learn not just from his particular ideas, but also his example as a theorist. He was willing to challenge innovative ideas as they became dominant in his profession, and to return to fundamental questions.
Aldo van Eyck encourages us to view the city not as an analytical problem that can be solved through abstraction but as an artistic problem that requires creativity, playfulness, and discovery. This does not mean that analysis is of no use, but rather that it alone is not sufficient. In his words: “Of course there is nothing wrong in following the analytical process as long as we know that we cannot get to the other side without jumping.”32 We reach a point from which analysis can take us no further – here we must take the artistic leap of creation.
NOTES
1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf7RyqXIYmM
2 The Congrès Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne was an influential group of Modernist architects based in Europe during the early-to-mid 20th century.
3 Aldo van Eyck, The Child, the City and the Artist, ed. Vincent Ligtelijn and Francis Strauven (Amsterdam: SUN, 2008), 6.
4 Alison Smithson, ed., Team 10 Primer (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1968). This primer does not use the term humanism explicitly, though it seems fitting as a shorthand for the sentiments expressed therein.
5 van Eyck, The Child, the City and the Artist, 7.
6 Ibid., 8.
7 Ibid., 128.
8 Ibid., 129.
9 Ibid., 129.
10 Ibid., 131.
11 Ibid., 132.
12 Ibid., 128.
13 Ibid., 115. These four keys were presented in CIAM’s famous 1933 document, The Athens Charter, as “The Four Functions of the City.”
Congress Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne, La Charte d’Athenes or The Athens Charter, trans. Jaqueline Tyrwhitt (Paris: The Library of the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, 1946).
14 van Eyck, The Child, the City and the Artist, 115.
15 Ibid., 116.
16 Katie Mingle, “Bijlmer (City of the Future, Part 1),” 99% Invisible, February 20, 2018, https://99percentinvisible. org/episode/bijlmer-city-future-part-1/.
17 van Eyck, The Child, the City and the Artist, 66.
18 Ibid., 141.
19 Ibid., 22.
20 Ibid., 48-49.
21 Ibid., 49.
22 Ibid., 61.
23 Ibid., 62.
24 Ibid., 56.
25 Ibid., 162.
26 Ibid., 10.
27 Fumihiko Maki, Investigations in Collective Form, (St. Louis: Washington University, 1964), 21. van Eyck, The Child, the City and the Artist, 158, 172, 212-215.
28 Rem Koolhaas and Bruce Mau, S,M,L,XL, (New York: The Monacelli Press, 1995), 1049.
Rem Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Project Japan: Metabolism Talks…, ed. Kayoko Ota and James Westcott, (Cologne: Taschen, 2011).
29 Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, (New York: Modern Library, 2011).
William H. Whyte, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, (New York: Project for Public Spaces, 1980).
30 Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City, (Cambrige: The MIT Press, 1960).
31 Aldo Rossi, The Architecture of the City, trans. Diane Ghirardo and Joan Ockman, (Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1984).
32 van Eyck, The Child, the City and the Artist, 141.
33 Aldo van Eyck, The Child, the City and the Artist, ed. Vincent Ligtelijn and Francis Strauven (Amsterdam: SUN, 2008), 50.
Sustainable Infrastructure in Northern Europe
Text and Photos by Julia Fechner
Seven weeks, four countries, and countless memories. During the summer of 2023 I participated in a study abroad program through DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia. I lived in Copenhagen for five weeks and spent two weeks traveling with my classes on study tours in the Netherlands and Germany. The courses I took were titled Sustainable Development in Northern Europe and Bicycle Urbanism. I went in with a passion for sustainability and the environment, I le with a new perspective on what being sustainable truly means. I even applied for the Landscape and Urban Studies major because I loved these classes so much.
Northern Europe is known for its innovation and sustainable practices. I have learned that practices like these take a shi in not only policy and infrastructure but also attitude. Throughout this article, I will be taking you through a few of my favorite sustainable development projects that I visited during my seven weeks abroad.
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
Car-free Pedestrian malls are very popular in Northern Europe. One of the busiest car-free streets we visited was Copenhagen’s Stroget shopping street (1). This street consists of local boutiques, restaurants, and businesses on the ground level of apartment buildings. While the buildings are four stories tall, a unique piece of Copenhagen is the shorter ceilings in apartment buildings which contribute to the human scale from the street view as well as make the buildings more energy efficient with heating and cooling. In this picture, you can see that pedestrians and bicyclists share this street. Businesses can extend their storefronts to provide seating and shade for customers to enjoy. The original hanging street lights can be seen shooting down the middle of the street. One thing I loved about Copenhagen was the colorful building sides. The only exceptions to this car-free street are firetrucks and police in case of emergency as well as a specific time
of week allowing delivery trucks to drop off goods to the shops. Stroget is what I hope the current discussions surrounding the State Street pedestrian mall experimental program will take inspiration from.
Since experiencing Public Transportation in Europe, I have developed a new passion for transportation infrastructure specifically regarding bicycles. An initiative in Malmo, Sweden demonstrates the importance and convenience of biking instead of driving. The Cyclehoop Car Bike Port (2) is a display showing how ten or more bikes can fit in a standard car parking spot. I had never seen a project like this in the US but I love the message it sends. This stuck with me as I came back to Madison because as a bike-friendly city, we sure do have a lot of car parking.
Copenhagen isn’t the only iconic bike city in the world, visiting the Netherlands we went to Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Rotterdam, all cities with very popular biking infrastructure. Although very different from Copenhagen, these cities have their own unique pieces of infrastructure.
Utrecht was a unique site to visit because of the world’s largest bicycle parking garage built below Utrecht train station (3). There are thousands of bikes parked with real-time usage numbers for occupied or empty stalls. Double-decker bike parking creates more efficient space usage and
2 3 4
increases the availability of bike parking in the city center.
The next unique piece of the Utrecht train station is the newer development of a bike and pedestrian path that stretches over the train tracks (4). The line of trees through the middle creates an earthy feel in the middle of a concrete cityscape. It was such a cool experience to see the trains coming and going. Coming back to Madison I was frustrated by our lack of railways and jealous of European connectivity through trains. 1
SUSTAINABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS
Utrecht is also home to Wonderwoods (5), an office and housing site that has been restructured to fit the needs of a growing population. Rather than tearing down a building and starting new, Wonderwoods has shown that it is possible to keep the original building and upgrade it to meet current standards. The green facade on this building provides access to more green spaces in an urban environment which can lack a connection to nature.
Jumping back to Copenhagen, we took a visit to the VM apartments (6) and Mountain Dwellings, two of Ørestad’s green apartments. The VM apartments are unique because the buildings are shaped into the letters V and M, hence the name. The balconies of the apartments are angled and triangular to provide daylight and privacy without neighbors directly above or below you. The unusual shape of this building contributes to its sustainable practices by allowing better sunlight for solar heating and more airflow for cooling systems. As seen in the photo, the courtyard also encourages outdoor activities with a yard, trees, and a social bubble.
The Mountain Dwellings (7) are located near the VM Apartments and are unique due to the green roofing and terracing structure of the building. Each apartment has their own access to a roo op garden. The green roof also contributes to rainwater capture that is recycled to keep the gardens thriving throughout the seasons. The building has underground parking to use the space to its full capacity above and below ground. The terraced apartments go up about 10 stories, each with unique gardens taken care of by the individual residents. This site would be a great place to live for people who like gardening but are unable to have a backyard garden in a city.
Another amazing site we visited was the Schoonschip or ‘CleanShip’ (8) in Northern Amsterdam. This housing development consists of homes built on water, many of which host green roofing or gardens on their decks. Additionally, floating ecosystems have been built directly on the water to maintain water quality. This system of housing is an adaptation to rising sea levels
5 6 7
8
in Amsterdam, a city connected by canals. The homes generate their own electricity with solar panels and the heating and cooling is facilitated by water pumps. This is a great community to live in with many opportunities and inspirational methods of increasing sustainable practices.
Malmö, Sweden is also home to sustainable architecture developments. Here we visited the Ohboy Hotel (9) which consists of apartments as well as hotel rooms. This site maintains gardens on the roof, in courtyards and on the building facade to bring diverse vegetation into an urban city filled with concrete. The building is made with locally sourced materials and creates jobs to boost the economy. Additionally, the hotel provides bikes and promotes sustainable transportation in Malmö. The building is heated by geothermal energy and has roo op solar panels to provide electricity to the building for its residents.
This next piece of infrastructure is the International Building Exhibition by IBA Hamburg in Hamburg, Germany that has developed various innovative and sustainable pieces of infrastructure within a set of new apartment buildings.
The first apartment we visited was the WoodCube (10) which is made of solid wood construction. This building was made with the intention of utilizing natural and local materials to cut down the carbon emissions associated with the construction process.
Next, we saw Water House (11). This site is exactly what it sounds like, a house built on water, or in this case, an entire apartment building! This building utilizes a geothermal heat pump to bring water from outside to help with the heating and cooling process. Additionally, this building has solar panels which reduces the residents energy consumption with positive input.
The Algae House (12) is an apartment building which produces energy using a facade of microalgae that absorbs solar energy. This also controls light and shade within the apartment buildings based on the placement of the algae windows.
The ‘Smart is Green’ (13) apartment building has implemented a vertical garden that provides a shield from the heat shield during hot summer months. Additionally a PCM (phase change material) “curtain” helps to maintain the internal building climate by removing excess heat during summer and inversely, stores heat during winter. The PCM, along with the green facade, acts as an insulator. The photovoltaic solar panels on the roof and south side of the building also provide energy to the building. 9 10 11 12 13
Lastly, the So House (14) has one of the most unique building concepts I have ever seen. This wooden apartment building has moveable photovoltaic panels on the south side of the building. These panels shi towards the sunlight in order to regulate heat within the building. Additionally, the energy produced by these solar panels, powersw led lights within the homes to produce clean light for residents.
Each of these buildings maintain unique properties that contribute to their green infrastructure. These apartments also provide flexible and affordable housing to a lower income community in Hamburg. Sustainable practices aren’t always the most accessible to these communities because of the high cost of technology. I hope sites like these can continue to develop and serve as inspiration in other parts of the world.
Similar to the green homes at the International Building Exhibition in Hamburg, Berlin Germany is home to Passivhaus-Engeldamn by architect Joerg Springer who gave us a tour of the site. The picture on the le depicts the outside of the building with a green facade and unique patio terracing. The image on the right shows the inside lobby with a private zen garden for the residents as well as a foosball table and lounging areas. This building is located near a section where the Berlin wall once stood. The goal of a Passivhaus or Passive House, as a piece of green infrastructure is to be energy efficient and in this case, the building maintains thermal insulation and therefore does not require a typical heating and cooling system. This building also has a roo op garden which residents can use to grow fresh fruits and vegetables (16).
I learned so much on this study abroad program and all of these site visits inspired me to pursue the Landscape and Urban Studies Major. If it weren’t for this experience I would not be writing this right now. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have had and I am eager to continue learning about ways to develop more sustainable cities. I hope the ideas for these innovative projects will spread around the world.I am excited to see where this future in urban planning might take me.
BICYCLE
-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
To gain real-world experiences and apply classroom learning to
in support of the Wisconsin Idea, I partnered with the Village of Cottage Grove through the UniverCity Alliance Scholars Program. This inaugural scholar program supported cities, counties, villages, and towns in Wisconsin to provide student support to issues and challenges
Village of Cottage Grove to support their goals
Bicyclists as a Bicycle Friendly Community. We
Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan in Spring 2024.
Shealynn Wegner
Introduction
The Bicycle-Friendly Communities Program of June, 25th 2024.
Implementation Plan to Bronze designed for the Village of Cottage Grove to reach Bronze
Equity and Accessibility: A Bicycle-Friendly America for Everyone
in which everyone can participate and prosper. The goals of geography, age, gender, and sexual orientation. The principle and underrepresented populations and that fairness regarding the provision of effective opportunities to all groups. Accessi-
Action Items
1. Provide education and training opportunities for Staff and programs are designed with equity, inclusion, and universal access in mind.
Engineering: Creating Safe and Convenient Places to Ride
ing and supportive infrastructure. Studies consistently high-
ers and that not every person with a permanent or temporary
maintenance.
Action Items
stations for routine maintenance.
Education: Giving People of All Ages and Abilities the Skills and Confidence to Ride
Action Items
lage.
mote the Share the Road message.
Action Items
ture, events, and safety.
tary to middle school age.
Encouragement: Creating a Strong Bike Culture that Welcomes and Celebrates Biking
Evaluation and Planning: Planning for Bicycling as a Safe and Viable Transportation Option.
ing community, it is important to create an interconnected cyand staff. A dedicated Bicycle Program Coordinator and an effective Bicycle Advisory Committee can play an important
prioritize safety outcomes and data collection, evaluation of in the community, and efforts to improve transparency and tivities.
Action Items
oversee the BFC application in June 2024 and all related 12. Form a Bicycle Advisory Committee to support the ment initiatives and community events.
A Landscape Design Study for the
Milton Public Library Story Gardens
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.” - John Muir
The goal of the work for the Milton Public Library Story Garden’s is to educate people on the importance of nature and its impact on the psyche of the developing human mind. I learned about this project through UniverCity Alliance in the September of 2023. This project is co-managed by library directors Ashlee Kunkel and Jayme Anderson. They have had the role of assisting me in connecting with people of the Milton community. Through the creation of the Pet Memorial within the Milton Public Library Story Gardens, this goal will be achieved with the inspiration of advocating for children’s literacy and children’s psychological and emotional development.
Samantha Caches - UW Madison 2024
Background and Process
My role in this project acts as a designer, a project manager, and coordinator. Aside from creating designs to discuss for the space we are working with, my role also includes communicating with local entities like artists, landscape architects, and gardeners. Nate’s Landscaping is a company that is helping us make this project, a reality. They are a local business that will excute the work. This space will promote children’s literacy and help children understand how to memorialize or honor their relationships with their pets.
Project Execution
As I began meetings with my clients at the library I knew I wanted to create a space that was welcoming and was well suited to the purpose of the project. The goal is to transform the outdoor space into a continuation of the library’s story garden project. To kickstart this project, I wanted to raise money and awareness from the community. The budget of the project was originally projected to be $20,000. I reaised $1,947 through a GoFundMe page I created explaining our goal. The GoFundMe page shared a message with the community that shares that our goal was to design an open air branch of the library that promotes literacy and life-long learning through its literature-based themes and outdoor library programs. I learned how to best create a space that children of the Milton community can memorialize their pet and understand what it meant to do so. Lastly, another part of our goal was to design a welcoming outdoor space where people can celebrate their pets, enjoy nature native to Wisconsin, and reap the mental, emomoney raised from this page would go directly to the costs associated with this project. I made a survey for the community. The survey was intended to gain community input on the space. I believed community reactions were important, gain community input on the space.
Design Process
The design process of this project has been interesting work. The landscape itself consists of two big rees with some space in between them. The space is also in the corner lot of the backyard space. This particular layout has required the team and I to think strategically about how we want to design the space so it remains open and welcoming. First we discussed materials that would be included in the project. We wanted to use recycled materials from previous projects for the seating plan. The seating arrangement was planned to be a circular stone arrangethe natural stone provides. We intend on adding standing art in the background of the space as well. This art will act as a backdrop for photos. Another creative part of this space will be the handmade pendants that will be used to memorialize pets within the space. These will include engravings of animal names or family names to represent the loving relationship between owner and pet. Lastly, another important part of the design process will be understanding Wisconsin native plants that will withstand the weather conditions and will need the least amount of upkeep as the seasons change. Below are the sketches I made for the site.
Sketch #2
Sketch #1
Next Steps
After reviewing the designs I had sketched with the landscape architect on the team, we deicded to change the seating arrangment from a circular seating area to seperate stones in a semi-circle position around one of the trees. We decided to keep the seating arrangmernt under one of the trees to provide comfort in the shade. The conversation included changing the seating arrangements and changing the style of it helped me learn how to work as a team on these kinds of projects, as well as learn to listen to the ideas of others and how the new idea can make my original ideas better. Below are images that the landscape architect provided from Nate’s Landscaping, the local entity involved with this project.
This project and its construction are still in the process of being developed. It is pro-
SAMANTHA CACHES
McFarland Municipal Center Plaza
Zachary M. Golden
The Village of McFarland (population 9,325, land area 4.76 sq. mi., situated to the southeast of Madison) plans to develop an existing complex of two public buildings into an improved Municipal Campus.
On the western block sits the E.D. Locke Public Library and Discovery Garden Park. On the eastern block is a building formerly hosting police and fire, now being transformed into a community center. The two buildings are separated by a stretch of Milwaukee Street, which the Village plans to convert into a new public plaza. This Municipal Campus configuration is located in the middle of McFarland’s historic downtown core.
This project, begun for Sean Higgins’s Urban Design class and continued under the supervision of Professor Alfonso Morales, deals with conceptual design and site planning for this new plaza.
The village’s motto: “Naturally Connected.” This design aims to correspond with this elemental coexistence of natural and urban, central to the identity of both McFarland and the broader Madison metropolitan region.
The plaza will increase connectivity between the two public buildings on the site, establishing the Municipal Campus as one continuous and prominent node of public life anchoring the downtown. It will support current activities, while also accommodating potential future growth and change in the downtown.
elements of the plaza a typological study
1
a public square defined by a strong spatial presence and sense of permanence, serving as a flexible ground for a variety of formal and informal activities.
a solid and continuous ground plane The ground plane provides a base for activity. It must be solid and continuous to allow for varied use and occupation. On this ground plane, flexible street furniture may be provided, vendors may set up shop, community activities may be organized, etc.
2
strong spatial definition as an outdoor room A well-defined plaza can better serve its role as communal urban “living room.” Spatial definition enhances the plaza’s sense of identity by contrast with the surrounding city and gives the inhabitant the sense that this is a place one may spend time.
3
4 5
embeddedness in the city fabric The plaza must be immersed in the city. It should be roughly at grade with circulation paths and should have no physical or psychological barriers separating it from the surrounding environment. Pedestrian activity is therefore channeled into and through the plaza. The plaza is both immersed in the city and breaks up the rhythm of its other elements – streets and buildings. Design features may create a sense of occasion at the moment of transition.
a variety of adjacent public land uses As per William H. Whyte, vendors, cafes, and sources of food in general are a reliable means of drawing people into a public space. This extends to other public land uses as well. The plaza as a void allows urban activity to flow into it; a variety of land uses which serve the public ensure that there will be a variety of activity for the plaza to channel.
aesthetic signifiers of place and meaning Prominent aesthetic elements can give a stronger sense of identity to the plaza. The classic aesthetic gesture of this sort is a gate or arch – for instance a triumphal arch, a portal through adjacent buildings, or a Japanese Torii gate. Any public art or distinctive ornamentation, however, can serve this function. These clearly indicate to the visitor that this is a place with special significance. These also enhance the beauty of the site and serve as meeting places or way-finding markers.
plan
Editorial Feature
National Planning Conference 2024 Minneapolis, MN
Attending APA’s National Planning Conference in Minneapolis was an amazing experience that allowed me to learn more about real work being done by urban planners across the country. I attended many interesting sessions, but a couple of my favorites included topics such as Mall Retrofitting and Redevelopment Programs in St. Louis, LGBTQ Historical Preservation Efforts in Chicago and San Francisco, and Memphis’s Street Art for Mobility Projects. In addition, as a member of WUPA (Wisconsin Undergraduate Planning Association), we explored Minneapolis and enjoyed seeing sights such as the Stone Arch Bridge, the Foshay Tower, and First Avenue.
- Hollyn Gaffner, WUPA Co-President
WUPA and Geography Club students with DPLA Department Chair, Alfonso Morales, at a food systems celebration dinner in honor of Jerry Kaufman, former UW Madison Professor and founder of APA Food.
Exploring the Conference
In addition to many educational workshops and sessions, students were able to rewind and relax with service animals such as dogs and alpacas. Collaborative activities included puzzles, trivia, and friendship bracelet making.
Exploring Minneapolis
Students enjoyed touring the skywalk system in Minneapolis as well as attending a bus tour of the city. It was a great experience to explore a new city with aspiring student planners!
