Essay: What Makes for an Iconic City?
People often tend to associate countries with their most iconic cities. Think England, and it immediately reminds one of London’s ‘Big Ben’; a mention of France makes one instantly conjure up an image of oneself sitting at a local patisserie with a baguette and freshly brewed coffee in hand, watching the winter sun rising from behind the Eiffel Tower. What is it about such cities that makes them so appealing to the minds of the masses? Is it the ancient architecture, the culture, the landscape, or is it simply an amalgamation of all? Why are certain cities seen as ‘icons’ and why are they instantly recognizable over others? Is it merely a branding scheme, where city planners come together to put forth the most appealing package, or is there a more intimate relationship between the urban fabric and people’s perceptions of a city? Whether a city has emerged as naturally iconic over the centuries or has gained popularity in the last decade or so, it should be seen for more than just its touristic spots. Signature architecture may surely pave the way to popularity for a city, but what truly makes a city iconic are the ways in which it adopts meaningful changes that draw upon the dormant or explicit potential of its particular history, culture and lifestyle, whilst shaping new experiences for foreigners and locals alike.
Cities often tell a story through their buildings and architecture. Arriving at a city for the first time entails reading guidebooks and scouring over maps to locate the most notable buildings and public squares of the city. One cannot simply leave Rome without having experienced the grandeur of the Colosseum or marveled at the ancient construction methods used to build the Pantheon. Visitors can still feel a sense of victory walking under the Arch of Constantine and can almost relive scenes from La Dolce Vita as they sit in front of the Trevi Fountain. However, Rome is not just ancient site after ancient site. What truly makes this city magical is the in-between spaces, the alleyways, the nooks, the cobblestone paths; all of which come together to etch a memorable experience in the visitor’s mind. Every corner holds a new treasure and walking along the city streets makes one experience unexpected delights that no guidebook can even begin to describe. This is the power of an iconic city. It draws you in, immersing you completely until all your senses are engaged and you leave with a feeling of completeness and satisfaction. Historic architecture may very well give an ancient city its identity, but it is the seamless flow of public spaces and infrastructure around these icons that make a city truly symbolic.
Modern day cities that have gained popularity in recent years have employed certain techniques to get themselves known in the global market. The sudden wave of construction in cities such as Shanghai and Dubai are being labelled as a mere ‘branding scheme’ to enhance their image1. However, branding has become a norm in the twenty-first century and its influence on architecture and urbanism is almost pervasive. If brands such as Prada and BMW can employ architecture as a central part of their marketing strategies then what is stopping modern day cities from doing the same? Using architecture to promote one’s city should not be taken in a negative sense. Creating an image by which a city can be easily recognized is extremely important and can be seen as the first step towards creating an iconic city. However, it is important to note here that architecture alone cannot sustain a city’s popularity. The creation of stereo-typical architectural objects such as shopping centers and signature high-rises can threaten the uniqueness of a city and may result in a ‘culture copy’. Thus, more meaningful urban interventions must be employed to fill in the gaps. Modern day cities must change their views on architecture as being a mere object and start to see architecture as being a powerful tool that can facilitate the creation of intimate and environmentally friendly spaces within the urban fabric.
A good example of an iconic city that has used architecture as more than to provide for mere aesthetics is Manhattan, New York. Manhattan has succeeded in employing architecture as a means of providing a basis for a unique metropolitan way of life. Dutch architect Rem Koolhaus acknowledges Manhattan as an iconic city in his book ‘S, M, L, XL’ where he analyses the characteristic features that make this city a social and cultural hub. Some may see Manhattan’s grid and block structure as monotonous but Koolhaus believes that it is this very grid system that gave Manhattan its unique street culture. The start of the Industrial Revolution brought with it an influx of construction projects all over North America and especially in New York City. Skyscrapers began to be built by the dozen and people soon realized that these densely packed buildings were negatively affecting the street, leaving large shadows and blocking out the sun. Thus, the 1916 Zoning Resolution was passed soon after and brought with it a new trend - of setting buildings back from the street so as to allow for pedestrian activity. This encouraged more people onto the streets and soon enough, there was an intermingling of activities at the pedestrian level. The city grid thus became an effective tool in making a city more pedestrian friendly as people were encouraged to take different routes to the same destination and truly experience the urban fabric around them. Koolhaus appreciates this “culture of congestion” found on the streets of Manhattan and believes that architecture, if programmed for, could create this vibrant atmosphere in different cities all around the world, making them renowned for more than just their iconic buildings but also for their street presence.
Manhattan has a number of other attributes that enhance its image as a modern day icon. Unlike cities in the past, modern day cities deal with growing problems of pollution, traffic congestion, energy consumption and a lack of green spaces. It is important for such cities to adopt techniques and methods to deal with such issues as a sustainable city, where people live less wasteful lifestyles, is looked up to and in turn, becomes an icon on a global level. Manhattan’s city planning allows for it to be one of most sustainable urban cores on the planet. Mixed-use buildings, narrow streets and a well-connected transit system makes people more efficient without them even realizing it. Newer cities seem to segregate residences from commercial hubs, however, creating an imbalance in the way such buildings are laid out will create more activity on the street and will make a city seem so much more vibrant. Such a closely knit, dense core facilitates walkability and greatly reduces automobile dependence. Owning a car in Manhattan is extremely unfeasible as traffic moves slower than brisk walking and there are hardly any parking spots available around town. Most people do not even feel the need to own a car as the infrastructure and public transportation systems are extremely efficient and well connected, getting people where they need to be without overly polluting the environment. Jane Jacobs, author and well-known urban activist, believed that bringing people closer together makes for a more interesting and greener community. This is true in the case of New York as statistics show that an average Manhattan household consumes four times less energy as compared to a less dense city where houses are larger and people are dependent on cars to travel. Concentrating human activities in a confined space greatly reduces their carbon footprint and promotes a healthier lifestyle for its residents and in turn, makes for a healthier city.
Recent years have seen the need to make buildings more environmentally friendly as they absorb and expel large amounts of heat into the atmosphere, adding to the stresses of global warming. LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – is a rating system that assesses the design, construction, operation and maintenance of high-rises and then rates them ‘green’ or not. Growing cities that wish to get their names out into the global market are fast trying to get their buildings LEED certified as this might help them become pioneers in ‘green construction’ and in turn, make them icons of the future. What these cities do not realize, however, is that the best way to become an icon for sustainability is to improve planning practices. Skyscrapers are already more efficient that smaller dwellings spread across a large plot of land as they house hundreds of people under one roof and thus, use up a much lower percentage of energy. A LEED certification requires for such high rises to be furnished with extremely expensive equipment that needs regular maintenance. This is now being seen by some as an unnecessary expense that is not worth their while – they would rather use the money to improve other aspects of the building that would increase the efficiency of its residents. Having amenities in the building or close-by in the neighborhood would allow for people to walk instead of taking their cars out to run errands and this automatically makes the building more efficient3. LEED does give out points to a building for being closer to public transit but there is no way of telling whether people are actually using it or not. Buildings that install bike racks get the same number of points, irrespective of whether people actually ride these bikes around town. Such efforts may get you a LEED certification but in reality, planning for a more sustainable buildings can be done by simply placing them closer together. High-rises in New York do not have to be LEED certified for us to know that they are efficient. They are all part of such a dense urban fabric and that directly affects the lifestyles of their residents. If a city wishes to become an icon for sustainability, getting a LEED certification may not be the answer. Taking a leaf out of Manhattan’s book on the other hand might prove to be more useful as it truly is an icon in terms of architecture, infrastructure, planning, transportation and enhancing public activity.
Another city that has been recognized for its ‘green’ efforts is the city of Stockholm. Stockholm is blessed by geography, being nestled within an archipelago of islands, yet the 1960’s the sea around it was so polluted that fishing and swimming in the waters was banned. Stockholm, like most European cities, was home to a number of old factories and industrial buildings that were not being put to use in this post-industrial era. Such buildings are the least sustainable and are best torn down. The question is, how do you take an age old city and transform it, while still preserving its heritage? Moreover, how do you bring people together through this transformation, so that is occurs with them and not to them? Stockholm identified six main areas that needed improvement within the city and decided to work towards them – changing transportation policies and encouraging the use of bicycles to reduce the carbon footprint; encouraging green cars; providing bike lanes; reducing the use of toxic chemicals in manufacturing and construction; improving waste management; and finally upgrading social housing and reducing noise pollution. Stockholm also believes that the future of the city begins in schools and has shown a strong commitment to education. This coupled with green initiatives, development of transport hubs, cleaner and more open neighborhoods and new shopping areas has completely transformed the city. In 2010, Stockholm was named the European Green Capital of the Year and now houses twenty-four official swimming beaches. Stockholm sets a great example to other historic cities that wish transform themselves for the new age, without compromising their heritage sites.
Cities such as Agra, India should learn from Stockholm in terms of preserving their ancient architectural monuments and improving their infrastructure. Agra is home to the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and is an icon symbolizing India’s rich history, culture and wealth. People flock from all over the world to marvel at this architectural spectacle. Unfortunately, their experience might not be as enriching as visiting a better planned and preserved city. The city of Agra on its own does not have a satisfactory level of infrastructure to support the influx of tourists, nor has it preserved its architectural icon to the best of its ability. Bits of marble are said to be falling of the building and the surrounding streetscape is filled with dirt and squalor. Agra may very well be an iconic city owning to the Taj Mahal but the poor planning, preservation and lack of public spaces around the actual monument do not enhance the visitor’s cultural experience. This reaffirms the fact that iconic cities cannot rely solely on their architectural icons to preserve their image in the global market. Efforts must be made to improve city conditions, provide for better amenities and public spaces and evoke a sense of satisfaction in the visitor’s mind.
Architecture needs to do more than just give a city its image; it must transform the spaces within, promote cultural values and respect the heterogeneity of the city. Dubai is a city that has seen an immense amount of growth in the past twenty years. Coming up from nothing but a barren desert, it is now referred to as the Middle East’s very own ‘Manhattan’ with skyscrapers forming its majestic skyline. Some might dismiss Dubai as simply being a ‘branding exercise’ or even a ‘fake city’ however, Dubai has done - and is continually doing - everything in its power to promote its image through the correct mix of modern day architecture, public amenities and state of the art infrastructure and transportation. Owing to its geography, its summer months do not allow for pedestrian activity due to the immense heat. However, the city has overcome this by building an exceptional public transit network, which includes the newly constructed Metro, which connects all the major public spaces and icons in the city. On the contrary, the winter months are extremely pleasant and one can see a number of tourists and locals walking around the ‘Marina’ and the newly constructed ‘Waterfront’ that serve as popular public spaces in the city. Promenades, parks and landscaping have all been well thought out and constructed around Dubai’s architectural icons, ensuring an enriched experience for visitors from all over the globe. Dubai may never be at par with Manhattan in terms of walkability and pedestrian presence but it is not set out to merely copy New York – it has its own unique characteristics that it wishes to portray and will do so in time. Dubai may have been unfairly dismissed as being merely ‘iconic’; it has transformed itself from an empty desert and into a global trading hub; a tourist’s dream destination that has even been defined at ‘utopia’.
Architecture must cater to different tastes and demands in today’s highly consumer-oriented market. It needs to impart a sense of recognition while still ensuring stylistic variety. Cities need to employ architecture as a tool of transformation rather than perfection. Allowing architecture to change the public realm of a city and enhance public activity is what will help make a city an icon. Architecture cannot be practiced without immersing itself into a given economy. It is a part of a city’s social and economic environment and brings us to form an opinion about the city. Architecture must mould itself to cater to a city’s history, its needs and the lifestyle of its people. An iconic piece of architecture might hold great meaning in one city but if moved to another, would lose its identity. Similarly, an architectural icon without an urban fabric in which it is interwoven and experienced holds no meaning. A truly iconic city needs to be an amalgamation of architectural sites and public spaces that prompt memories, discoveries, desires and instant recognition. Author: Advita Madan
