make.kin.cities

Writings and musing on inclusive placemaking in urban design, planning and architecture

[makekincities]

Source: Intercultural Public Spaces in Multicultural Toronto. 

Research Paper by Michail Galanakis

[makekincities]

Discrimination By Design

I’m really glad to have been shown this post! Lena Groeger article provides a very good and concise introduction as to how poorly designed software (mobile apps) or hardware (the built environment)  that lacks a social consciousness can discriminate on a large scale and generate long lasting and harmful social, environmental and economic consequences.

Clipping:

‘The physical design of the environment is a powerful tool when it’s used to exclude and isolate specific groups of people. And Moses’ design choices have had lasting discriminatory effects that are still felt in modern New York.

A notorious example: Moses designed a number of Long Island Parkway overpasses to be so low that buses could not drive under them. This effectively blocked Long Island from the poor and people of color who tend to rely more heavily on public transportation. And the low bridges continue to wreak havoc in other ways…’

Full article can be found here.

Source: http://digg.com/2016/design-discrimination

[makekincities]

OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR 'REM' DOCUMENTARY

Not my typical postings but what a novel way to showcase the more intimate sensations and personal dimensions of a building.

[makekincities]

Intercultural Urban Design - What May it Mean?

My first post in a while! Here is something I wrote a few months ago that I thought I ought to share. I’m hoping someone may find it of interest to them and I would love to discuss the topics further. The text was written as part of my application to an urbanist network, it describes some of my thoughts on the subjects of social inclusivity and the ability for urban environments to generate it by the process of its design and ultimately via the realised design itself.

‘I believe there remains a great deal of work in multicultural/multi-ethnic representation in the use, design and development of public spaces. To me, such discussions are pertinent in the world’s most culturally contested and or diverse metropolises. I see London as not only belonging in this group of ‘hyper-ethinic’ and ’hyper-cultive’ cities, but, standing as testament to its long history of multiculturism, it is also a city that has established a uniquely conducive social infrastructure which holds it in good stead towards becoming the forerunner in the research and development of truly socially inclusive urban places.

Aware that social inclusion has many facets and directions of study, I must stress my particular field of interest is not so much to do with matters of DDA compliance, sex or age.  Though these aforesaid issues of equality are certainly of a corresponding importance, my attention is in understanding the correlation and extent to which the race and culture of the actors responsible for the design of our built environment are echoed in the user groups that engage with these spaces and furthermore, how mono-cultural design agencies may be causing an involuntarily exclusive public realm.

Fond of the work of many ‘social’ urbanists, from Jacobs, Erskine to modern contemporaries such as Gehl, I nonetheless hold reservations of the profundity of social integration achieved in the works and principles produced by these and many other popular urban theorists and practitioners. The problem is not simple, building strong social capital requires time, trust, maintenance, individual and collective will as well as more ironically, money to some degree.

I have often come across lines of thought, such as those which​ suggest a ‘well-designed’ square, for instance, will go far enough towards alleviating social segregation by attracting a higher number of users and thus improving the likelihood of social-capital building interaction. I do not doubt that this is certainly true, there is research that proves such points, but only to an extent, and I would like to see more work on the cultural and ethnic make-up of public space users and​ similarly more​ studies on how​ urban​ design can​ not only better​ account for ​this diversity but be used to encourage sharing between diversities. ​Work in this vein needs more research while also needing to become more pervasive. ​More questions such as, ‘Does a Muslim Canadian-British Indian, see and use public space the same way a Christian, Mixed-race, British Nigerian, does?’ or ‘Do all cultures find a ‘well-designed’ step an acceptable replacement for formal seating in public space?’​ need asking. ​

In the knowledge that not all users can be accounted for equally in one space and at all times, as there are of course many ​other socio economic and environmental factors to consider, I maintain that certainly on a case by case and neighbourhood level of planning and design we should and can confront such questions more. I would also add here that I do not believe public space should ever be cushioned to fully suit the needs of one or two types of users, for in doing so we run the risk inadvertently creating, what I deem, friction-less and fluid environments. These fluid and friction-less environments are those that generate excessive ​personal ​comfort that in itself will stem potential social-capital building encounters.

Good public realm design, in process and produce, should strive to incorporate people of various backgrounds, not so much, however, that it loses any possibility of attachment, or so little, that it causes marginalization.

For successful integration to occur not only must we increase the number of likely encounters between individuals but we must also work to ensure that these transactions are actually occurring between different cultures and races. Understandably given the social complexity and wicked problems of said issues, there is of course only so much design can do, but the boundaries of what that​ is, is far from being reached.

Integrating such lines of socially orientated thinking in design at an early stage is crucial to the robust research, progression and realization of socially inclusive urbanism...’

[makekincities]

Inclusive Design: From the pixel to the city

In line with yesterday’s post on Equality vs Equity, this short but nicely executed animated film by the  Design Council (UK) gives us an insight into how one could begin to design inclusively by thinking equitably. I’m also keen on the title ‘...from the pixel to the city’ because it emphasises the fact that inclusivity runs through all scales and there really is no project or action too small for one not to behave equitably.

[makekincities]

Equality; The same thing to all

Equity: Accessible to all

Equality vs Equity 

Take the above descriptors with a big caveat of ‘In essence’, naturally these meanings vary depending on who you ask and as such their practice varies too. Some go further to simplify equality and equity to mean sameness and fairness, respectively. I personally have a complicated relationship with equality and more often try to practice, speak and promote equity. A popular view of equality, as I understand it, requires ‘sameness’ in various guises to all, but the truth is we are not the same, at least in the common sense, that is to say we are different culturally, economically, physically, socially, ethnically, sexually, have differing interests, fears, barriers to overcome and so forth, but conversely in all of that chaos that makes us ‘us’ lies the key that also binds us together and that is we are  as complex as the next person. Getting back to point however and sticking with the most prevalent understanding of sameness (equality), we can ultimately conclude that the same we are not, whether this is good or bad is another matter. Good in that diversity breeds creativity but bad in that much of this lack of equality has been down to a long history of humans exploiting each other through inequitable practice. It is my opnion we can never be equal, by this I mean look, think and act the same, and it would be to some detriment if we were, but we can be equitable. The process isn’t always easy but nonetheless I hope we all strive for it.

[makekincities]

Songs About Cities:

Hometown Glory - Adele (2007)

Subject City: London, UK

There not much left to say about Adele’s incredible voice but did you know as well as being the first song she wrote ‘Hometown Glory’ was her debut single. It’s also fitting for an easy Sunday listen.

[makekincities]

What is Social Capital?

In an earlier post I tried to identify some of the most pervasive descriptions of social sustainability out there. In looking into social capital I came across an insightful bit of work by Mark K. Smith. Mark is an author and past research fellow at the YMCA George Williams College, London. 

The full article from which I’ve extracted from is titled ‘ Social Capital’. The article was  first published online by Mark for the not-for-profit site run by YMCA George Williams College called Infed.

Extract:

‘The notion of social capital is said to have first appeared in Lyda Judson Hanifan’s discussions of rural school community centres... He used the term to describe ‘those tangible substances [that] count for most in the daily lives of people’ (1916: 130). Hanifan was particularly concerned with the cultivation of good will, fellowship, sympathy and social intercourse among those that ‘make up a social unit’. It took some time for the term to come into widespread usage. Contributions from Jane Jacobs (1961) in relation to urban life and neighbourliness, Pierre Bourdieu (1983) with regard to social theory, and then James S. Coleman (1988) in his discussions of the social context of education moved the idea into academic debates. However, it was the work of Robert D. Putnam (1993; 2000) that launched social capital as a popular focus for research and policy discussion. ‘Social capital’ has also been picked up by the World Bank as a useful organizing idea. They argue that ‘increasing evidence shows that social cohesion is critical for societies to prosper economically and for development to be sustainable’ (The World Bank 1999)...

For John Field (2003: 1-2) the central thesis of social capital theory is that ‘relationships matter’. The central idea is that ‘social networks are a valuable asset’. Interaction enables people to build communities, to commit themselves to each other, and to knit the social fabric. A sense of belonging and the concrete experience of social networks (and the relationships of trust and tolerance that can be involved) can, it is argued, bring great benefits to people.

...

Bourdieu: ‘Social capital is the ‘the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition’ (Bourdieu 1983: 249).

Coleman: ‘Social capital is defined by its function. It is not a single entity, but a variety of different entities, having two characteristics in common: they all consist of some aspect of a social structure, and they facilitate certain actions of individuals who are within the structure’ (Coleman 1994: 302).

Putnam: ‘Whereas physical capital refers to physical objects and human capital refers to the properties of individuals, social capital refers to connections among individuals – social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them. In that sense social capital is closely related to what some have called “civic virtue.” The difference is that “social capital” calls attention to the fact that civic virtue is most powerful when embedded in a sense network of reciprocal social relations. A society of many virtuous but isolated individuals is not necessarily rich in social capital’ (Putnam 2000: 19).

The World Bank: ‘Social capital refers to the institutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a society’s social interactions… Social capital is not just the sum of the institutions which underpin a society – it is the glue that holds them together’ (The World Bank 1999).’

Read much more here.

[makekincities]

Interesting research department at Leeds University (UK)...

The Sustainable Research Institute at Leeds University (UK) seems to be advocating the importance of firstly getting people to care about each other which in turn may better allow them to care for the environment. Must say I agree, environmental sustainability will always be held back by a lack of social sustainability. 

‘This research group within SRI critically examines the relationship between social processes and environmental issues. What distinguishes our work is our focus on how the relationships between social and environmental issues are framed by various schools of thought within the social sciences, and how this can add to an understanding of environmental problems and solutions.

Studies like this one conducted by Leeds University Sustainability Research Institute begin to blur back the boundaries that have for so long been finlined.

The substantive areas we investigate are wide-ranging, and include research on:

experiences of fuel poverty in the UK,

the regulation of extractive industries in the high Arctic and Uganda,

the social and environmental impacts of privately owned nature reserves in Patagonia,

understanding the role of science and expertise in climate adaptation decision-making,

the politics of sustainability standards in climate change or fair trade.’

Leeds University (UK)

http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/

[makekincities]

Social sustainability is like carbon or blood, it is  both achievable in and intergral to everything

Social sustainability is commonly depicted as the third form of development in the sustainable development triad but there is a danger with such illustrations in that they proliferate the damaging notion that in the most part each of the three divisions of sustainable development can be reviewed independently, however this is a deduction that is simply untrue.  Such impressions can be down to the fact that three forms of development are often discernible in research, which in turn creates this misunderstanding of the wider agenda. Of greatest importance though is to acknowledge that in practice the true potentials of either economic, social or environmental sustainability cannot be fully realised individualistically. Accepting the dependency each division has with the other also further highlights the need for continuous increases in collaboration across every mode of production.

[makekincities]

Diversity in community is good, but how should it be done?

This article from Richard Florida (2015) of City Lab has been amongst the most revealing on the subject of diversity I’ve read in a while, particularly for the insights it gives on the constructive/deconstructive roles that certain forms of segregation may play. The article also identifies some developing studies of social capital. The first study it makes reference to is by Zachary and Jennifer Neal, the sociologist and psychologist respectively, who in their 2014 research investigations found strong correlation between levels of diversity and amount of self segregation. The second study noted in the article is that of Harvard professor, Robert Putnam, in which he separates social capital into two forms, ‘bonding [inter] capital’ and ‘bridging [intra] capital’.

‘On the one hand, there is “bonding” social capital, encapsulated in the extremely close relationships of tight-knit communities. This is the type of social capital that can lead to self-segregation of different groups. On the other hand, there is “bridging” social capital, the kind that bridges across different groups. This is the kind of social capital that can overcome self-segregation and build connective fiber between groups.’ Florida (2014)

Further extracts from Florida’s piece below. For the full article click here.

‘I’ve [Richard Florida] long argued for the advantages of a diverse neighborhood. On the most basic level, diversity is required to attract the wide range of creative talent that drives innovation and economic growth. But it’s also the case that diversity can at times be stymied by the sorting of different groups into separate areas, undermining the very mixing required for those things to happen… My own research with Brian Knudsen has found that bonding social capital is not only negatively associated with diversity, but with innovation as well. In contrast, bridging social capital is associated with both diversity and higher levels of innovation. Most cities are high in one or the other, meaning that they are either tightly-knit and strongly tied but homogenous and not innovative, or socially disconnected, diverse, and innovative. But, as Neal aptly puts it [in a study titled Making Big Cities Small], the real challenge for our cities is how to enable both types of social capital and the good things that flow from them.

Ultimately, diverse, segregated communities with a strong (but not absolute) tendency toward homophily are the most conducive to social capital development. In even simpler terms, the ideal community is big and diverse, but “feel[s] small and familiar.” Under these conditions, residents tend to seek out individuals like themselves, giving them a sense of belonging and security, but are open to different viewpoints, promoting creativity and new social relationships.’ Florida (2014)

[citymaus]

The next civil rights issue of our time

How transportation racially divides us, according to a new federal complaint in Baltimore.

Earlier this year, Maryland’s new Republican governor, Larry Hogan, canceled a long-planned new transit line across Baltimore, angering city officials and residents in the mostly-black urban neighborhoods that stood to gain from the new Red Line. What’s more: Hogan announced that he would spend the state money instead on roads, highways and bridges outside Maryland’s largest city.

That decision, civil rights groups said Monday in a complaint filed with the federal Department of Transportation, violated the Civil Rights Act. By nixing the transit project — particularly in favor of rural and suburban highway funding — the state will disproportionately harm African Americans, they allege. And, they add, the move follows a long history in which transportation decisions in Baltimore in particular have destroyed black neighborhoods, robbed their residents of job access, and helped cement inequality there.

“My hope is that with the filing of this complaint, people will understand that transportation is also a civil rights issue,” says Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the LDF.

Transportation determines whether the unemployed can reach jobs. It affects how long workers must commute — and the time they lose with their families. It affects air quality and housing options and where children go to school.

“As much attention as we give to the trial of the officers who were charged in the killing of Freddie Gray,” she says, “we should give to a decision that implicates 10,000 construction jobs and billions of infrastructure investment in Baltimore that were eliminated in a single day, by a single decision, made by a single person.”

The particular transit line at issue would have crossed the city from east to west for 14 miles, connecting neighborhoods with high unemployment and low car ownership to jobs centers downtown and on the city’s edge. Today, the city has just one existing light rail line running from north to south (along with one heavy-rail line), an anemic network relative to cities like Washington and Philadelphia.

read more: washpo, 22.12.15. photos: flickr/t55z, Mr.TinDC, southerncalifornian

“Empowering Maryland Through Transit” = Disempowering Already-Disadvantaged Populations By Not Providing Transit. 

[urbangeographies]

Transit-oriented development:  A possible boon to central cities like Baltimore, again sacrificed to suburban sprawl, the highway-construction lobby, and relatively affluent areas in Maryland! I hope this lawsuit goes forward and remedies this injustice.

[makekincities]

Songs About Cities:

Timbuktu Fasso - Fatoumata Diawara & Amine Bouhafa

Subject City: Timbuktu, Mali 

The song features on the soundtrack of ‘Timbuktu (2014)’. I advise all to watch the film, it’s a beautiful piece of cinema. I’m a fan of the whole soundtrack and this far from my favourite song on it but this video captures the themes of the film and place well.

[makekincities]

How to Make an Attractive City

Placemaking theorists have been preaching the following principles, albeit with their own urbanistic idioms, for a near century, but the struggle continues!

The principles:

Order with Variety - Not monotony or chaos. Grids are good for accessibility but too much regularity is dull and reminiscent of failed Modernism. Mix the grid with radial morphology.

Make Life Visible - Active streets, active facades. Bringing the outside inside, using smaller street widths. Promote walking, cycling and create more areas for resting and watching.

More Dense, More Compact - Design sociopetal spaces, encourage contact and improve visibility without compromising all privacy. Learn from proxemics on how to promote and design proximity to others. Supply punctured spaces within the density.

Use the Square. Make beautiful public landscapes for all to share, not too big not to small. Fill these squares with different shapes and activities. Variate squares, connect some in visibly series while keeping others more secluded for the discoverers and contemplators.

Orientation & Mystery. Mix wide boulevards, with intimate streets. Create experiences, pinch some spaces to emphasises others and vice versa. Create mystery without sacrificing  legibility and safety. Respect heritage and make the best of it landmarks. Ask yourselves what do you want people to remember about your city, is it the big retail store and high rise banks and offices, or is the cultural institutions and historical assets that represent civility, technology, culture, acceptance and self esteem.

Locality. Create in context. City streets, buildings and public spaces should be representative of their immediate setting and environment. Designing in context will give a city an identity that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Celebrate and build upon what it is that makes your city unique!

Video by Urbalize

All said, great little video by Urbalize summarising what research and theorists have trying to tell us (planners, urban designers, architect, politicians, citizens etc) for a while now…not sure I appreciate the little dig at Birmingham (UK) as an ugly city though! Fair enough it may have (definitely) been true in the past but it’s doing good things! Little tribute to Birmingham below:

Aston Hall - Birmingham

Birmingham Bull Ring (Night)

Birmingham Bull Ring (Day)

The Library of Birmingham and Centenary Square  

[makekincities]

More sociopetal pls!

Sketches by Lorna Teagarden

[humanscalecities]

Rethinking the City  

[makekincities]

This looks like a promising read!

Rethinking the City (2014) -  Steven Liaros

‘WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF COINS in about 600 BCE, a paradigm shift occurred in human thinking and pre-existing worldviews were transformed into the ideas that shape our cities and societies today. Coins not only changed the economy but also the nature of government, democracy, religion and philosophy. The following century saw the invention, or reinvention, of representative democracy, Greek philosophy, the social contract, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Rethinking the City describes how cities and civilisations are created not by conquering armies, bureaucratic diligence or market forces but by ideas—and ideas can change quickly and dramatically.

THE ADVENT OF THE INTERNET in our own time is causing a similarly dramatic paradigm shift, enabling us to rethink what we mean by ‘City’. Rethinking the City describes how the City can be, and is already being, reinvented; founded on the ideas of freedom, collaboration, equality, authenticity, trust and resonance with the natural environment. Rethinking the City turns conventional thinking on its head and plots a path to an environmentally and socially sustainable future.’

www.amazon.co.uk

[makekincities]

Does placemaking help democracy?

New Road, Brighton & Hove, UK - Image by Gehl Architects

‘Planning, designing and managing public spaces with human beings squarely at the center of the picture produces remarkably livable cities and economic growth. Does it also strengthen democracy by bringing people together to address shared issues?...

‘Riccardo Marini, a director of Gehl Architects, spoke for a full morning on the practicalities of placemaking projects to more than 30 people on a late August study tour to Copenhagen... when pressed to say what was at the core of the work, he didn’t hesitate.

“It’s a about power to the people. Democracy is a beautiful thing,” Marini said.

There is little data to show whether livable cities – with more interaction in public places – produces higher voting rates, often used as a barometer of engagement. But Marini clearly was not defining democracy so narrowly. His tyrants include outdated, unquestioned regulations on matters such as traffic flow, as well as silos among municipal departments.

“Bureaucracy is the enemy of democracy,” he said.

In essence, Gehl’s placemaking methods resemble the human-centered design approach that has revolutionized product development: consult widely, build lightly, test, incorporate feedback. But most significantly, put the individual human and his or her needs at the center of planning -- not the automobile, fire truck or big-box store.

The consultative process used in placemaking bears more than a passing resemblance to democracy, especially in light of low voter turnout in U.S. elections. Marini said Gehl starts with broad surveys of how people use and want to use spaces. The data comes from asking questions and simply observing what people do. The results, which are used to kick off a dialogue with officials and residents, represent a high level of participation.’

Sherry, A. 2014. Does Placemaking help Democracy? [Online]. [Accessed 04 January 2016] Available from: 

http://knightfoundation.org/blogs/knightblog/

2014/8/29/does-placemaking-help-democracy/