welcome to the likemind wiki. october's global question is:

 

"If you were to rebuild your city from scratch, how would you build it differently and what would you keep the same?"

 

thanks,

noah + piers

 

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SUMMARY

 

A summary presentation of the results can be found here: http://www.likemind.us/globalquestion/october/

ANSWERS & DISCUSSION POINTS BY CITY

(Completed by Likemind attendees and hosts)

 

Amsterdam

We think that rebuilding a city entirely does not necessarily lead to good results. E.g. Almere or Lelystad are two examples of completely new cities in The Netherlands that are disastrous and lack any atmosphere. A city builds character over time. Also, a city is built to fit the needs of that particular time. When Amsterdam was built, there were no cars. How could they have known?

 

Similarly, we don’t know now what the needs are 100 years from now. So even if we rebuild Amsterdam today, it will still be outdated a century from now. Therefore we do not believe in rebuilding, but in updating.

 

We want to preserve (actually strengthen) the traditional atmosphere of Amsterdam. At the same time we want to add the functionality that contemporary life requires. This will not be built instead of the current structures, but within, on top of, or under them. In short this means:

- All cars, parking and public transport go under ground, allowing for a pristine upper ground.

- Within houses elevators instead of stairs to prepare for the future boom of senior citizens.

- More roof gardens or vertical gardens.

- Regulated water taxi.

- Mashed network, wifi everywhere.

 

Koert Bakker

 

Present were:

- Uli Kurtenback (Wieden+Kennedy)

- Ingmar de Lange (Mountview)

- Rene Bouwman (ADK Europe)

- Jaap Bosman (Jajabo, Two Degrees Research & Signicom)

- Craig Lovelidge (Community)

- Erik Hoogendorp (178 aardige ontwerpers)

- Koert Bakker (Two Degrees Research, Crispin Porter + Bogusky)

 

Ancona

 

 

Atlanta

Our conversation grew organically out of a case study that Ewan brought up the week before, the Brazilian city of Curitiba. As Ewan put it, "the mayor enacted some drastic measures to curb the city's problems. Even though the city is far from a utopia, it's still touted as a model of urban planning." Here's a NY Times article about how that city was re-invented.

 

Our discussions revolved around solutions for Atlanta's transportation infrastructure. We all support the Beltline, a long-term project that will supplement the crosslines of MARTA (our limited train system) with a loop of light rail, mixed-use development and greenspace. But we all agreed that 10-20 years is a long time to wait.

 

We'd improve our train system, adding additional lines and extending it northward to make it a realistic option for more people. As for buses, we talked about improving the information about routes and schedules--right now, the website is a mess of maps and schedules. We need something that with a single phone call or web visit helps you know exactly which bus to take. And we need fewer stops on main roads to encourage walking and speed up travel times.

 

As for cars, Atlanta has a bad case of SUV and an even worse case of "4 doors, 3 empty seats." Any "rebuilt Atlanta" would need to come up with a solution for getting people to carpool or drive smaller cars (or scooters, as several likeminders do). Some thought bantered about over coffee: better ridematching services, organized and licensed commuter hitchhiking, more HOV lanes, more expensive auto registrations for single-drivers during rush hours, etc.

 

Near the end, we came up with another way to ease congestion: making it easier for people to work from their neighborhoods. City-wide wifi is a good first step. But we also would add city sponsored remote work facilities throughout the city (with desks/workspaces, conference rooms, etc) that would be offered to in-town businesses as a way to let employees work closer to home in an office setting. If these were integrated into the new live/work/play communities springing up around our city, it could have an immediate tranformative effect on Atlanta's traffic problems--and on its myriad interesting in-town neighborhoods.

 

It was a good conversation. And hot coffee on a rain-soaked morning. Which is good, as Atlanta needs the rain badly.

 

Attendees: Brandon Barr, Jordan Robinson, Ewan Green, Joe Price, Arianna Barfield, Trudy Barr.

 

 

Austin

 

 

Beijing

 

 

Birmingham UK

 

 

Brighton

 

 

Bristol UK

More allotment areas - areas for people to grow their own food. Better public transport - less polluting. Find ways to integrate the different districts without adding to pollution. Open up the waterfront areas a bit more. Use the brownspace of old warehouses rather than adding to the sprawl. Things to keep the same - the 18th - 19th century architecture of the city. Nigel Legg.

 

Trams! Use the caves and old hidden cellars and basements for secret events. local food, local business, rather than large comnmercial chains. More allotments. build from Lego so buildings can be moved around. Pritt stick facades back onto new buildings. More sensitive architecture - nice mix of old buildings and new architecture. Monorails. More wider and better cycle lanes. Better out of city parking. Sensitive development. More fancy dress shops - people take themselves too seriously. Flea markets. Outdoor amphitheatre properly organised - outdoor music and festivals, a love parade. A public natural swimming pool / lake, with waterslides. Each house should have a wind turbine or solar panels. Combine things like climbing walls and abseiling facilities into new buildings. Community centres for creative development - music, arts, crafts - more facilities for creative people to work together. Carbon neutral.

 

 

Brooklyn

Likemind, Brooklyn, NY, 19 October 2007, Retreat (DUMBO)

 

The "Escapes" section of today's New York Times features articles on Vancouver Island, San Diego, Rhode Island, a town named Manitou in Colorado, a golf course called Pebble Beach, and a number of routes and small towns where one might go to get a glimpse of fall foliage at its best and least crowded.  So around the time some New Yorkers were on the train reading today's Times, and perhaps that very section related to escaping their more or less beloved city, an eclectic group of thinkers gathered at Retreat, a café and socializing space in DUMBO, Brooklyn – located in the midst of a major juncture of the same type of infrastructure, commerce, creativity and social networking that courses vivaciously throughout New York City – with the intention of discussing matters related to customized living spaces and personally idealized urban practices. 

 

But this morning's Likemind in DUMBO was Brooklyn's first, so conversation naturally leaned toward getting to know one another and finding out each other's Likemind-links, which of course engendered plentiful dialogue on work, play and everything between.  So the 'rebuilding a city from scratch' discourse got little airplay during the gathering's earlier moments.  Around the tail end of the meeting, however, several of us discovered a shared passion for innovating for the future, creating awareness and developing sustainable processes, all under the umbrella of improving life and lifestyles for the present as well as the future through a conduit of flowing, changing socio-urban perceptions. 

 

Some of the questions and comments that came up during our small group conversation, and also once the general meeting had dissolved, were:

 

-    Is building a city from scratch truly necessary? What would we gain in New York, for example, from leveling everything and starting anew?  At the same time, would building a city from scratch where one does not already exist be more damaging and invasive than maintaining and revitalizing an extant urban center? 

-    Sustainability was at the tip of everyone's tongue from the beginning of the conversation.  As such, the question was raised of what we have and do that should be sustained as opposed to what should not.  For example, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that we should find alternatives to fossil fuels, to mass landfills, and to wasteful and environmentally harmful practices in general.  Would it not be useful, therefore, to look critically at what we have and what we do to parse out the good from the bad, to address the dilemma by preserving that which is responsible and beneficial rather than simply rashly deleting things?  In other words, should we throw out the baby with the bathwater, or should we keep the baby, feed it organic carrots and give it a skateboard and a violin?  The answer here is quite obvious, it seems, so the same measures might be applied to urban (re)design as well.

-    The relationship that society has with its surrounding environment is fostered by its perceptions thereof – understood as assumptions, learned facts and more or less informed opinions – and how these perceptions have been formed and continue to expand and change over time.  For this reason, it seems logical that to properly reform our practices and reshape our surroundings, we must first address the reformation and reshaping of society's perceptions thereof.  At the same time, no one should be simply told what is right or wrong.  Rather, they should come to understand such things for themselves, or perhaps be exposed to them by groups of concerned, engaged individuals whose desire is to work alongside their neighbors in shaping a better community and reshaping awareness.  And here, collaboration is a key component.  That is, the engaged individuals who put themselves to task should work with people rather than for them, rather than around them, rather than through them.   The effort should therefore be collective rather than coercive or invasive; neighborhoods and responsible communities should be molded and shaped rather than sliced, diced and meted out to the highest bidders.  It is important to remember that change that maintains its validity and delicate balance of permanence and elasticity is that which is achieved from the inside out.  Responsibility and sustainable practices must be internalized and understood before their externalized form can become truly meaningful.

-    Understanding perception is tightly bound to how we understand life.  Therefore, if we can begin to understand life as something that can be improved, not to mention saved, our present and future perceptions thereof must invariably be improved apace.

 

In closing, Likemind was a small initiative that grew rapidly and now extends around the world, so we have every reason to believe that conversations such as these share the very same pervasive capacity. 

 

To be more specific, Likemind makes for lovely mornings.  We must be confident, therefore, that Likemind(ed) discussions, such as the globalized one in which many of us engaged today, can make for a lovely future as well.

 

Taking another look now at the "Escapes" section, it becomes apparent that getting away from the city needn't necessarily entail taking a trip.  Sometimes, it seems, it can be as easy as taking a step back and peering into it anew.

 

 

Irene Fong and Paul D'Agostino

 

 

 

 

Cape Town

 

 

Catania

 

 

Copenhagen

 

We had a couple of themes running through the discussion of what we would change and what to keep the same if we had to rebuild Copenhagen.

 

 

Dallas

 

"What I wish I our town had is a bike/scooter-accessible park-and-ride (preferably on rails) to multiple nearby office and arts/entertainment hubs and thence connections to other cities; more visible neighborhood watch; community gardens; neighborhood swimming pools; a more visible theater, music venue and dance hall/ballroom; a dog park; more visible equestrian centers and horseback or horse-drawn tours. There also needs to be more opportunity for community service, beyond the charity pick-ups and the green days. I'd also like to see more visible public support (grants/tax relief) for solar and wind power." TereLyn Eisma Hepple

 

 

Detroit

 

 

Hamburg

 

 

Istanbul

 

 

Jacksonville

 

Below are the notes from the conversation:

 

•    Less expansion… less suburbs… this is what killed our downtown to begin with - Jacksonville used to have a great downtown with plenty of public transportation going into the city and lots of shopping.

•    Concentration on development of urban areas that include mixed-use, sustainable buildings, parks, etc.  Such areas need to be very walkable with lots of storefronts, no parking lots (garages are ok).  Local businesses should be encouraged to help form the city's identity. However, better chains are smart to serve as pillars for the community.

•    Focus on public spaces that bring people together such as libraries, museums, and parks but only if done efficiently and uniquely.  For instance, make sure all parking spaces are tall, rather than sprawling and aren't angled so they can be changed into something other than a garage... be sure they can be used as gathering spots before marathons or used as homes to farmer's markets (locally grown, of course), etc.

•    Hold politicians accountable.  We’re still paying for things that should have been completed years ago.  Granted this isn't unique to Jacksonville, but governments have a lot to learn from business.

•    Bottom line… follow through with planned projects… find a plan and stick to it.  Figure out who you are, what you’re about, and go... think Santa Barbara after it was destroyed.

•    The city is so big, it needs to have a core that brings people together… perhaps it should be split up into several smaller cities.  Unique cities and neighborhoods would encourage residents to explore outside of their immediate area.

•    Work off the natural strengths of the city (similar to Portland and Seattle)… it’s a great place for families, sure, but it needs something that the rest of the country/world knows it by.  Perhaps this is the water... between the Intracoastal Waterway, St. John's River (which is as wide as a large lake in parts) and the Atlantic Ocean, we have a great water culture but most people outside of the city don't know this.  They should.

•    Improve the school system.  Jacksonville is home to two of the country's top 15 public high schools and a few truly great private schools, but the rest of the school system suffers.  This is a deterrant for people with families who may consider moving here and holds back the development of the city, as poor talent is produced here.

•    People need to want to come here first…. not to a job, but to the city itself.  The city needs an identity just as strong as Orlando, Savannah or Atlanta (three rather close cities that aren't as big as Jacksonville, but are much better branded).  Charlotte, NC is a good exampe of an up-and-coming city that Jacksonville can learn from.

 

Overall, Jacksonville suffers most because it simply doesn't stand for anything or is famous for anything unique.  With Savannah two hours to the north and Orlando two hours to the south - this is painfully obvious.  Jacksonville is actually the largest city in Florida, the third largest city on the east coast of the US (behind NYC and Philly), the largest city in land area in the contiguous US (three times bigger than New York City) but nobody knows about it.  It really is an interesting situation.  I'd be curious to know what, if anything, people not from Jacksonville think about or know about the city (or don't know, for that matter).  Please email me at chris_wojda@mac.com with any thoughts/feelings about Jacksonville.

 

Thanks.

 

Chris

 

 

Jakarta

 

Conversation was fantastic (the best so far I guess)

thanks mainly to the discussion question of

"rebuilding cities".

 

Some interesting responses came up mostly centred

around basic infrastructure (Yaya suggested logical

and not erratic household, transportation networks

planning before even putting up a brick because that's

what plagues Jakarta most right now).

 

A point that cropped up in my head here was how

Chandigarh (India's first planned city) was divided

into sectors with a cluster of sectors offering

similar facilities. E.g.: Commercial, residential,

entertainment, education, hopitality, medical, etc.

 

However, I was countered by Yusuf (yes, there was

another one) who raised how Serpong (a suburb near

Jakarta) was built the same way but now has

concentrated pockets of development as the sectors

make it boring.

 

Blabber moved on to starting by electing an honest,

transparent able and action-oriented city government

(Governor, Mayor, the works) - something that further

hampers current growth in the city.

 

We had Dito from the Health Ministry who pointed out

how ensuring that everyone had a job and access to

education, sanitation and medical facilities as the

city was being rebuilt would enable faster growth as

the city moved on.

 

Fuel-efficient cars, more parks (no more malls please)

were other things to chew on.

 

Photos are up on flickr at

www.flickr.com/photos/jakartatales. Enjoy!

 

 

More coffee, more conversation

Yousuf

 

 

Jesi

 

 

 

Kansas City

 

Keep: Jazz District, fountains, Loose Park, The Plaza shopping district, Negro League Hall of Fame. Add: expand Jazz District, buy NBA team (forget NHL ever existed), place dome over Royals/Chiefs stadiums to draw NCAA bowl games and Super Bowl, big-time renovation of public transpo (hybrid buses,magnetic light rail), update MO highway system, host more festivals and events like the American Royal BBQ to provide sense of community and brand KCMO as a Great American City. Patrick McCormack

 

 

LA

 

I don't have a lot to say: Los Angeles' problems are well-known, as are its best bits. The city suffers from a reliance on the automobile but I'm not sure it could be what it is today without that. Regardless, if it were up to me, I'd have installed a killer public transportation system (probably a monorail!) back in the 60s or 70s. That's it. Everything else can stay the same. Really. Eric Mueller

 

LA

 

Well I wasn’t there nor have I ever been to a likemind but I think about it every month and live vicariously though Tom Garrett who always goes. I can never seem to get myself out of bed but I hope I will one day.

 

Anyways, I think we understand Los Angeles needs better transportation so I concur with that. Also, I feel that half of LA needs to turn into an entirely different city – LA County is so huge that each city seems very disconnected and one city is really different from the next. I live in Hollywood and feel that it’s really its own city.

 

Focusing on Hollywood in particular I would have to say that it needs to get cleaned up – it’s really dirty and I feel unsafe walking around which is a shame since there is so much you can actually do on foot. A lot of Hollywood us currently under construction with new lofts, the W hotel and super nice places springing up. I somewhat look forward to that however I think it’s going to turn into more of a West Hollywood and continue to push us further east to the more affordable housing in Los Feliz, Silverlake, Echo Park, Eagle rock areas.

I’m also really hoping that Downtown LA will become more of a place that people want to hang out in and not just work there. It should be the center of LA and has not been for so long but there has also been a lot of renovation in the area and I have recently been reading about great places to eat there and this past year is the first time I have ever had friends actually going to clubs in Downtown aside from The Standard. I know it’s going to happen and I’m really looking forward to it J

 

 

MORE PARKING – more of a frustration in some areas than others. I think Los Angeles should build up more instead of building out. Maybe we even need to build down. Regardless we need more public parking structures.

 

I really think is would be cool if we starting to build our city like San Francisco and Chicago where people live above shops and restaurants. I don’t know much about this logically but not only does it look cute but by building up instead of out it really uses all the space and I feel it somehow brings the area closer together because there are more people in a smaller place – then again – we have that parking issue so this might not make sense but it makes me feel all warm and cozy inside.   By Amanda Soto - at likemind in spirit :)

 

 

 

Our natural conversations today really took off so we didn't introduce the question until the end of our meeting. We spent some time talking about transportation alternatives to the almighty car in Los Angeles. It was clear that were we to rebuild our city, none of us wanted to be handcuffed to our cars as we are now. There was also talk about more affordable housing, and perhaps even changing the landscape of LA to make it more dense, hence more housing opportunities and more things within walking distance. These are all things Angelenos have been complaining about for years (really decades) but doesn't really seem possible unless we had the opportunity to rebuild the city from scratch.

 

The most controversial rebuilding idea came from Todd who suggested that the city have a cap on its population. He would like to see half of the current population move away so that the remaining residents would have more room to breathe, hike, drive, etc. - Jamie

 

 

 

London

 

As you will see below, the conversation was fantastic and we had some great suggestions come out:

Cities don’t need to be built around the same structure because our communications networks are so good now. We could have chairlifts going round the city- why does the transport system need to be below / on ground? We can build flexibility into spaces / housing – build every home with the same area footprint and make them moveable so that you could swap/ move locations with your house. We would create simple modular homes with facades that people can personalise / add to – a myspace page in the real world. Create travel credits- you have to walk if you go beyond your allocated amount. Utilize non-spaces more (ie company lobby areas). Live with less possessions- place things in a personalised section of a library where everything can be seen / shared.

 

Every house would have one switch that you could press before you leave the house that will turn off every electrical appliance apart from the fridge. We would make better use of the canals that are through the city by using boats through the canals to reduce the reliance on a tube system. Get rid of street signs and curbs to make sure people tpay more attention of where they are going reducing the amount of accidents on the roads. Start to build buildings that are meant to last like 100 years ago. Have micro houses so you only build what you need and then you can add to it as time goes on. Move London further inland on a hill not at sea level to avoid potential problems in the future.

 

Stop so many branded stores from setting up here and keep the majority as independent stores. Maybe give allocated land for brands so we can pick our own vegetables?Make more shops and restaurants open 24 hours in line with peoples changing social habits. Make all deliveries to big stores underground to reduce congestion. Make London more pedestrianised and more bikes.

 

Only allow people to buy one house in London to stop big firms buying up all the properties and forcing people to move out of London. Enforce that buildings can’t be derelict for more than a certain time period without any planning or redevelopment going on. If it is then it must become available for the homeless to use until the owner is using it again.

Rather than keep so many possessions within your house, have a museum of all your things in one location (like storage) where people can go and see your things and so can you.

Turn every rooftop into an allotment for the people living within the building. You get reduced rent if you are one of the people who helps to maintain it. Jamie Coomber

 

 

 

Malmo

 

Milano

 

 

Milano has become the major italian business city, attracting many people from the interland, who commute into the city center every day, mostly by car or train. Even though it cannot be considered a "beautiful city", Milano still preserves some very nice traditional areas, such as Navigli, Sant'Ambrogio or Brera.

 

Here's what I (Paolo) would do to make it a better place to live in:

 

• All cars, motorbikes, scooters, parking and public transport should go underground.

• The upperground is only for pedestrians, bicycles and electric vehicles (for elderly people).

• The Sempione Park is extended up until Piazza Firenze, taking all the Fiera area.

• A small lake is created in front of the Triennale.

• More roof gardens, vertical gardens and trees everywhere.

• Large malls such as Esselunga are replaced with small bio shops, markets and sport facilities.

• The traditional canals comes back to the surface, made navigable via electric boats/taxis.

• Open-air performance art and music spreads all around.

• No more "sanpietroni" on the streets.

• Free, city-wide wifi.

 

Minneapolis

 

 

 This picture was designed by Danny Lyon for NYC, but I think it fits here too, except for #6.  Thanks to yourdailyawesome.com

"culture vs economy - what is a better driver for city?"

 

"supply chain efficiencies root of all problems?"

 

"geographical isolation - a person is part of a neighborhood, a neighborhood part of a city, a city is part of a region, a country"

 

twitter.com/likemind_min

 

 

The likemind_min discussion started with what structural improvements the group felt would improve a city, if building or rebuilding a city from scratch. Right off the bat was the desire to 'divorce ourselves from cars', add bike lanes and more build communal areas for residents to gather, shop, relax. A small debate started with whether you needed a master blue print to build the city from or if you could just let a city develop on its on. While this debate was small and most of the group agreed that some form of blue print would be needed I think this debate started to frame a foundation for the rest of the mornings' discussion. The discussion moved towards not just what we would build to make a better city but also what stimulates a city to become a good city.

 

 

What you build is what you get

 

More neighborhoods and neighborhood type places were high on everyone's list to build back into a city. The group felt that people want to feel like they belong to a neighborhood and that there is safety in neighborhoods. A point was made that people felt safer walking around NYC because there are some many people, different kinds of people, everywhere that if you need help you can always get it. Compared to Minneapolis where if you are walking down the block and see just one other person you get an uneasy feeling because you never know what might happen (over the last year muggings have pretty much tripled in Minneapolis - or at least seem that way). So building parks, markets, walk ways, places for people to get out and participate in their city was important.

 

Other thoughts - build walls and boundaries and you get people of your city feeling isolated. Don't build resources for people to live from, ex grocery stores, than no one will live in that neighborhood. Build chain restaurants and chain Disney like actions you will only attract people to visit but not live in you city.

 

Culture vs economy - what is a better driver for city?

 

A balance of recruit is needed to diversity a city not just demographic diversity but cultural diversity as well. If building from scratch and all you build will be giant football stadiums you will only attract one slice of cultural life, and one that not necessarily makes a city culturally grow. Some quoted (and I missed it) that a study was done that if you put more resources into cultural events like supporting artists, museums, music, etc. that people of the arts tend to stick around in a city and improve the neighborhoods where football stadiums bring in a crowd for that day...and than that crowd drives away after the game is over.

 

Funding green = funding local

 

Green is the new sputnik. Green trends are on everyone’s minds but what green can do for a city has some interesting impact. A NYT article was brought up, The Green-Collar Solution, that most green jobs are local jobs. By supporting green you are more than likely to be supporting your own city. But while the group felt that going green is important to our future that it was going to take government regulations to kick start the green for a city. An idea of having a mandate similar to cars, that all cities must be 20-30% green efficient by year 20XX. Other green issues were supply and pollution efficiencies for the city. That while we all love a good banana, they have very large carbon foot prints and we need to start understanding what it means to by/eat locally.

 

 

For the people

 

A city needs to be built for the social human beings that we are, coming together. In rebuilding a city a focus on people, not economics, best highways, etc but letting people be people together. While easier said that done several of the groups’ idea focused on the people and the personality of a city. Towards the end of the conversation many of us realized that we only say hello to our neighbors maybe once, twice a year. That we, for some reason in Minneapolis, run home and lock our doors as soon as we can after work (yes, little over dramatic but it makes the point). That if we would take the time to be part of the neighborhood, the community that community would be stronger. Points of the discussion were about what stimulates a good city...well, its us, the people who live there.

 

 

 

Missoula

 

 

New Orleans

 

Conversations of rebuilding were a bit less formal for Likemind in New Orleans as it is the topic of constant conversation in most of our personal and professional lives….however, by nature and default, the conversations turned to our rebuilding efforts…

A few highlights:

• Next generation of leaders – We have an opportunity to engage and retain the next generation of leaders … individuals bold enough to take a chance and smart enough to see a unique opportunity in New Orleans…”Millinealls/Generation Y” have come here to rebuild. Now, we must create jobs, opportunities, and a culture that retains them. Building an innovative environment requires not allowing the stagnation of a status quo to form.
• Opportunity to sustainable redevelopment – New Orleans could (and should) be at the forefront of this worldwide trend as we have tremendous disposable income pouring into our rebuilding efforts…..examples like Rebuild Green in the Lower Ninth Ward, Brad Pitt’s Global Green initiative, etc.
  • An entrepreneur who started NOBI (New Orleans Biofuel Initiative) shared how his company is fueling our rebuilding efforts to help make New Orleans a model for sustainable developments.
  • Conversations turned to third world countries, California, Colorado and other cities with an emphasis on renewable energy, recycling, etc.

§ Economic development – government and resources should focus on retention of companies we currently have, rather than striving to attract. Focus on the entrepreneurs on the ground and provide the support necessary to survive. Only by developing opportunities for entrepreneurship by those already in New Orleans who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the revitalization of the City rather than a losing game of developing incentive package to attract sexy, large corporations who have no real commitment.

• Necessity of strong governmental leadership – Election day is tomorrow in Louisiana and strong leadership has never been more critical …. we need strong leaders to guide us through our rebuilding efforts.

 

 

NY

 

In addition to the obvious (more greenspaces, designated bike lanes with curbs to separate these from vehicular traffic) how about:

-designated pedestrian areas in each neighborhood. These would be established in logical areas, ie. where there is already a proliferation of restaurants, galleries, museums, etc. Traffic would be averted, trees planted (Bloomberg's new tree-planting campaign already in effect!), restaurants encouraged to get European with more outdoor seating, and streets re-paved, funded in part with the increased restaurant revenue.

-A planned black-out each summer. Essential services would still function, and the designated date would allow for appropriate arrangements, then we're off the grid. That was nearly unanimously a favorite New York day/night: meeting neighbors you never knew, restaurants giving away ice cream and grilled whatever via impromptu barbeques, general convivial comeraderie, eco-wake-up call... and a full sky of stars over the city for the first time in 100+ years.

-Subsidies to plant roof gardens/lawns, which was encouraged after that ridiculous rainstorm last August. There is so little soil/organic material in this city that all precipitation is run-off that overwhelms the sewer systems.

-Street fairs that actually are. No more sausages and socks.

... Kristin B

 

New York City. I would have a long running ad campaign to discourage gum litter. Fines for spitting your gum on the sidewalk would be appropriate and spitter would have to serve community service. And there would have been a long term solution to the garbage that gets pilled on sidewalks 2 times a week. I think that each block should have had space reserved for safe enclosed garbage dumpsters and trees, more of an alley system like other cities but with green space and dumpsters. Even more revolutionary- New Yorkers would have lead the reduce reuse recycle movements not been the last. Still too few people here are concerned with the litter and huge quantities of waste. Maggie Soladay

 

"Build it to be more pediestrianized. Make use of the public spaces and create places to congregate." Rachel

 

"We need wifi in the air. And every year there should be a black-out to remind us of what it used to be like before electicity." Nikita

 

"Change the aersthetic to make it more clean - like Japan. Garbage cans are there but do they have to be so visually apparent. And could the buildings clean themselves with the rain water they collect?" George

 

"Walking Lanes!" Seth

 

"Put highways under water and build the city more towards the river rather than the center. Put a subway up the East side and also across town. Make if more fluid, accessible and less noisy." Teri

 

"Get rid of the major hightways and don't allow cars below 42nd Street. Plant good trees and rework the area like they've done with the highline. No buses either - make it quieter!" Naveen

 

"We need better orientation. More focal points such as green places - this will help us navigate the grid better. Also, let's keep the neighborhoods different." Kendra

 

"We need more street life - maybe more dancing like the Tango they do in Chelsea market among the fresh produce. This shoudl happen throughout the neighborhood."

 

"Start with trees" Adam

 

"More bicycle lanes - ones between buildings and the sidewalks. Residential and businesses should be more intertwined. Architects should build eclectic buildings people love or hate." Eve

 

"Since we spend less time in private spaces there should be more communal spaces and common rooms in buildings where we can share. Why do we all need those large refrigerators int he city - why not share one for the milk?"

 

"Make it totally integrated from an environmental standard. No urba/suburban model - we need a hybrid urban with a mix of commerciial and residential. The city should encourage self sustaining enviornments that source locally." Dave

 

"Keep Central Park in the center of the city. Make the waterways more useful - remember we're on an island. Below 23rd, I'd introduce a grid sysstem to make it more understandable." Adrian

 

"I wouldn't change a thing. Centralized planning produces sterilized living. Gotta plan the infrastructure--street grid, subways, some zoning codes--and then turn people loose. And some of the best parts are the ones that violate the rules--the parks in the middle of streets, the little kinks, the holdout buildings. It's all about the mix of uses (suburbs segregate uses, cities jumble them up together) & making a place that encourages people and street life thru the right scale. I'd say NYC is pretty much there. Not entirely, but not so bad." John V

 

"The waterways offer no value today anbd the waterfront was sold for cheap when they were dangerous. We need to re-explore these areas." Wendy

 

"Vertical farms - community farms. People create tax incentives to build farms. We should turn abandoned football stadiums into places people can come together - and we should build parks on top of public buildings. We should also put the highway underwater and turn the area into mixed income housing." Marissa

 

"More bikelanes between the parking and the sidewalk." Michelle

 

"Bike lanes! More trees! An easy transport system where you can just get on and get off with the flash of a card. We should have a bike system like Barca or Paris." Stephany

 

" This city was built for cars . We need to rebuild it for peopel. More green spaces like London - sprinkled about. And we need farmers markets like Barcelona wshich are covered and offer places where you can eat and get a sense of comminity - rather than just a place to shop." barbara

 

Some people today, asked about this link.

Check out this proposal of mixed - use / urban village, by Monocle.

http://www.monocle.com/sections/business/Web-Articles/Perfect-High-Street/

 

"Following ideas about communal spaces, solar powered recharge stations with multiple adapters and outlets. bike stands to lock bikes to. if there's a way, make modular subways so they can easily adjust to NYs ever-growing population in the outer boroughs. also, better water systems that don't link the storm and sewage drains!!

 

 

 

 

Orlando

 

 

Perth

 

 

Philadelphia

 

A for Philly, I would keep all of the historic places and open spaces in tact (and maybe even add a few more parks), but there are many things that need to change...

1) LEADERSHIP: There needs to be better leadership taking control of Philadelphia. Our city's crime rates and murder rates are unacceptable.  There are simple steps that can be taken to make the city a little safer, such as better lighting on side streets in center city.  Why we can't have someone step up and take control of this issue is beyond me. Also, our city is dirty. People call us Philthadelphia. If I ran Philadelphia, I would be embarassed if the first street most people saw upon visiting my city (Market Street) was littered with trash and homeless people begging for 35 cents. Help Philly become a city people want to move to.

2) TRANSPORTATION: I-76 needs to be destroyed. Anything would be better. Anything.

3) SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTS: The goverment officials in Philadelphia need to start becoming more concerned with Green issues rather than building casinos.  Don't they realize those casinos are only going to make our transportation, crime, and pollution problems even worse? If the city officials showed the residents that they actually cared about making the city better, maybe they can inspire some of the Philly's residents to start improving upon their surroundings. Create a tax for driving to work everyday if they can take a train. Reduce public transportation fares that keep increasing. Require developers to incorporate energy and material conservation into their projects. Encourage water conservation. ---jackie

 

Portland

 

The conversation about rebuilding Portland kicked off with universal murmurings of satisfaction with Portland's current status quo. We considered how the cityscape is changing as California (with a high density from Marin) and New York migrations are influencing culture. Since not one of us is originally from Oregon, we did not cast aspersions on the influx of new money to a town whose cost of living is steadily increasing. Instead, we brainstormed about how our great city could be reinvented to be even greater. Following is the wish list that represents the opinions of various  individuals in attendance:

 

* Ensure controlled growth, with careful consideration each step of the way

* Build the MAX out to Vancouver, WA

* Preserve our green spaces

* Generate more city-energy buzz

* Create a hippie-free zone (or else L will have to poke her eyes out)

* Clarify a vision for arts and creativity in our community

* Keep on coming up with new community-meets-culture concepts as 1st and 3rd Thursdays max out and become less interesting

* Create an art walk

* Create a biosphere bubble to protect us from rain so we can continue our outdoor events November through February

* Continue to be willing to experiment

* Keep Breakfast on the Bridges--a free breakfast for bikers commuting via bridges on Last Fridays (How cool is that?!)

* Free, city-wide wifi

* Connet the N and S park blocks, driving traffic underground so pedestrian traffic is uninterrupted

* Have a year-round farmer's market

* Shut the city down for one day of bike traffic only per year

 

It's great to live someplace where community members generally feel priviliged to live...and to fine-tune our vision together.

 

Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill

 

 

Seattle

 

Rome wasn't built in a day, and Seattle wasn't re-built in an hour - but it was a morning of rich conversation. The question was very relevant, considering Seattle burned down 100 years ago and had the chance to re-build. In our exploration of the issue, these themes emerged:

 

(1) Tension - are we emotional stewards or environmental stewards? Are we a city of communities or a city with community? We want to be a global entity, but retain our unique "smallness"...

(2) Seattle-ness - this is a city where consensus rules. We discuss problems for 20-30 years and then solve problems from 20-30 years ago. The chance to re-build is a chance to change our mindset as a city - to take action on present problems, to identify with Greater Seattle, and to eliminate our NIMBY attitude to change.

(3) Trains, planes and automobiles - we need a vastly improved public transportation backbone. We believe in Amsterdam-like roads and congestion pricing to reduce reliance on automobiles. We support inexpensive and wide-reaching access to electric trains.

(4) Community spaces - we need more places for people to gather in downtown Seattle. For example... European-style Plaza Mayors; pedestrian-only streets and alleys; even MORE space dedicated to art and sculpture in place of the Viaduct; and dare we dream it.... park benches in the downtown core!

(5) Energy - let's capitalize on our environment and replace solar energy with "grey energy", or power our city entirely with hydroelectric rain power (though, for those of you from other cities reading this, the idea that it rains regularly in Seattle is pure conjecture).

(6) Disenfranchised - each and every one of us could be out of a home, a job, and hard up. We don't want to pay people to be homeless - we want to help people be productive in the re-building effort. We would use the market economy (e.g. Cleanscapes or Real Change) to encourage people to work in exchange for financial support, shelter and the good of the community.

(7) Architecture - when you approach Seattle from boat or air, it is easy to enjoy the top 2/3 of our buildings, but the bottom 1/3 is boring! We need the challenging architecture of NYC or Chicago manifested in our buildings, head to toe.

(8) Leadership - we need charismatic leadership at the city (as opposed to neighborhood) level to help us all envision the potential of a re-buiolding effort, and to discover the goodness of our larger community.

 

Other tidbits: Check out the \"Tragedy of Suburbia\" talk from the 2004 TED Conference. Or, the idea that Vashon Island could be entirely self-sustainable. Seattle has the thought leadership in this space - we hope we never get the chance to exercise our ingenuity.

 

Congrats to all for exploring this critical issue - the growing collection of ideas is a wonderful metaphor for the building of a city.

 

SF

 

 

St. Louis

People make the town.  Buildings, railways, green spaces, neighborhoods...they are simply the realization of a group of people and their ambitions living in one area.

 

In St. Louis (along with many other cities this side of the Mississippi), there is a great sense of community.  But held in higher regard is space.  Land.  And the notion that success is defined by the size of your house and how far away your closest neighbor is.  It's a spirit that lingers from the days of Lewis & Clark and throngs of people who set west through St. Louis.  Fortunately for us...many decided to stay.  French, German, Irish...they all established communities in St. Louis that still retain their heritage.  They've also retained their love for space.

 

So, cutting to the chase, the biggest obsticale and opportunity for our city if challenged with rebuilding would be changing the mindset of those who live here.  Some things that were discussed:

 

Redesign City Politics:  The day of the mayor and his aldermen is over...give power to the communities for their own development

 

Re-zone & re-design:  for whatever reason, the great neighborhoods of St. Louis are more often than not seperated by highways, industrial zones and railyards.  these physical barriers often lead to psychological barriers, that then reinforce the desire for "space".  Bring people together...they will find their friends...but lets mix the pot.

 

Put a premium on education:  if our best educators are leaving, none of this will matter.

 

Re-establish the river front:  the Arch grounds are nice, but push the factories and barge stations further north & south allowing for community access to the river, more park grounds and living spaces (see Chicago).

 

Develop corporate-supported city communities:  Imagine the sense of community if, say, the employees of Anheuser-Busch all lived in Soulard and Benton Park (as they once did)...walking to work, shopping, dinning, schools.  These would not be isolated islands, they would be overlapping communities working, playing and living together. 

 

Invest in Technlogy and Technology companies:  court the free thinkers and risk takers to set up shop with Tax breaks and corporate housing plans (see above), ensuring that the best and brightest of our citizens no longer have to head to the coasts

 

Champion the bike, eleminate the car:  Easier said than done

 

The above are some of the actionable items.  But the bigger problem still lingers...that as a society, people here simply do not want to live in close quarters.  They love their space.  They love their cars. They love that it only takes 20 minutes to get anywhere...and don't care that everywhere is 20 minutes away.  Rebuilding the city is a lot easier than rebuilding 250 years of instinct. 

 

Stockholm

 

 

Toronto

 

1. STOP URBAN SPRAWL! God, the suburbs around here kill me -- you can't walk anywhere to get anything. Why anyone would zone something as strictly residential for miles around baffles me. Mixed residential-commercial zoning is definitely necessary. Living in a subdivision where all that's around you are houses and nothing else is a depressing way to live, frankly. 2. Improve public transportation. Actually, we need a serious investment in public transportation. The system downtown is fine, but again, beyond the borders of the downtown core, it's dismal. And why does our subway not go to the airport? 3. Bulldoze the condos along the waterfront and build a more commercially vibrant area with lots of public green space as well. 4. Bulldoze the Gardiner Expressway, which cuts the waterfront off from the rest of the city. 5. Make parts of the city pedestrian-only: Yorkville, Kensington Market, University of Toronto St. George Campus, and Harbourfront. June Ip

 

 

Vancouver

 

 

Imaginary City

 

"Being "unrooted", Being a designer, my first concern is: what's the material from which I'm to rebuild this city? Humans are remarkably adaptable; ecosystems less so. So the first thing I'd do is research the geography and the geology... from the sky above down to the core. I'd want to understand the environment: - Are there underground water basins, natural gas deposits, valuable minerals, potential geothermal energy sources, or dangerous fault lines? - Is the local weather conducive to tapping wind or solar energy?

- What kinds of plant life grow in the region and do we have the technology to properly harvest and replenish it? - What's the natural wildlife and how can it be preserved (because I'd be naive to believe I can fully understand the complexities of the local ecosystem; the eradication of a single species could have profound ripple effects)?

Those are the sorts of things I'd be asking first, because if I'm going to build a city, I want to establish what the framework is that will support it... both today and in the future. Working with and not against what's already available will make everything else easier. It would only be after I had some sense of the underlying foundation that I would begin to consider the human systems that would overlay it. I'd actually expect that a good framework could support a variety of social systems, but if the underlying foundation isn't well-designed, nothing on top of it will function as efficiently as intended." C Sven Johnson