Friday, October 22, 2004
antispace
My new favorite book is an old urban planning texbook which I cannot bring myself to return to the library. It's about "lost space" in urban design.
Roger Trancik describes lost space as, "the leftover unstructured landscape at the base of high-rise towers or the unused sunken plaza away from the flow of pedestrian activity in the city...surface parking lots...the no-man's land along the edges of freeways...abandoned waterfronts...in need of redesign -- antispaces, making no positive contribution to the surroundings or users."
These lost spaces are easy to identify in American cities. Think of any office park: it's your basic parking lot interrupted by buildings, offering nothing appealing to pedestrians. Get in the car, get in the building, get back in the car. Anyone walking around without a cigarette or cellphone looks suspicious.
Trancik sees lost space in America as a vital opportunity to apply lessons learned from ancient cities that are friendly to pedestrians and local vendors alike. Think of lively European open-air cafes. Think of diverse buildings cozily unified in pedestrian squares with bustling markets and activity. Then think of what your own city could become...
Roger Trancik describes lost space as, "the leftover unstructured landscape at the base of high-rise towers or the unused sunken plaza away from the flow of pedestrian activity in the city...surface parking lots...the no-man's land along the edges of freeways...abandoned waterfronts...in need of redesign -- antispaces, making no positive contribution to the surroundings or users."
These lost spaces are easy to identify in American cities. Think of any office park: it's your basic parking lot interrupted by buildings, offering nothing appealing to pedestrians. Get in the car, get in the building, get back in the car. Anyone walking around without a cigarette or cellphone looks suspicious.
Trancik sees lost space in America as a vital opportunity to apply lessons learned from ancient cities that are friendly to pedestrians and local vendors alike. Think of lively European open-air cafes. Think of diverse buildings cozily unified in pedestrian squares with bustling markets and activity. Then think of what your own city could become...
