Getting New Urbanism "More Right Than Wrong"

The phrase “New Urbanism” keeps coming up on my radar these days. Even though its origin traces back 40 years ago,? more people seem to not only be aware of it but also seeking it. It’s an approach to urban planning and development that reflects cities built centuries ago. Cities that had neighbourhoods with high walkability, accessible public spaces, healthy ecological practices,? multimodal transportation, and a real sense of community. It’s what’s referenced as human-scaled urban design - with a people-first ethos.?

It was used in a recent headline that grabbed my attention marking last week’s 20th anniversary of 9/11 -? and the New Urbanism that is rising out of the rubble of lower Manhattan since its collapse.

Architecture critic Michael Kimmelman references the reconstruction of ground zero, as a bit of a lingering mess. Well, how could you expect it to be anything else? That’s likely to happen in dire circumstances such as those when ideas don’t have the luxury of time to be fully formed, you’re rushed to take action to reignite the economy, and you’re under immense pressure to reconcile demands from multiple stakeholders.? Fifteen years ago, it was described by Deborah Sontag as the “combination of big money, prime real estate, bottomless grief, artistic ego and dreams of legacy,” which turned ground zero into “a mosh pit of stakeholders banging heads.”

It turns out, however, that mosh pits and messes may not so bad after all. As we know, things often get worse before they get better.?

It’s the mess in fact, that allowed people to come to a shared understanding of what a neighborhood really can look like.? But all things take time - especially in the world of city building - described by Kimmelman as being “a low, lurching, multipronged process, in a fractious democracy.” Regardless of what side of the border you’re on, it's sadly true.

Fortunately though, and if you’re patient enough, you’ll see that disaster often brings with it, discovery. As it did with Sept. 11, where decision-makers in finance and government started to commiserate with citizens, who recognized that the necessary ingredients to re-shaping a sustainable part of the city exceeded memorials and office towers.???

This accompanied, of course, the more immediate challenge of reparation that brought with it, the raw emotions of both, fear and grief. One focused on how to proactively build heightened security and improve their defensive position, the other, stemming from the human nature of attaching meaning to place, focused on how to commemorate those whose lives were lost, while not honouring the villain who stole them. It was a “herculean” task to reconcile the two.

As an example of the “fractious democracy,” there was inevitable misalignment. George E. Pataki, governor at the time, agreed to a large footprint memorial with adjacent skyscrapers, while the mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, advocated for housing and schools, with a more discrete, humble-sized memorial.? I admit I’m a supporter of Bloomberg’s belief that “a living, breathing neighborhood might make a better memorial and answer to the terrorists.” In fact, I can't think of a better rebuttal.

Another layer of complexity in this unprecedented “do-over” was facing different challenges since it was a different time. There were pressing issues such as climate change and affordability to consider now, among a plethora of others, that were foundational.?

But there was also aspirational weight that added to the challenge. This was not merely about rebuilding at a different time. This was about rebuilding “better.” 9/11 had given residents the real-life experience and appreciation of mobility and remote access.?

Many valued these city living assets in hindsight, as they walked and cycled across Brooklyn Bridge, looking upon the city with a new lens. The bridge’s walkway has proven to be invaluable during times of need, especially when city transportation is at a halt.

They envisioned a more resilient city -? and a live-work neighbourhood that could attract talent, with lively streets, parks, bike lanes, and culture for people to immerse themselves in.? They unraveled the familiar hub-spoke model that was Manhattan-centric and awakened peripheral cities such as Brooklyn.? They rebuilt streets to “reknit the urban fabric of the neighbourhood.” Office and residential towers sprouted, along with parks and museums. And yet we’re still not there, as Kimmelman describes the site as an “alien zone” with design and policing that “tends to thwart joy.”??

But it’s a start. Even though it’s been two decades, which in city building time, is described as “barely the flap of a hummingbird’s wing.”

There are concerns with affordable housing, air quality, and noise. And because of its waterfront location, rising sea levels. And so the crisis continues. As does solution-seeking. The threats and opportunities are ever-changing.?

City planners now have rising sea levels on their radar (after Superstorm Sandy), a farmers market has emerged at the Oculus, serving somewhat as softscaping, if you will, and there’s the hope by many that commercial will convert to residential, and include affordable.? In two years, the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center is anticipated to open, of which Michael Bloomberg serves as Chair, and believes is an integral piece to the district’s vitality. There are more proposals to open streets and designate “green” zones.

The end game is described as resembling a denser, more modern version of the Marais in Paris or Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. And hopefully, we will get there.?

The intentions are good, but the reality is that no matter how far out you plan, which in this industry seems to be an endlessly long time, it’s never far enough. And no matter how detailed the vision you might have for the future, you’re only able to see so far.??

And so we tend to not get it 100% right the first time, most of the time, but we aim to come close. As the former planning commissioner said of working on the World Trade Centre’s rebuild, “We hardly got it perfect,” [yet] on balance, we got it more right than wrong.”

As shared by Kimmelman, “Progress takes not just time but also unanticipated forms.” As a reference, he cites New York’ City’s contaminated water supply in the 18th century which caused yellow fever and cholera - which led to Aaron Burr (yes - the same Aaron Burr from the Broadway’s Hamilton) to create a new business called The Manhattan Company (better known today as JP Morgan) that installed below-grade log pipes to distribute clean water - which in turn led to a state-led infrastructure replacement investment of reservoirs and aqueducts to source fresh drinking water when they failed - which in turn funded Central Park and Midtown Manhattan.? Such is life.?

So, as much as we plan to build for the future, the future unfolds as it will. We can only do our best to serve as a bridge to get us there. And God willing, it’s to a better place.??

?AS A SIDE...

IF I WERE A BRIDGE… My hands-down pick would be the Brooklyn Bridge. Traveled by approximately 120,000 vehicles/4000 pedestrians/ 2600 people per day, took 14 years to complete, cost $15 million USD to build, (@ $500M today), and was first crossed by a WOMAN, Emily Warren Roebling. Emily was the wife of the Chief Engineer (John Roebling), who took over after her husband was paralyzed. She was competent in mathematics, and engineering principles, including bridge specifications, cable construction, catenary curves, and material strengths. Emily remained in the position for 11 years. Go, Emily!?

MORE REASONS I LOVE THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

• It mitigates tension between cars, bikes, and feet, (An important urban design principle).
• It makes “getting there” fun. It is not a means to get from A to B. It is a destination. (Another important urban design principle).
• The bridge is aka “Times Square in the Sky.”
• The technology behind the bridge, which was the first of its kind, created by John Roebling, used braided steel cables to do the impossible - span 1500? feet. This technology is what led to the birth of ELEVATORS - which allowed for the creation of highrises.?

LINKS TO LEARN MORE

New Urbanism?

The Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC)

Green Market at the Oculus