abba's way

We need a triad that makes sense for now

We need a triad

that makes

sense for now

That triad is

Reality

Ethics

Aesthetics

We’ll

explain

Ω

Not either-or

We cannot progress individually or planetarily without moving past binary thinking. Binary thinking stops at two. It contains little or or no thought about ethics. It clings to one side of something until the other side collapses and then it declares victory. Until the other side gets up the strength to to fight some more. This is the stuff of fiction and the sad result of fact. It is like a disease. It eats away at the fabric of hope.

If either-or is the only answer, thinking is merely a matter of remembering what you believe. But if all you believe is that you must strike out and if the result is harm, you are engaged in a closed loop, based on either-or.

Either do this or do that. Never a third option. Or another way. Or an alternative. Whether we are talking of an individual or a group, things tend to come down to either-or.

There is one big reason the binary way fails. It fails because preventing harm (ethics) is not even on the table.

Triadic thinking is an automatic brake on the harmful binary mode.

It interposes ethics between the matter at hand and the action that ensues. It subjects deeds to the criteria of truth and beauty. It is a wake-up call. A mindfulness nudge. It is a call to remember binary history when ethics was largely ignored and misunderstood. It is a call to the unprecedented in today’s iffy world.

pattern language

Components of New Settlements Two — Parameters 2

THE COLLECTION THUS FAR

The first two parameters are ecological sustainability and no private cars/trucks within the perimeter.

3. Whether a settlement/community is fashioned from elements of current built areas or is started de novo, a general guideline would be that it have a minimum of 5000 residents, an optimum of 10,000 and a max of 15,000. The reasons for this are manifold: a) to enable creation of components that serve multiple communities; b) to have an adequate density for the thriving of commercial and service elements; and 3) To enable a measure of diversity with enough volume to facilitate the creation of sub-communities around common interests.

4. Settlements will not be isolated in the manner of small towns in rural areas. If settlements are built in such un-dense areas, the plan would be for several settlements in reasonable prioximity to each other. The object will be to connect defined communities by light rail or other transport mechanisms to be developed to move people and goods.

FOR MORE PLEASE VISIT MY MAIN PATTERN LANGUAGE GATEWAY

pattern language

Dead Zones: Annals of Urban Disaster

Here in order are three notions regarding the planning of human space — aka urban planning — aka pattern language.

1. STANDARD EUCLIDIAN:

Standard Euclidean SOURCE

Also known as “Building Block” zoning, Euclidean zoning is characterized by the segregation of land uses into specified geographic districts and dimensional standards stipulating limitations on the magnitude of development activity that is allowed to take place on lots within each type of district. Typical types of land-use districts in Euclidean zoning are: residential (single-family), residential (multi-family), commercial, and industrial. Uses within each district are usually heavily prescribed to exclude other types of uses (residential districts typically disallow commercial or industrial uses). Some “accessory” or “conditional” uses may be allowed in order to accommodate the needs of the primary uses. Dimensional standards apply to any structures built on lots within each zoning district, and typically take the form of setbacks, height limits, minimum lot sizes, lot coverage limits, and other limitations on the “building envelope”.

Euclidean zoning is utilized by some municipalities because of its relative effectiveness, ease of implementation (one set of explicit, prescriptive rules), long-established legal precedent, and familiarity to planners and design professionals.

However, Euclidean zoning has received heavy criticism for its lack of flexibility and institutionalization of now-outdated planning theory.

2. EUCLIDIAN TWO: SOURCE

Euclidean II Zoning uses traditional Euclidean zoning classifications (industrial, commercial, multi-family, residential,etc.) but places them in a hierarchical order “nesting” one zoning class within another similar to the concept of Planned Unit Developments (PUD) mixed uses, but now for all zoning districts; in effect, adding a third dimension to flatland Euclidean zoning. For example, multi-family is not only permitted in “higher order” multi-family zoning districts, but also permitted in high order commercial and industrial zoning districts as well. Protection of land values is maintained by stratifying the zoning districts into levels according to their location in the urban society (neighborhood, community, municipality, and region). Euclidean II zoning also incorporates transportation and utilities as new zoning districts in its matrix dividing zoning into three categories: Public, Semi-Public and Private. In addition, all Euclidean II Zoning permitted activities and definitions are tied directly to the state’s building code, Municode and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) assuring statewide uniformity. Euclidean II zoning fosters the concepts of mixed use, new urbanism and “highest and best use”; and, simplifies all zoning classifications into a single and uniform set of activities. It is relatively easy to transition from most existing zoning classification systems to the Euclidean II Zoning system.

3. SMART COMMUNITIES. SOURCE

The primary design characteristics of New Urbanism include the following:

1) Pedestrian-centered neighborhoods with primary social and economic facilities within a five-minute walk

2) Community orientation around public transit systems

3) Mixed land uses within neighborhoods

The Alexander or Pattern Language approach builds on the SMART COMMUNITIES criteria. Such criteria would completely zap metrosprawl and pave the way for mixed human settlements in which the actual size of key institutions changed to become an integral part of a human matrix or community.

For example, instead of factory-schools built on principles of mega-security, there would be neighborhood educational centers in which one could link to one’s “school” via cyberspace and access a whole range of resources in a setting permitting small groups and even one to one contact with professionals locally.

Instead of mega-hospitals, there could be a profusion of preventive care nodes that would provide basic testing in a cost effective way. Instead of massive, car-centric mega-stores, there would be kiosk-type canters where people could access visual displays of masses of products and place orders.

What is lacking in most urban planning and zoning is the notion of starting from scratch. Of building an integral community from the ground up. I am not saying that the ideas of pattern language cannot be usefully employed to adapt existing sprawl and dead zones. But there is ample need for a radical break and this will require the creation of models de novo.

An interesting example of adaptation is about to take place outside my window. Broadway is about to be closed to vehicular traffic for a substantial stretch. It may be filled with tables and stand as a gorgeous testament to what happens when the domination of the car is challenged.

I venture to say that all urban planning and zoning is beholden now to the car. When that is no longer the case, we will have a shot at pattern language.

So too we will have a shot at reducing the height of structures to a habitable four stories rather than the emerging, Promethean Mumbai style.

I am not holding my breath, however.

There is still formidable cultural lag and no doubt Euclidian will be practiced for decades to come. In fact I suspect that we will need some hardy venture capitalists to begin creating integral communities. The only likely winning strategy wil probably end up being, as Veblen understood, emulation.

pattern language, politics

How To Get The Jobs Back

I have more than once insisted that things are working reasonably well considering. I assume the untold story now is the number of entrepreneurial and visionary sorts who are completely content with the fact that the jobs that are vanishing need not come back.

The first things they think about are values. What in god’s name will people pay for these days? People will pay for comfort and health but these are no longer to be identified with houses and cars. They are identified with new forms of dwelling and new forms of transportation. It will be hit or miss for a while but a transition from ownership to renting is a hint in the right direction.

Values — what people want is a chance to enjoy public space without being placed in an interminable line, subject to mayhem and hassling and feeling lost in a crowd. Where are the visionaries and entrepreneurs who will put this value into practice by advocating for and creating decent new public spaces where people can sit in some security and enjoy the passing scene?

I have pattern language posts here with tons of specific ideas that suggest new products and economies, but all I am hearing is restarting so we can have more of the same — cars and single homes scattered from here to the far reaches of Mongolia. We are not in a credit crisis. We are in an idea crisis.

THE ONLINE PATTERN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

We get the jobs back by letting go and putting our minds to work. We acknowledge that there are already people working to create a new way of living. We give up cautious capitalism for adventurous investment in real things that are on the ground. We acknowledge that the market is working fine. When we say no, it means that we want something else. People cannot spend for what is not being offered. Where there is no vision people perish.

We give up on the idea that we just need to get credit flowing. What we need to get flowing is ideas and visions. Let’s stop living on credit and live on new values that raise us from lemming status to something a trifle more dignified.

Please read Our Crisis Is Not Economic for context.

pattern language, politics

Obama Pattern Language Primer — 14

Continuing a series of looks at Christopher Alexander’s A Pattern Language.

Please read Our Crisis Is Not Economic as a starting point.

THE ONLINE PATTERN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

OBAMA PATTERN LANGUAGE PRIMER POSTS — CUMULATIVE

This section considers amenities in a viable, integral human settlement.

The local shops and gathering places.

Individually Owned Shops

Street Cafe

Corner Grocery

Beer Hall

Traveller’s Inn

Bus Stop

Food Stands

Sleeping in Public

Individually Owned Shops [May be part of Shopping Street, Market of Many Shops]

Alexander states: “When shops are too large, or controlled by absentee owners, they become plastic, bland and abstract.”

Clearly this sets up a conflict and even a debate. Mall culture and Wal-Mart hangar-sized boxes are the seeming default. But there may well be an argument for precisely the smaller.more niche-type outlets that Alexander wants. I use “outlets” with some care because I see storage and home delivery as the future of much if not most shopping. This enables a store to be more a node where someone places an order. Perhaps it has tables and chairs and is social. The proprieter in knowledgable in the niche area. And so forth. Clearly there is no room for huge stores in a settlement that is car free within its perimeter.

Street Cafes [May be part of Identifiable Neighbourhood , Activity Nodes, Small Public Squares]

Alexander states the obvious: “The street cafe provides a unique setting , special to cities: a place where people can sit lazily, legitimately, be on view, and watch the world go by.”

I would ideally place such nodes ever 300 feet or so and make them places where people could both gather and schmooze. And also where they might be able to get enough to eat to count as a viable meal. I am convinced that the kitchen’s days are numbered and that the pedestrian settlement would pretty much make eating out cost effective.

Corner Grocery [May be part of Market of Many Shops, Web of Shopping, Identifiable Neighbourhood]

Alexander: “It has lately been assumed that people no longer want to walk to local stores. This assumption is mistaken.”

Alexander’s right and one should be able to meet basic grocery needs within 800 yards max of one’s residence. These communities should also have a kid business for elderly folk, where they carry the groceries for a small honorarium.

Beer Hall [May be part of Neighbourhood Boundary, Promenade, Night Life]

Alexander asks: “Where can people sing, and drink, and shout and drink, and let go of their sorrows?”

And answers: “Somewhere in a community at least one big place where a few hundred people can gather, with beer and wine, music, and perhaps a half-dozen activities, so that people are continuously crossing from one to another.”

In Capri there are such spots including some that are, cleverly, underground, diminishing intrusive sound.

My ideal is a community built on a futuristic matrix shere there is a good deal underground, including the mechanism needed to recycle everything in the community onsite. The matrix would include wind turbines and extensive solar paneling and operate as a shell for the community. In some cases even collecting and processing rain water.

“Traveller’s Inn [May be part of Magic of the City, Activity Nodes, Promenade, Night Life, Work Community]

Akexander makes a cool point: “A man (sic) who stays the night in a strange place is still a member of the human community, and still needs company. There is no reason why he should creep into a hole, and watch TV alone, the way he does in a roadside motel.”

And elaborates: “Make the traveler’s inn a place where travelers can take rooms for the night, but where- unlike most hotels and motels- the inn draws all its energy from the community of travelers that are there any given evening. The scale is small 30 or 40 guests to an inn; meals are offered communally; there is even a large space ringed round with beds in alcoves.”

Bus Stop [May be part of Mini-Buses]

Alexander argues: “Bus stops must be easy to recognize, and pleasant, with enough activity around them to make people comfortable and safe.”

Adding: “Build bus stops so that they form tiny centers of public life. Build them as part of the gateways into neighbourhoods, work communities, parts of town….”

In my ideal settlement there would be “rides”. I can see a default vehicle of some sort that simply goes through the various promenades and picks people up and drops them off. They could be operated at modest speed by persons trained to ensure safe movement. They would not be frequent enough to discourage walking and not infrequent enough to cause impatience. Five minute intervals comes to mind. They could also double as security vehicles as they would in effect be patrolling the community.

Food Stands [May be part of Activity Nodes, Road Crossing, Raised Walk, Small Public Squares, Bus Stop]

Fine: “Many of our habits and institutions are bolstered by the fact that we can get simple, inexpensive food on the street, on the way to shopping, work, and friends.”

Sleeping in Public [May be part of Interchange, Small Public Squares, Public Outdoor Room, Street Cafes, Pedestrian Street]

Says Alexander: “It is a mark of success in a park, public lobby or a porch, when people can come there and fall asleep.”

Indeed but we are far from being the trusting community that we need to become to enable this prescription:

“Keep the environment filled with ample benches, comfortable places, corners to sit on the ground, or lie in comfort in the sand. Make these places relatively sheltered, protected from circulation, perhaps up a step, with seats and grass to slump down upon, read the paper and doze off.”

I would call this change I could believe in.

NOTE: I am making an effort to find some visual basis for suggesting the structure of settlements I am trying to convey. So far I have found only the following:

EXAMPLE ONE

EXAMPLE TWO

Stephen Curtiss Rose

A universal way of life for the 2000s

Tag Archives: community