City of the Year

The Academy of Urbanism presented its awards last Friday. The 2010 categories were for European City of the Year, as well as for Great Towns, Neighbourhoods, Streets, and Places. And it was infectious to be in a room full of diverse people with a shared enthusiasm for places that quite simply make life better in so many different ways. Whether driven by an architectural legacy, or a passion for ideas – the common message that came across was the importance of key individuals with a relentless commitment to a particular place and its people

The winner of the European City of the Year Award for 2010 was Freiburg 'a model for sustainability across the globe'. In the Academy’s appreciation there are two short sentences which are inspiring in their directness and simplicity:

Freiburg functions well.

Freiburg has much to teach us.

Those would seem to be worthwhile aspirations for all of us when creating everyday places that deserve our everyday plaudits.

Read more...

Knots

One argument goes that if we don’t define what we want then we might get something we don’t want. On the other hand if we specify too tightly then we miss out on exploring better, unforeseen answers. There is a verse of modern poetry by RD Laing, from his book 'Knots', which captures this situation:

If I don’t know I don’t know

I think I know




If I don’t know I know

I think I don’t know

We may need to read his words twice – but we all recognise the bewildering truth he describes. There is a crucial question at the heart of every brief: are we trying to define an answer or define a question? If you believe, as I do, that design is much more than a means of delivering utility, then the answer lies in getting the questions right.

Read more...