‘Culture is the software of cities just as the built environment is its hardware.’ PETER CALTHORPE, FOUNDING PARTNER OF CALTHORPE ASSOCIATES IN BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 14 Planning April 2014 COPYRIGHT 2014 BY THE AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF PLANNING MAGAZINE. Exploring Cultural UrbanismIt’s a rational approach to creating authentic places. By Todd Meyer Today, many of our colleagues in planning and design are working hard to establish great places that reduce our ecological footprint and promote economic development. However, there is a third component we also should ad- dress—the aspect of urbanism that reflects local cul- ture and encourages social interface. Places that are culturally and regionally authentic almost always ap- peal to the local populace and visitors alike. They also help to sustain communities over the long haul. PETER CALTHORPE, FOUNDING PARTNER OF CALTHORPE ASSOCIATES IN BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA American Planning Association 15 Culture is the software of cities just as the built environment is its hardware,” says Pe- ter Calthorpe, founding partner of Calthor- pe Associates in Berkeley, California. “They co-evolve with each generation, culture ‘Cinforming and transforming the hardware of a city while technological change and in- frastructure redirect the city culture. While each place is unique, there are universal hu- The City Creek Center in the heart of Salt Lake City is one of the nation’s largest mixed use man traits that set the fundamental DNA of downtown redevelopment projects. It features pedestrian-friendly spaces, retail and office space, apartments and condominiums, and a 1,200-foot-long facsimile of the stream that formerly ran great cities: human scale, diversity of action, through the site. and social interaction.” Whatever it takes have traveled to work with clients who have of cultural history. Typically, when we de- Understanding these criteria can help us chosen to hire out-of-town consultants to sign around the world, we make a great grasp our own community values and dis- help them conceptualize new communities, effort to genuinely understand the place, tinctions, and contribute to our success neighborhoods, districts, corridors, parks, the people, their customs, and the vision as planners and designers. Promoting the waterfronts, campuses, resorts, and many for their future. concept of “cultural urbanism”—that is, cel- other environments. Whether the work is “Our buildings try to bridge and close ebrating our regional differences and build- across the country or on the other side of the the gap between what is and what could ing environments that foster community planet, we are often asked to help determine be, hopefully without being indifferent to interaction—enables us to see what makes the best uses for the land in question and to its users and with a degree of sensitivity to our cities unique and interesting as well as create meaningful and memorable destina- its culture. Integrated with this are envi- create genuine and authentic places. Doing tions through distinctive, and thoughtful de- ronmental issues, which often are deeply this also allows us to preserve those distinc- sign. rooted in the indigenous architecture. tions, celebrate our history, and avoid the Gordon Gill, founding partner of Adrian Transforming this information through homogenization of our urban landscapes, Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, describes current technologies as well as a formal as well as attract employers, institutions, how local culture informs design: “I think un- design language based on performance, and today’s more educated and mobile derstanding local culture is critical to a proj- which we hope results in an architecture workforce. ect’s success. It’s not just its acceptance but the that is, by definition, culturally and envi- As U.S.-based practitioners, many of us ability to establish its place within the context ronmentally relevant for the future.” 16 Planning April 2014 COPYRIGHT 2014 BY THE AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF PLANNING MAGAZINE. stand the needs and desires of the ultimate users of the space? Is our planning and design work focused on how the site will be main- tained over time? Urban design is also a business concern. Twenty years ago, British strate- gist John Elkington urged corporations to consider their financial profits in addition to their environ- mental responsibility and civic duty—to measure what he called the “triple bottom line.” Today, the business case for cultur- ally resonant design is evident in a number of successful projects around the country. One recently completed example is City Creek Center in Salt Lake City, which turned sev- eral blighted blocks in the downtown core into a dy- namic mixed use environ- ment and pedestrian-ori- ented central open space. The project owners are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Taubman Centers, Inc. City Creek Center con- sists of 23 acres of mixed used construction, includ- ing 700,000 square feet of retail, 1.7 million square feet of commercial office space, and more than 500 apartments and condo- miniums. The commercial space was designed by Cal- lison in partnership with Hobbs + Black Associates, the residential buildings by ZGF Architects, and the landscape architecture by the San Francisco office of SWA Group. The site is served by light rail and is Understanding the local context tere, and understated design concepts that quite accessible with or without a car. Clients often hire consultants because they are well-executed—but how much of that Early on, the Mormon Church was as- want their projects to reflect the best and work really responds to the cultural con- sociated with a creek that formerly ran most innovative ideas. Most consultants text? Are we in touch with the subtleties of through the site, so the client group sought find that their peers applaud simple, aus- the local community? Do we truly under- to revive the waterway as a significant the- PHOTOS COURTESY SWA GROUP SWA COURTESY PHOTOS American Planning Association 17 matic element of the development. Howev- He noted that for a city expansion proj- Another approach follows the work of er, because the project required significant ect in Mongolia the planners and adminis- the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, based in underground parking structures, it was im- trators first needed to understand the local York, England. The foundation’s research possible to daylight the actual creek, but the nomadic population, which lived in yurts or involves public observation, personal in- team achieved a realistic 1,200-foot-long circular single-room houses on 700 square terviews with local stakeholders, and inter- facsimile of the stream that contains rain- meters of land. “This prompted us to con- views on the street with individuals using bow and cutthroat trout as well as other na- figure our framework plan for a pattern of various outdoor spaces. These are some of tive fish species and indigenous plants. more organic development,” Shah says. their study’s conclusions: Sustainable aspects include these: 50 nn Sterile and overregulated environ- percent of the demolition debris was re- Enhancing what’s local ments aren’t the most conducive to cycled; primarily native, drought-tolerant Copying the attributes of a place—even urban vibrancy and integration. plants and drip irrigation were used; more very desirable ones—and applying them nn Providing entertainment and attrac- than 600 trees were planted; all the mono- elsewhere usually won’t resonate for long. If tions, such as food and beverage, street lithic stone was locally sourced; and some a client in China says they want to recreate musicians, and market stalls, brings of the towers have green roofs. In this case, suburban California in suburban Beijing, it spaces to life. the triple bottom line was achieved in that it is our duty to challenge that notion and pro- nn Everyday management and mainte- is a financially successful development that pose a plan that celebrates local traditions nance such as attention to seating, increased the local tax base and sought to instead of replicating elements from some- lighting, and accessibility makes a big minimize environmental impact, promote where else. So how do we plan and design difference to the usability of space. local cultural values, and maximize social places that promote cultural identity as well nn Some degree of human unpredict- interaction. as foster better social interaction? The first ability is what makes urban places step is to identify regional differences and interesting and vital. More than a brand then emphasize the characteristics of the lo- Sometimes local residents have a vivid cal people and environment. Four cornerstones sense of their community’s unique attri- One accepted approach is based on the SWA’s approach to planning and design butes. In many ways that’s what helps make research described by William Whyte in his takes the perspective that successful proj- communities like Berkeley (free thinking), 1980 book, The Social Life of Small Urban ects involve four primary cornerstones: Boulder (outdoor, active), Austin (keeping Spaces. The nonprofit organization Project PEOPLE/CULTURE The unique features it weird), and New Orleans (history, enter- for Public Spaces was founded on the prin- of the local community and its residents tainment, food) unique. Each place has pro- ciples of Whyte’s philosophy and has helped throughout history are of great value. Are moted its identity with traits that reflect and to popularize this placemaking approach there unique characteristics about the his- help to perpetuate its traditional cultural across many U.S. cities. toric or contemporary local lifestyles that values. Whyte studied a series of urban spaces can be celebrated? Typically, even more subtle elements of in New York City and commented on why ECOLOGY/ENVIRONMENT After billions a place can help to make it special. Think some were successful and others were not.