What Makes a City World Class?
I lived in Washington, D.C. for many years, and although it is the capital city of the most powerful nation on Earth, I don't consider it to be world-class. Before getting into criteria, the most important indicator is how you feel when you find yourself there. Is it mentally stimulating? Is it beautiful? Is it easy and comfortable to get around by foot? Is it vibrant? Do you feel like you can never discover all there is to experience? If the answer to any of these questions is "Yes, without a doubt" then either the place is world-class, or it's on its way to being that way. If there are beaches and mountains nearby, so much the better.
Cities I would consider world-class:
Barcelona
Madrid
London
Paris
Rome
Amsterdam
Maybe San Francisco - gets points for the park and nearby beaches, but there are large uninteresting areas. Business district closes at night.
Maybe New York - I'm not sure because it's not very interesting to look at and it's laid out in a grid, but there are parts that have character.
Cities where I've never been, but have heard good things about:
Berlin
Budapest
Prague
Nice
Tokyo
Portland, Oregon, USA
Sevilla
Philadelphia
Napoli
Rio de Janiero
Buenos Aires
Bogotá
Mexico City
Cities that have been written much about, but I don't consider world-class:
Sydney
Chicago - too cold
Toronto - too cold
Brussels
Copenhagen
Los Angeles - can't walk anywhere, no metro system
So, what would it take to transform a city?
1. Enough of the occupants and city planners need to be open minded to keep the place dynamic, and thought provoking. These kind of places tend to have a strong university presence.
2. Mass transit needs to be abundant. Sidewalks should be wide, passageways should give preference to pedestrians instead of automobiles.
3. The architecture should be innovative, and I don't mean metal and mirrored glass. Examples of classic architecture should remain, sort of giving inspiration to the more modern ones. There should be laws against razing good works of art. There should be two names clearly visible at the entrance of each building: the designer and the builder. In the case that one or more of these is a corporation, the leader of the designing team and the name of the chairman of the board of directors would be the names on display. The public that lives within one kilometer would need to approve the plans in a referendum for any new building. Any blank concrete walls should be available to artists for murals. The designer and builders would split the cost.
4. The city should be comfortable to get around by foot, and should be interesting visually when walking around by foot. There should be auto-free zones, and the open areas should not function as parking lots primarily.
5. The open areas should have a central focus, like a scupture or fountain. The artist should be forced to have his or her name displayed in the plaza.
6. The city should have a strong presence of publishers, not only for newpapers but books and magazines as well.
7. Strongly enforced tow-away and dog poop laws. Neighbors would be deputized, and the first to call in an offense would get a quarter of the fine money.
8. Mixed use: There should not be buildings or areas used solely as corporate office areas. 70% of the building space should be residential. If Washington, D.C. would pass a law like this, it could become world class.
9. Art on the street, not only indoors. The city should be welcoming to all sorts of artists, not only the ones that are already famous. There should be an abundance of opportunities for construction of sculptures, fountains, and murals. All public infrastructure should include room for artists. For example, when a new street is put in, why do they need to make the light posts so boring, like a cement, wooden, or metal pole with a light at the top, when artists could design something beautiful and functional?
10. Empty lots should be turned over for public gardens until plans are approved for new building.
11. Anti-social conduction of an automobile should be heavily punished. Same commission to the public as in 7. above. Anti-social driving includes running over zebra stripes when someone wants to cross, exceeding the posted speed limit, generally personally benefiting from antisocial behavior.
12. Building codes to mandate small square footage retail availability to create opportunities for small businesses and startups.
How does Alicante rank? Well, it has many things going for it, but plenty of room for improvement. There is plenty of mixed use, but mostly close to the city center. There are vias that intersect the city that are designed around the individual and not the automobile. There are some great fountains and scuptures, and plenty of interesting architecture. There is a beach, a good bus system, and a metro-like tram system being built. There are two real jazz clubs with regular jam sessions, and a beach, and plenty of coastline accessible by tram. The central market and mercadillos offer space to small-scale businesses and provide opportunities to the public for great tasting fresh food and interesting low-priced shopping.
The drawbacks are lack of enforcement of automobile laws, dog poop on the sidewalks, and letting construction companies build whatever kind of building they like to build.
In summary, with a proper governmental focus, it could be an incredible place to live, because most of the basics already exist. But realistically, it will never be a Barcelona because most of its growth happened in the last 20 years and retrofitting good architecture is very difficult. Maybe if they limited further new building and upped the quality of the building codes for renovations.
Cities I would consider world-class:
Barcelona
Madrid
London
Paris
Rome
Amsterdam
Maybe San Francisco - gets points for the park and nearby beaches, but there are large uninteresting areas. Business district closes at night.
Maybe New York - I'm not sure because it's not very interesting to look at and it's laid out in a grid, but there are parts that have character.
Cities where I've never been, but have heard good things about:
Berlin
Budapest
Prague
Nice
Tokyo
Portland, Oregon, USA
Sevilla
Philadelphia
Napoli
Rio de Janiero
Buenos Aires
Bogotá
Mexico City
Cities that have been written much about, but I don't consider world-class:
Sydney
Chicago - too cold
Toronto - too cold
Brussels
Copenhagen
Los Angeles - can't walk anywhere, no metro system
So, what would it take to transform a city?
1. Enough of the occupants and city planners need to be open minded to keep the place dynamic, and thought provoking. These kind of places tend to have a strong university presence.
2. Mass transit needs to be abundant. Sidewalks should be wide, passageways should give preference to pedestrians instead of automobiles.
3. The architecture should be innovative, and I don't mean metal and mirrored glass. Examples of classic architecture should remain, sort of giving inspiration to the more modern ones. There should be laws against razing good works of art. There should be two names clearly visible at the entrance of each building: the designer and the builder. In the case that one or more of these is a corporation, the leader of the designing team and the name of the chairman of the board of directors would be the names on display. The public that lives within one kilometer would need to approve the plans in a referendum for any new building. Any blank concrete walls should be available to artists for murals. The designer and builders would split the cost.
4. The city should be comfortable to get around by foot, and should be interesting visually when walking around by foot. There should be auto-free zones, and the open areas should not function as parking lots primarily.
5. The open areas should have a central focus, like a scupture or fountain. The artist should be forced to have his or her name displayed in the plaza.
6. The city should have a strong presence of publishers, not only for newpapers but books and magazines as well.
7. Strongly enforced tow-away and dog poop laws. Neighbors would be deputized, and the first to call in an offense would get a quarter of the fine money.
8. Mixed use: There should not be buildings or areas used solely as corporate office areas. 70% of the building space should be residential. If Washington, D.C. would pass a law like this, it could become world class.
9. Art on the street, not only indoors. The city should be welcoming to all sorts of artists, not only the ones that are already famous. There should be an abundance of opportunities for construction of sculptures, fountains, and murals. All public infrastructure should include room for artists. For example, when a new street is put in, why do they need to make the light posts so boring, like a cement, wooden, or metal pole with a light at the top, when artists could design something beautiful and functional?
10. Empty lots should be turned over for public gardens until plans are approved for new building.
11. Anti-social conduction of an automobile should be heavily punished. Same commission to the public as in 7. above. Anti-social driving includes running over zebra stripes when someone wants to cross, exceeding the posted speed limit, generally personally benefiting from antisocial behavior.
12. Building codes to mandate small square footage retail availability to create opportunities for small businesses and startups.
How does Alicante rank? Well, it has many things going for it, but plenty of room for improvement. There is plenty of mixed use, but mostly close to the city center. There are vias that intersect the city that are designed around the individual and not the automobile. There are some great fountains and scuptures, and plenty of interesting architecture. There is a beach, a good bus system, and a metro-like tram system being built. There are two real jazz clubs with regular jam sessions, and a beach, and plenty of coastline accessible by tram. The central market and mercadillos offer space to small-scale businesses and provide opportunities to the public for great tasting fresh food and interesting low-priced shopping.
The drawbacks are lack of enforcement of automobile laws, dog poop on the sidewalks, and letting construction companies build whatever kind of building they like to build.
In summary, with a proper governmental focus, it could be an incredible place to live, because most of the basics already exist. But realistically, it will never be a Barcelona because most of its growth happened in the last 20 years and retrofitting good architecture is very difficult. Maybe if they limited further new building and upped the quality of the building codes for renovations.
posted by Odysseus at 7:57 AM
4 comments
