High Line takes a hit

It is very exciting to have Robert Hammond here in October for the Thriving Neighbourhoods conference. But there is a debate around some of the unintended consequences (though I am not sure that they have been well-articulated in this passage from Sahra Mirbabaee of the Sustainable Cities Collective):

The High Line has been a catalyst for gentrification that, according to Neil Smith, "is no longer about a narrow and quixotic oddity in the housing market but has become the leading residential edge of a much larger endeavor: the class remake of the central urban landscape." The project exudes a "cool" image of feigned neglect, despite the troubling irony in this aesthetic. Commodifying ostensibly lower-class spaces for supposedly higher classes is both patronizing and divisive. Liz Diller, one of the lead architects for the High Line, joked that "the great success [of the project] has been introducing New Yorkers to doing nothing." This comment rests on a key oversight: Not everyone earns enough from their work to afford even a few hours of "doing nothing" at the High Line. And would crowds of people without disposable income be welcome in a neighborhood increasingly structured around spending money? Some experience a sense of not belonging there, as one visitor remarked: "I felt like I was in the home of a neatnik with expensive tastes, afraid I would soil the furnishings."

It will be interesting to explore the High Line model within issues of gentrification and the cost of housing in October...

Alleys - a neighbourhood mechanism

A traditional hutong in Beijing. Image courtesy flickr user tsc_traveler.

Melbourne - where I live - is well-known for its alleys and the creative uses that they have been put to. This is a great approach from a non-profit in the USA (read more here):

Most alleys had simple utilitarian origins as ways to access buildings with goods and vehicles — especially where a socially decorous street frontage was desired. Commercial blocks in older American cities are often bisected by alleys. In Los Angeles, many retail streets have alleys for service and parking immediately behind the stores, with larger residential blocks behind. Residential alleys serve townhouse districts in Boston’s Back Bay and much of Washington, D.C., (but not New York). In Venice Beach, alleys make canals and “walk-streets” possible.Beijing’s hutong and Shanghai’s longtang alleys are the basis of the traditional residential fabric. These narrow lanes host a rich mixture of local functions, including access to the modular courtyard houses they serve. The explosive growth of Chinese cities has made these districts and their way of life something of an endangered species despite belated efforts at preservation.

Connecting energy and neighbourhoods

More from Rachel Armstead's paper for ICLEI....

Connecting Energy

The ICLEI Thriving neighbourhoods programme framework is based around 5 pillars.

The first is Leadership and Governance which addresses how the capacity of the local community, industry and government can be developed enabling them to take a leading role in driving the sustainability and vibrancy of their local area. The second pillar is Innovation which focuses on harnessing the creativity and ingenuity of a neighbourhood to make use of and develop innovative solutions, technologies and organisational structures. The third is Environmental Imperatives which centres on the management of climate change, natural systems and conservation. The fourth pillar is Economic Needs which addresses the productivity of the neighbourhood, the availability of jobs and businesses and people aspirations. The fifth and final pillar is Social Needs which is focused on social participation and equity, cultural richness and people’s sense of health and wellbeing.

We can approach community energy as one pathway towards the development of thriving neighbourhoods. Energy and community energy in particular possess certain characteristics which make it especially potent as a thriving neighbourhood development tool. The following outlines how community energy can contribute to the five pillars of thriving neighbourhoods.