There is plenty of time to reflect on the various parties and their offerings in the run up to this year's Kiwi election. But with a H/T to a friend, here is something different. An article about Jane Jacobs and her take on city planning.
If politics is about the polis, or city, then how we organise our cities is, well, politics. And that is a lively question in Christchurch where I live, and in other cities, such as Auckland with its housing crisis and Wellington with its post-quake recognition that it has many damaged buildings. Getting city planning right is not easy and one thought I have is whether we have in NZ a sufficiently robust process of critical feedback about such planning. All too often we do things and then, a few years later, rip them up because things haven't worked out as planned.
Postscript: to be quite clear about one possible implication of linking to the above article: nothing is implied, by making the link, one way or t'other about what should happen to our Cathedral in the Square.
" Getting city planning right is not easy and one thought I have is whether we have in NZ a sufficiently robust process of critical feedback about such planning. All too often we do things and then, a few years later, rip them up because things haven't worked out as planned."
ReplyDeleteYou end up with design by committee, which never works, if you are not careful
This is why we see major IT projects fail, such as Novopay or the current 2 degrees debacle
Another problem we encounter are what might be called "political brainfarts" - The Island Bay cycleway fiasco is a classic example of that
You article mentions housing projects and slum clearance and the failures there
Ironically those things had their genesis in the Khrushchyovka of the Soviet Union and Eastern block - they of course were designed as a stop gap measure to rapidly provide housing for people in lands devastated by WW2 - in the West it was urban planners armed with bulldozers and wrecking balls , rather than tanks, artillery and bombers that created the destruction the housing projects replaced and they were not seen as temporary
The really successful designs for anything almost always have a person in charge, with a few skilled underlings to help him bring his vision to fruition
A classic example of this, the mini, one of the most influential car designs of all time brought to life by Sir Alexander Issigonis (Alec Issigonis) and two assistants
There might be a metaphor here for the Anglican Church and its current paralysis over the question of you know what and other matters besides
Hi Andrei
ReplyDeleteMostly committees are not good at such things but committees are part of life. For example, even a private development initiative will often have some kind of company Board giving a project the final go ahead or not.
Sometimes good things emerge, such as this plan for an exciting water park in the Chch red zone, http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/89864195/New-plans-submitted-for-red-zone-water-facility .
Even for that, however, I note that it is a second plan, much improved because of critique of the first plan.
"Even for that, however, I note that it is a second plan, much improved because of critique of the first plan."
ReplyDeleteIndeed Peter but it is what it is, a plan!
And will remain so until someone rolls up their sleeves and implements it or it is superseded by a new plan, another grand scheme
Committees are good at plans
I have a had brainwave why not forgo for lent any discussion of you know what?
ReplyDeleteAnd focus instead on what may be productive for our souls and the mission of the Church in this sad and fallen world
Easter coincides across Christendom this year, Lent began in the East on Monday and unless I'm mistaken began today in the West
An opportunity presents for Christian witness
I am going to take up your challenge, Andrei, starting with tomorrow's post!
ReplyDelete