WE BUILT THIS CITY

In my overwhelming contempt for suburbia, I sometimes forget how cool it can be to be a young child there.

HEY GIRL

BEFORE THE CARS

Yesterday, the bus gave up on getting us into the city centre and instead dumped us right outside of it. Nairobi is full of traffic and congestion, probably because of all the people driving in their of own cars instead of using public transport, and the fact that the CBD (the tall buildings in the background) has almost no apartments, so people who work there have to spend a lot of time travelling there and back again every day.

Anyway.

When we arrived, we saw that many people were walking towards and on this bridge. There were people selling fruit, and clothes, playing music, chatting, burning things (they seem to have an affinity for burning things in this country) and looking bewildered. We decided to follow, and it turned out that this is a highway that's still being built. In between all the others, there were people in yellow helmets trying to finish it. There were huge cracks every 20th metre or so, which I guess explains why the cars haven't arrived yet. Actually, I'm even sure they should finish it. Research shows that expanding roads only leads to more people using their cars, so that capacity doesn't really increase. Maybe it would be better to keep the life and the people, use it as a new urban space and build some houses and workshops or something on and under it?

LOVE AND SLATE

I found this outside the Deichman library the other day while looking at poplars with my sister. I guess there's someone out there who really loves slate. Or maybe it's just a happy person.

MRS. JACOBS AND THE CAT IN THE WINDOW

“There must be eyes on the street, eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the street. The buildings on a street equipped to handle strangers and to insure the safety of both residents and strangers, must be oriented to the street.  They cannot turn their backs or blank sides on it and leave it blind.  The sidewalk must have users on it fairly continuously, both to add to the number of effective eyes on the street and to induce a sufficient number of people in buildings along the street to watch the sidewalks.“

- Jane Jacobs in one of the most important books about city planning, 'The Death and Life of Great American Cities'

Does this work with cats as well?

BIKE LANES

Bike lanes are important in the city. They provide a system of very healthy and effective transportation, and provide a non-polluting. space-saving alternative to cars. This what happens when they're not being taken care of:

CHILDREN IN THE CITY

"I can never imagine it's good for a child grow up in the city."

Never say never. Walking home from school today I met a six year old or so girl who was beatboxing while carrying a branch of cherry blossoms, probably picked off one of the strees in our street. I can't know for sure, but she seemed cool enough.

THE WAY WE LIVE (IN NORWAY, TOO)

Roofscape in Prague, picture by yours truly

I just stumbled upon this video on Youtube, and I rather liked it. Supporters of intelligent urbanism, Peter Calthorpe, Leon Krier, Michael Lykoudis, Jacquelin Robertson, Demetri Porphyrios & Robert Adam explain their views on what citites are today, and what they should be. All these guys like very traditional-looking buildings, and the video is perhaps a bit too focused on American cities, but the message is universal. Have a look.

2011

Dear world,

watch out. One day I'll put my mark on you.

CARROTS AND RABBITS

Another piece of street art, depicting a carrot, I suppose. I found it drawn on a pretty sandstone wall in Oxford in February 2009. I don't believe charcoal on sandstone is a very common mix of materials, but it works. Please note the beautiful craft of the surface and masonry of the stone wall. Why the carrot is (or was) there, I have no idea, but I like it.

By the way, I can recommend Oxford to all Romanticists out there. It's a place with a very strange mood, where you expect unusual things to happen at any moment. I never saw a White Rabbit with a watch and a waistcoat there, but I had the feeling that it was just around the corner most of the time.

GUERILLA GARDENING AGAIN

Another form of guerilla gardening, I suppose. The artist is Dolk. Speaking of guerilla gardening, I think we'll be planting bulbs around the city quite soon. Let me know if you'd like to join.

HAPPY

Don't you wish you were as happy as these guys? (I found this poster outside a bank not too far from where I live, but the artistic addition isn't mine.)