[notes on a real imaginary place]

I suppose I'm naturally drawn to places that make my imagination go wild. So when I turn to my design board, this is one of those little corners in my mind where I turn for inspiration. Some images from and adventure in Oman where surreal trumps mundane...

Before descending into this rich oasis... 

[notes on designing for imagination]

I often ask myself what the role of a designer is these days. A page in my sketchbook emerged weeks ago that I can't shake. Here, unedited: 


A DESIGN MANIFESTO for IMAGINATION:


How to make, as a designer,
The gnarled forests or jungles of our imaginations + childhoods
the irregularities of a place that elevate it from the profane and the mundane
The imperfect, the unexpected
The mysterious
places of illusion and imagination that we all yearn to one day return to?
Places of fog and unclear edges that we go to in our darkest moments to clear us
of vanity and doubt.


How to design
not for the masses with predictable yearnings or predictable desires
but for the imaginations of the greatest dreamers?


Not systematically or rationally,
--leave that to engineers, financiers, economists, and strategists--
but to design whimsically and with passion
to illuminate the ideal inspirations of our dreams, our dreamers
and thus raise the expectations
of perhaps a few,
hopefully the masses
for a life even just a little less mundane
less hectic
with more laughter
more gratitude
more soul.




A few landscapes of my imagination:

What are your landscapes of imagination? Where do you go in your imagination, and can it ever be re-created? Is it real? 

[notes from an urban beach, stockholm]

How many large cities can you think of where you've been able to swim in (and drink from) a truly clean, open, fresh body of water in city limits? Aside from risking it in filthy French canals in my naive youth, I've found few. Exception: Stockholm. Where summer days blend into summer nights, bikes are king, and forward-thinking urban design has redefined how cities can look + act. (Listen up, America!) 2 swimming-biking adventures stand out: the north end of Djurgården (one of the 4 main islands) and Brunnsviken Beach (bathing suits optional). Swimming spots in the city within minutes of the city center abound. Imagine swimming carefree in Central Park's reservoir. Or the Thames. Design Tips below for details. 

Sweden's archipelago is a vast and dense array of islands. Örskär is one of thousands to enjoy more of Sweden's pristine water, midnight sun, and the company of good friends. Thanks to my good friends Patrik and Manjari Ringstroem for opening my eyes to this magical place.

[design tips]
It is possible for most urban cities to have clean water for swimming and drinking. Landscape architects are trying to reverse common knowledge + design practices to see and use water in cities it for what it is: an invaluable resource. 


A few basic terms and facts:


1. Rain in cities in referred to stormwater. 
2. How it's dealt with (or ignored) is stormwater management. 
3. Most municipalities view stormwater management as one of their biggest headaches, adopting ways to move it out of city limits and sight ASAP. This has led to some of the most destructive flooding and water pollution our world has ever seen.




[why urban water is polluted: pavement, no clean dirt]
As cities grow, so do buildings, parking lots, + streets. Available dirt for rain to soak into and the number of absorptive plants shrink. Millions of gallons of water pour into street drains and rivers; collecting car juices, trash, and junk as it races across pavement. What water is collected in the drains often connects with sewage pipes, and when treatment plants are at capacity, all of it (shit and all) goes, you've got it, straight to our potential swimming holes. Gross.   

Nice hiding job, Providence! A combined sewage - rainwater pipe in my local river. The official ranking system ranks this river as unsafe for people to even touch.

[how to make our cities' swim-able]

There are many ways of treating water naturally. Nature will always deal better with water than people or technology. Instead of drains + pipes, it's best to create areas where water can filter through the ground, be stored in tiny pores, and feed trees + plants. This reduces urban flooding; replenishes our quickly-diminishing aquifers, groundwater supply, + rivers; reduces the tax burden of water treatment; + leaves us with cleaner water in our cities. For us to drink + skinny dip.

Rain gardens, stormwater street planters, planted swales/ditches, wetlands, planted detention basisn, green roofs, + other areas for infiltration like parks and pervious pavements are critical for our health and our for cities'. 

Sidwell Friends School's educational campus by landscape architect Andropogon is one of the best examples of urban stormwater management (all images courtesy of Andropogon):

[notes from bebek, istanbul]

It was unusually cold and damp that fall morning in Bebek. Either the drizzle or Saturday morning hangovers emptied the streets in this seaside village adjacent to Istanbul. The Bosphorus had become sublime overnight: its history of eternal conquests were somehow exposed, naked under this blanket of fog. Bundled in oiled canvas anoraks; seeking coffee, food, and color; we came to this bustling outdoor restaurant and found them all. A bright yellow canopy illuminated the dreary scene. We were all actors of ourselves that morning, transported to a secret set in an imaginary world, separate from the mundane grey scene around us.

[design tips]

Most architects and designers aren't taught color theory. No longer educated in principles of color, light, and texture as our Renaissance and Beaux Arts predecessors were, most architects shy away from color. Even at RISD--one of the best art + design schools in the country--my education in it has been limited to the painting department. Some of our greatest tools, color and light have the power to transform space. 

Gareth Doherty, a professor in landscape architecture at Harvard, wrote of a color phenomenon that took hold recently in his home village in Ireland. He tells of his grandfather bucking grey and white house paint convention because of an incredible steal on hot pink paint at the hardware store. What started as a move in frugality and uncaring colorblindness turned into an complete change in the character and identity of a place.

Urbanisms of Color by Gareth Doherty