click to enlarge
Urban planning - as far as I understood - is about
control over space. About making decisions on what to build
and how, what to grow and to let grow. About power and
tolerance. Economic utilization of space. Private property
and public space, no difference.
There was one block in downtown Chicago, lacking
any building for 16 years (plants were not accepted either).
"Block 37". Believe it was owned by the city that sold it
short time ago to investors to build
more office space, condos and hotel rooms.
It could have been a small park instead. A beautiful one,
home of trees, colorful flowers, bugs and bees.
I wonder how NYC managed to keep its famous park.
After reunification some East Berlin main streets
where remodeled. Got upscale shops, much traffic, no trees.
Though trees are so common here that I think they form a group
of residents, besides people and dogs, of course.
Trees tell us urbanites about the seasons, who else should do this?
I would like to oppose this idea of control for a while by focusing on
the secret life of plants (which is a title of a record from the 80's).
It's plants out of our control or within a secret agreement of mutual
tolerance. They know that we can get really serious in
eliminating them, we know we can't win in the long term.
Take a look at the urban green in Berlin.
(to be continued)
