The art of planning.

http://artstyleonline.com/tag/abstract-art/page/4/

Ask anyone what their favourite city is and you will have a multitude of answers. Examine these closely and you will most likely begin to discover a trend; they are cities which either have character, are well connected, embody a ‘vibe’, and are full of lovely people or evoke some kind of emotion. Indeed everyone will have their opinion because, like art, the distinguishing quality is subjective. So, if a city can be art, are urban planners the artists?

Reflecting on the role of an urban planner does not conjure romantic images of artistic talent nor insightful philosophy. Instead, we perceive someone who studies land use policies, development controls, government regulations and economic budgets. However, urban planners extend artistic merit beyond the realms of aesthetics. It could be argued that the ability to incorporate community participation amongst their surroundings in itself is art primarily due to the fact that it is neither rational nor reasonable. Similarly, transportation, public spaces and liveability, are all areas which command some insight in to the human psyche. But then again, are these simply slipping in to the realms of science?

It is no secret that science has an important undertone in planning decisions. It tells us where, what and how much we can build. It accelerates society through transitional phases of technological ingenuity. It improves our health, it changes our demographics, it connects us and it powers our homes. However, there is one fundamental building block that these feats all have in common: creativity. Indeed this is also the most important trait an urban planner can have in order to assist in society’s progression.

Although aesthetics do assist in a city's visual appeal, a truly successful city relies on the implementation of social cohesion and foresight. It would seem that art and science go hand in hand and due to the pluralist nature of the urban planner, it is nothing more than an advantage. 

Arguments for and against planners

Richard Klosterman’s 1985 article entitled ‘Arguments for and Against Planning’ paints an interesting picture of the state of urban planning in the 80’s. So much was the public despair with the profession that it was seen as an extension of the arm of control of government. Interestingly, liberation through neo libertarian market freedom was seen as the best option of tearing away the oppression of left wing leaders.

The 1980’s saw government direction from two liberal based global leaders; Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Both world leaders introduced sweeping economic reform focused on market de regulation and laissez-faire based policy. Considering the era, and change being experienced, it is no doubt that Klosterman would have been influenced by such events which may have led to his economic based arguments surrounding urban planning.

However, many of the arguments that Klosterman brings up have little relevance in today’s world but it is interesting to see how much society’s issues and, consequently, focus has changed since then.

The 1990s and 2000s saw an increasing global interest in to several global changes that have since required the use of urban planners; changes to social demographics, national security, transport infrastructure, renewable energies and globalisation have all accelerated at unprecedented levels. This has resulted in to ever increasing levels of government involvement and investment in to issues that the populous has been concerned with; all needing urban planners.

But undoubtedly, the biggest change that our society faces today is climate change. Government policy has shifted to ways to mitigate its effects which has been heavily reliant on urban planners; coastal sea level rise, increased risk of fire, drought and flood, increased adverse health effects, and effects on public transport have all been seen as immediate concerns with the future.

So it would seem that instead of thinking of arguments against urban planners we should be thinking of why there are not more of them. After all, they are now the ones that are protecting us against an uncertain future.

The blog is live

The first exercise of the week is to create a blog for future informative and thought provoking reflective responses on classic theory in planning.
We shall see how it goes!