I
will be joining others on a workshop that will be part of the Makeover
Montgomery 2 | Moving Forward Montgomery Conference May 8-10. The workshop is
titled “Civic Buildings, Civic Amenities” and will be on Saturday, May 10th
8:30 a.m. in the Silver Spring Civic Building.
For
more info on the Conference:
MAY 8-10
Makeover Montgomery 2 |
Moving Forward Montgomery - May 8-10
Registration Now Open
Following the success of
the original Makeover Montgomery conference in 2011, the National Center for
Smart Growth Research and Education, the Montgomery County Planning Department
and the Urban Studies and Planning Program at the University of Maryland have
joined forces again to host Makeover Montgomery 2 | Moving Forward Montgomery
(MM2). The three-day event is happening May 8-10, 2014 and is open to
residents, business owners and anyone with an interest in moving their
community forward. More info HERE. Register now HERE.
The
description of the workshop in which I will be participating (“Civic Buildings,
Civic Amenities”) is as follows:
Civic Buildings. Civic Amenities.
As the paradigm
switches from suburban to urban and the landscape around transit centers
changes from low-density to a mixed-use hub of activity and development,
what are the challenges facing civic buildings
and amenities?
How do governments cope with the change in
demands and provide essential civic spaces such as libraries and schools? This session will explore the redevelopment of the Silver Spring
Library in coordination with the Purple Line, the partnership created to
provide additional affordable housing in a transit district, as well as
impediments to compact, efficient urban schools (and the challenges that occur
when siting them).
In preparing my
remarks, I am reaching out to others that might want to chime in… (Think of it
as an effort to kind of ‘crowdsource’ the content.)
Here are my ‘emerging’
thoughts… I welcome yours either as a comment on this blog or as an e-mail to Reemberto.Rodriguez@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov
EMERGING OUTLINE /
COMMENTS:
[in a hyper graphic and visual world, I wonder if we’ve lost the power
of the word… While a picture may be worth a thousand words, a phrase can
sometimes best focus the picture.]
It is the people that make the place.
Public facilities and
public spaces (i.e. “civic buildings, civic amenities”) are
·
Public assets to build
community
·
Places where people
connect
Spaces where people from all walks of life can
bump into each other and spark community in unexpected, vibrant, and thriving
ways that we as “professionals” can’t imagine, plan for, design, or program.
Points of this
presentation:
Introduction
[1] Begin with a critique of the current state of affairs
[2] Offer an example of what is possible (Veterans Plaza)
[3] Suggest a parading shift
Concluding thoughts
[1] CRITIQUE OF THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS
Sometimes planning and
design:
· Inhibits more than innovates
· Prescribes more than placemakes
Programming top down can:
· Segregate more than integrate
· Succeed formally while failing informally
Planning alone a place does not make
Design alone a place does not make
Programming alone a place does not make
Planning + Design +
Programming = Placemaking
Considering:
· The usual suspects and the unusual participants
· Those there by choice and those there by chance
· Regulars, Occasionals, and Passer-bys
AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE: VETERANS PLAZA
(No, we did not sit down and strategically chart this out. It was not a
linear process. It was not so much planning and engineering as placemaking and
engaging… Lots of it was necessitated by a changing public fiscal environment.
We were dealing with a space conceptualized, designed and built in a time of
prosperity; and now we had to manage it in a time of austerity. … In
retrospect, we were led by certain values that got traction and seemed to be
accepted and adapted by consensus, if not in the protocol of codes, certainly
in the ambiguous and hard to pin down ‘cultural norm’.)
Emerging ‘cultural
norms’ for Veterans Plaza’s “success”:
2. Engage, include, and welcome the broad spectrum of community members
3. Affirm diversity of uses and users
4. Don’t be afraid to experiment, pilot, innovate
5. Celebrate children and family
6. Ensure safety and security
7. Communicate “Do’s”, not just “Don’ts”
8. Be fiscally responsible
9. Pay attention to ‘little things that matter a lot’
10. Others? (Emerging…)
A critical side – but
integral – note:
·
The role of
participatory performing art is key to successful civic buildings and public
amenities.... From face-painting to
flash-mobs to playback theater:
Art is life. Life is
art.
PARADIGN SHIFT
Civic buildings and
public amenities are necessarily looked at through the prism of:
· Planning models
· Architectural renderings
populist play with audience participation
where:
CONCLUSION
We can help set the
table, suggest ingredients for the meal, even bring samples of what tastes
great:
But ultimately: It is the people that make the
place.
Our County Executive Ike Leggett often says
that our community is not a melting pot.
Rather, we are ‘gumbo’: Where everyone comes
together yet keeps their own flavor, joined by the roux, that special
ingredient that binds us to a common cause, to a common purpose.
·
So, as we dialogue about civic building and
civic amenities, I invite us to embrace indigenous, organic – dare we say - chaotic
placemaking
Let it happen. Let it
breathe. Let it come alive. Don’t over plan, design or program. Trust the users
and uses. Unleash creativity and innovation. Amend, bend, and revise as
necessary. Be humble. Ask. Engage. Embrace.
Ultimately: It is the people that make the
place.
NOTE: the presentation will be a PowerPoint with graphics and pictures... You can see it at this link >
http://issuu.com/reembertorodriguez/docs/civic_buildings_civic_amenities
http://issuu.com/reembertorodriguez/docs/civic_buildings_civic_amenities
