Reflection - The Public City

Citizen participation, public space and diversity

Being introduced to the course of Social Policies and the Urban Fabric interesting aspects and
paradoxes immediately emerged. Newer ideas of the city as both the source of and the solution to
the adverse environmental impact are an interesting and important development. The aspect of
the planed city versus the lived city too brings up controversy. No matter how much programming,
blue printing and top down planning is done unintended use will always occur. Neither top down or
bottom up planning can stand alone in the development of the livable city - the approaches have to
support and complement each other.
In line with this theme we were presented to the author, journalist and activist, Jane Jacobs.
Introduced to us as the queen of the livable and just city, with her description of the side walk ballet
apparently studied from the window of her New York apartment. The right to the city and the just
city is opened up with David Harvey and his movement of taking back the city and Susan Fainstein
who defines Amsterdam as an exemplary just city. With this a whole new world theoreticians and
specialists is opened up to me.
When learning about Amsterdam in both a past,
present and future scope, a boat tour had been
arranged. Indeed an utmost relevant way to
experience and study the city of Amsterdam. The
area of Borneo-Sporenburg has been printed into
my mind. A small and unique area at the bay where
people have been allowed to design and construct
their own house. Almost every living room had a
backdoor out to the waterside where most
households private small dinghies laying off the
quay. In my opinion an inspirational place indeed.
The topics of the week have all build upon the theme
of the Public City. This of course entails city layout as
addressed in short above but also, and maybe more
importantly, the politics and social policies governing
within areas. Laurens de Graaf invited us to understand
democracy of urban places by describing stories of
citizen participation and initiatives. Important questions
as What does people characterize as democracy? and
What is the real meaning of equality? was raised and we
learned of the C.L.E.A.R model where the can and like to has
to come from the citizens themselves.
In defining and learning how to study the public space we were presented to Lyn Lofland,
with his theory that a city has to be e.g. walkable and compact in able to work. Talking about the
liveable city we had the lecture of planning and governing urban diversity. The most important
aspect I bring with me from this lecture is the understanding of precautions that have to be made
when dealing with the aspect of multiculturalism. Many initiatives may be raised under this banner,
but without the newer understanding of super- and hyberdiversity many measures might be hollow
or go down the drain.
Digging into the RapidLab of the Marineterrain a socio aspect was clearly illustrated in
studying the surrounding neighborhood. It will be exceedingly important to have the average
persona of the neighborhood in mind as our thoughts and ideas start to build into concepts. In
conclusion an introduction to the public city that has been utmost educational and given rise to
several important and interesting thoughts that now linger.