Hello there neighbor! Well like anyone, I have been procrasticleaning for far too long (6 Months?) and am ready to begin something new. Last year’s journey from the source of the Connecticut River to Long Island Sound gave me the opportunity to see rural outposts, factory towns centered around mills, towns and cities of all sizes; A complete slice of New England. I enjoyed sharing my thoughts and photos with you all, while being able to set deadlines for each post. This gave the adventure structure that Ani and I appreciated. I found myself missing the outlet and decided to start a new blog! Above\Below will be an offshoot of An-John where I can share thoughts, responses, deep-dives, and photos with a defined focus on urban design. I will probably get off topic and inevitably discuss the finer points of brutalism, nearby cities, or a book I am reading, but all that will come later, and now a bit about myself!
Backstory:
I grew up in a first ring suburb of Worcester, Massachusetts. Millbury is not what we think of as suburbs today, but instead a dense, walkable community built on a river. Millbury was connected to the larger region by a streetcar system that became electrified in 1919. This network allowed residents to live in the burbs while commuting to Worcester’s various industries on foot, and kept communities limited to walking distance.
source digitalcommonwealth
The streetcars were gone by the time I was born, but I appreciated the fact that as a child I could bike to the town center and visit my grandparents. While these anecdotes might give the impression of an idyllic, well connected spot, it is not. In actuality my old neighborhood was an island completely surrounded by major highways which emit a constant rush that I pretended was a great waterfall cascading into the valley below.
We had an opinion on which way the wind should blow.
Current building patterns are spread out and only connected by stroads, forcing automobiles to be a prerequisite for participation in society. This is not acceptable. For families under a certain income, like ours was, monthly expenses associated with automobiles were crippling and only multiplied as each member needed their own transportation. Transportation cannot be an additional hardship on top of housing. For me, it meant that as my social life and extracurriculars grew, I always needed a ride. I would soon learn that other development patterns provide better alternatives to car-centric america.
source urban grids
When it was time to choose a college, I only looked at schools located within cities. While this idealistic, expensive choice plagues me to this day, I would not be the person I am without Northeastern University. Navigating Boston challenged every worldview that I formed in small-town America. My eyes were opened because I had never before felt so free and independent. I was free to walk, bike, take public transit; to go anywhere, anytime, without needing a ride, paying for gas, or asking permission. I could walk 15 minutes to meet my needs and not waste entire days or weekends driving to far-flung identical strip malls to complete chores.
Where would you rather do errands?
While studying architecture, I took a minor in urban studies. This taught me policies that shaped the urban fabric around us, affecting everyone in society. Cities grow organically based on the dominant form of transportation used within the city. European cities grew differently than US cities in part due to the dominance of the automobile in the US. I am grateful to have experienced this first hand by living in Berlin, New York, and Paris along with Boston.
source urban grids
People thrive and succeed in places from Paris to Boston because they are not shackled by auto dependency. I was fortunate to travel quite a bit while living in Europe, and not once did I have to worry about needing a car to get somewhere.
Besides, Reggie is terrible with maps
These iconic world cities represent ideal habitats for humans to thrive as a whole. Urban environments provide easy movement for all and meet basic needs, while weaving in a healthy dose of inspiration through nature corridors, museums, and cultural institutions.
I took this photo of the MFA Boston from my dorm room in college. Hard to ignore art when it is literally across the street! Once a month is free museum monday, and the line would eventually wrap the block. Shoutout to my awesome roomate!
My Master’s thesis was an exploration of the question, “What happens when a building contains enough residents to essentially function as a city?” To study this I focused on megastructures, the intersection of architecture and urban planning. Megastructures are vast sprawling buildings in which someone can live and work, and usually incorporate multiple forms of transportation. Examples of such structures are college campuses, underground malls, town centers, and aircraft carriers. I studied neighborhoods, the building blocks of cities, and effectively learned urban planning under the guise of architecture.
I later learned I was mainly accepted into the program based on this image, and not on my proposed field of study.
After graduating and during our outdoor adventures, I read books by Jane Jacobs and Jan Gehl that outline how cities should be by and for people. Upon returning from Long Island Sound with our big yellow canoe, the books I purchased coalesced around themes of urban design, planning, history of American city principles along with current trends in the field.
I have a weakness for books
Focus of Blog:
There are easy ways we can head toward a more sustainable, climate-change focused, equitable, less auto-dependent future. Currently 60% of our vehicle trips are under 6 miles but existing development patterns force our hands onto the steering wheel to get around. (Short Trips) Walking and cycling provide healthier alternatives to a population, allowing more options for more people, young and old. If we live in neighborhoods where we can easily get all our needs met with a 15 minute walk, the barrier to access is removed which is better for everyone. I hope to publish somewhat regularly on topics ranging from urban design, changes our places can make to better anticipate needs, and a climate focused future we need to strive for.
Name of Blog: Above\Below
Architecture teaches two different perspectives for 3D diagrams. “Birds-eye” is the aerial view and displays a perspective from ABOVE. It is prefered by masterplanners to translate a project to others. In contrast,“Worms-eye” is an underground view and displays a perspective from BELOW.
When a diagram requires that hand drawn touch
A worm’s eye diagram is closer to the view from the street and can be used to shape how users actually move through a space. Above\Below aims to reconcile masterplans and user experiences by providing evidence that planning and design should no longer be exclusively top-down. This blog will explore how our built environment shapes everything from individuals to the natural world.
Slogan: From the birds to the worms, and everyone in-between
Outro:
Well I did it! First post done! Hopefully I will show you some things you have not seen, and make you think about the places we live and stuff! Here are some topics I hope to cover!
-My Bibliography - Boring I know, but wowsers them books! I will update as we go.
-X Part Series on Commercial Street in Provincetown - A deepdive on Cape Cod’s Walkable Gem
-Urbanism in Covidtimes - How places adapted to our new normal
-Cities keep ditching parking minimums?! - Why should YOU care?
-Why is it so scary to bike to the beach here? - Short answer = Stroads.
-We can’t ALL have what we want, but we can share :)
-Immeubles Meubles
Maybe one of those got your attention? Maybe not! Who knows! I am not there with you.
Until Next Time,
~John Beckwith
