Break the bad news bubble (Part 2) | Angus Hervey
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It's time for our periodic update of good news from Angus Hervey, founder
of Fix the News, an independent publication that reports stories of global
progre...
The idea of turning Charlotte Street into a green (or a woonerf green) is a response from a series of Christopher Alexander's ideas. Ideas which I think are so compelling that I’m going to summarise them here – (for more information follow the links).
Excuse the male pronoun – the book was written in the 70’s, his ideas might not date, but modes of expression do.
Pattern 59: Quiet Backs
People in busy environments “needs to be able to pause and refresh himself with quiet in a more natural situation".
So we should “give the buildings in the busy parts of town a quiet "back" behind them and away from the noise. Build a walk along this quiet back, and connect it up with other walks, to form a long ribbon of quiet alleyways which converge on the local pools and streams and the local greens”.
Pattern 64: Pools and Streams
“We came from the water; our bodies are largely water; and water plays a fundamental roles in our psychology. We need constant access to water...but everywhere in cities water is out of reach.”
“Whenever possible, collect rainwater in open gutters and allow it to flow above ground, along pedestrian paths and in front of houses.”
Pattern 60: Accessible Green
“People need green open places to go to; when they are close they use them. But if the greens are more than three minutes away, the distance overwhelms the need.”
“If you are planting trees, plant them according to their nature, to form enclosures, avenues, squares, groves and single spreading trees toward the middle of open spaces. And shape the nearby buildings in response to trees, so that the trees themselves, and the trees and buildings together, form places which people can use.”
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