Architects, Planners, and Character of Place

Architects usually pay careful attention to the landscape, the physical site for which they are designing a building. Sustainability in architecture requires that buildings be fitted to their climate, orientation to sun, wind, and other elements, and surrounding buildings, streets, and infrastructure, as the context in which a new building will exist. Architects are less likely to pay attention to the cultural setting, unless the setting is exotic or there is some larger program that brings culture into focus. Given the extraordinary creativity with which many architects respond to the constraints of program and context, it is likely that understanding how what they are building fits with the personality of a place would inspire them to even greater achievements.

Planners probably come closer to dealing with places as a whole than most other professionals. They often reach out for community involvement, which may bring the emotional connection of people to the place into play. And they are determined to be holistic in their approach, taking into account everything that might be in any way relevant. It may be difficult to convince them to go the rest of the way and try to understand the personality of a place, for two reasons. First, it would come very early in their process, as part of assessing the context for planning, and its usefulness might not be immediately apparent at that stage. And later, when the planning process is further along, the planning may focus so tightly on important and very specific variables that more general considerations drift into the background.

But planning sometimes fits perfectly into the character of a place. The wonderfully successful High Line park in New York City evolved from a place in a natural process. First urban explorers (some from the neighborhoods around the abandoned elevated railway) discovered it, and the hardy plants that had seeded themselves there. A “friends” group was formed in 1999 and five years later the park became an official plan. Connection to the spirit of a place, which in that case happened naturally and was adopted by sensitive planners, could become a deliberate part of the planner’s process, with highly beneficial results.

Better Lives in Better Places: Articles About Place