Walking

Studying Urban Planning, I have a whole different kind of “research” when it comes to designing urban spaces. Walking around a city is sometimes the best, most raw, and most fun way of evaluating and visioning a current part of a city. It reminds me of the way authors read and re-read books–both their own and those that inspire them–to analyze the work from the way it will be experienced. When planners plan using just maps, they’re planning for people who will be flying over the city in an airplane. The right perspective matters. Planning and urban design shouldn’t just focus on the big things like street layouts but should also address the smaller things like the façades of shops, or the shadows from trees and awnings. That is why walking, biking, driving, running around a city is so important to understanding the needs and the possible solutions.