Rules of Engagement

When the future of design is discussed, on any scale, sustainable directions point to the densification of cities, preservation of rural farmland and an uncertain fate of the suburbs. Many cities, especially those with significant mass transit options, are experiencing an increase in population. Primarily young adults and those whose children no longer live at home are taking advantage of urban cultural, social and economic opportunities. The parents of school-age children are less likely to live in a city because urban public schools are often sub-standard. Public school systems that have Boards of Education with the children’s education as their top priority (as opposed to serving as a jobs program) will eventually provide the quality of education necessary for all people to want to live in the city.

In the mid-twentieth century, zoning regulations and building codes were written with strict guidelines addressing over-crowded tenement slums located near industrial and manufacturing factories. Now that the United States has evolved from a producer of goods to a provider of services, codes are being revised to embrace mixed-use development. While in the past it was healthier to separate commercial enterprises that produced toxic air and water from housing, now the ideal is to have “clean” businesses, high-end shopping and dining, exciting cultural activities, lovely parks, great schools and enriching after-school programs all within a “magic mile” - a 15 minute walk of each other. Public spaces are safe and fun; public transportation is inexpensive, quick and reliable; and cars are used for pleasure touring and not facilitating the agonizing multi-hour daily commute suffered by so many today.

What do designers have to do to make this happen? Building codes protect dwelling units from spreading fires, and the justice system upholds expectations of safety. Health care advances have reduced the fear of diseases from impure water and poor sanitation; however, protections of public health and safety are not enough. Welfare is the third aspect of the design triad for which architects are trained and people expect from what is built. But public welfare is hard to define and even harder to insure. What makes a city vital and interesting?

Public park design offers a hint. Early public parks were first royal gardens that were opened occasionally to the public, but only if they were properly dressed and behaved well. Just as train travel needed conductors to monitor the passengers’ conduct, public parks had people, now signs, to enforce rules to everyone’s benefit. Active recreation – sports fields, boating and playgrounds – were separated from areas for passive activities – people watching, listening to live music and strolling through gardens. For people to live in dense cities, architects will need to design buildings for acoustic and visual privacy. This will change the city from a place to plunder and then escape, to a place of contribution and consideration for people of many economic levels. The more diverse, the better, so long as the rules of engagement respect the health, safety and welfare of urban dwellers.

San Antonio's River Walk

Many cities were built on rivers. The waterfronts serviced industry and transportation as it was usually easier to build a private boat than a public road. For centuries, rivers were also used to flush waste gradually polluting the waters. Fortunately manufacturing has decreased and the public appreciation of urban waterfronts has increased slowly improving water quality. As cities grew, internal waterways were usually buried so that development could spread undeterred. Because subsurface waterways do not disappear just because they are unseen, many buildings built over them have basements that require constant pumping.

San Antonio has a river running through it. To control flooding, in 1939 the EPA built flood gates, the Olmos dam and channelized part of the river. In 1962, two miles were improved using local limestone making it cleaner and safer. Since then, its length has expanded to five miles with extensions under way for a northern Museum Reach and a southern Mission Reach. Along the walk are waterfalls, an amphitheater and other places for gathering. Hotels, apartment and office buildings open directing onto it, and restaurants commandeer space for sidewalk cafes. A convention center and Rivercenter Mall anchor an extension. The historic district called La Villita has preserved mid-nineteenth century cottages used by local artists. Tour boats holding 40 occupants paying $15 apiece motor along only a few minutes apart. Needless to say, this destination is a magnet for tourists and boasts that it is the biggest attraction in Texas. Is this a prime example of a possible response to the Walmart effect that has decimated so many town centers with further threats by online shopping limiting urban street life to patronizing Starbucks? Is this destination the public place of the future?

If so, then the “Rules of Common Courtesy” that list prohibited activities in the Mall area will come to define proper urban behavior. Noting concern for public safety and comfort, smoking, obstructing customer traffic, possessing or consuming drugs or alcoholic beverages (except in licensed restaurants), disorderly or disruptive conduct, pets, unlicensed (street vendor) sales, skateboarding, bicycling although you can bike there, and possession of illegal firearms although in Texas it’s hard to know what that exactly means is not tolerated. People must wear shoes and shirts, and wearing clothes with vulgar, obscene or sexually explicit language is forbidden. People stroll, shop, eat and watch each other. About 20 activities such as craft fairs, culinary tastings and water races are held annually. While people have always come to cities for economic opportunity, they get the city they make.

New urban mixed-use development labeled “Work, Live, Play” market the advantages of dense urban living. Even though most of River Walk does not have a Disney-like appearance of newness and homogeneity because it has taken over fifty years to develop, it’s still a place of spectacle. One look at the declining areas beyond the River Walk District in San Antonio shows what can only be described as the new Walmart effect.