Today, we are living in 2021. We have passed a world pandemic, political disputes, lots of forest fires, etc. So, now it’s pretty clear that we have done enough loss. But still, we are not done yet. Well, every one of us has heard that we need to save the environment but, are we saving the environment??
This is indeed a very tricky question. The population is still increasing with the exploitation of nature and a lot more things. And after this also we are saying to ourselves that we are saving nature. Today we have built cities with tall buildings and cars are romping around, reducing our walking miles in short. We are now developed.
But, are we?? Or have we lost our identity? Admit it or not, the way we build our cities is the way we represent our community and culture. Our cities are the manifestation of our minds. Isn’t it true that how we live defines how we are! Architecture plays a very important role in our lives. The way we built our area is the way we live in it. For example, if a room has bad lighting and is very dark and dingy all the time, we humans will adjust ourselves in that dark place, and we will not break the wall for cut-out. So, the way it was built will be the way we live. Now this was about a small unit, but what about a large place or the whole city. Just imagine units like these are used in the whole city. That would be a very bad place!
In this TED talk, Peter Calthorpe explains how a city should be built. A city that doesn’t isolate people, a city that doesn’t segregate them, a city that doesn’t separate them. His vision of creating a better living place is properly described here.
Nowadays, we live in buildings that touch the sky. There are more than a thousand people living together, but the fun fact is that none of them are aware of each other. It’s like living like the dead with no interaction. And this is wrong not only because of isolation, separation, and segregation, but also, we are losing our culture as well as ourselves.
In the video, Calthorpe explains the problems all the cities face with real-life examples, along with providing solutions to those problems. His talk shows his vision of improving the function of the city by adding mixed-used areas and making it a walkable city. He presents the basic human behavior and the need, which we desire, but don’t get as we are modernizing. He talks about the unseen problems in cities like California, LA, and China with solutions.
Honestly, the problem and the solutions that are mentioned in the video are very common and known by all of us, yet we ignore it all the time. Some basic changes in the design can do wonders not only in a unit or in one part, but the whole city. These changes are important and are required. If young architects design the areas keeping these points in mind, we will be able to live in a better place and in a better way. And yes, a design must be done keeping in mind the needs. A design is only considered the best when it allows people to dream and not compromise them due to it.
In total, the video is very informative as it tells us about the new implementations used by different cities for a better future, as well as the vision of Peter Calthorpe to form a city that is collective and united in all. His idea of creating a space that will remove the barrier between nature and mankind is really impressive. The best part of the talk is that he showed how the world could be a better place by very simple and effective measures. The interesting part is that not only architects or people related to architecture can understand the importance of these measures, but also common people can create an understanding and implement these in daily life. This talk is not only for the architectural community, but is for the whole world.
Every day we are building massive structures, and these structures are taking away our humanity. Hence it is indeed required that we build a community that brings us together, and when we are talking together, we are talking about everyone, and all the flora and fauna around us.
