Life between buildings - in current social situations

It is hardly a coincidence that criticism of functionalism, of the new urban areas, and of the sprawling suburbs primarily has been directed specifically toward the neglected, the destroyed, and the missing public spaces.

The telephone, television, video, home computers, and so forth have introduced new ways of interacting. Direct meetings in public spaces can now be replaced by indirect telecommunication. Active presence, participation, and experience can now be substituted with passive picture watching, seeing what others have experienced elsewhere. The automobile has made it possible to replace active participation in spontaneous local social activities with a drive to see selected friends and attractions.

Abundant possibilities do exist for compensating for what has been lost. Precisely for this reason, the fact that there is still widespread criticism of the neglected public spaces is indeed thought provoking.

Something is missing.

That something is missing is illustrated emphatically by widespread popular protests against physical planning as it is practiced, evidenced in debates on city and residential environments and the organization of residents around demands for improvement of the physical environment. Typical demands include better conditions for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, better conditions for children and the elderly and a better framework in general for recreational and social community functions.

That something is missing has been expressed by a new generation of architects and planners in a strong clash with modernism and the sprawling suburbs [30, 34,]. The very revival of the city as a major architectural objective, including the careful planning of public spaces - streets, squares, parks - interprets and channels the wave of popular protest.

That something is missing has been further emphasized in recent years by a number of developmental trends in western industrial society [9].

Family patterns change. The average family size has decreased. In Scandinavia it is down to 2.2 people. The demand for easily accessible social opportunities outside the home is growing accordingly. The composition of the population is changing as well. In general there are fewer children and more adults. The situation in which 20 percent of the population is composed of old people, in good health, with ten, twenty, or even thirty years to enjoy after retirement, is becoming common in many industrial countries. In Scandinavia, this population group, which has a great deal of free time, is the most frequent user of city spaces. If the spaces are worth using, they are used.

Finally, the situation in the workplace also is changing rapidly. Many jobs have been emptied of social and creative content by technology and efficiency measures. And technological development usually means a reduction of both the work load and the amount of time spent at work. More people have more time and at the same time a number of social and creative needs must be satisfied through outlets other than the traditional work place.

The residential area, the city, and the public spaces - from the community center to the main square - form a possible physical framework for satisfying a number of these new demands.

In Copenhagen, for example, the transformation began in 1962. Since then, more and more pedestrian streets have been created. City life has, year by year, grown in scope, in creativity and in ingenuity [16]. Various folk festivals and a huge, very popular carnival have emerged. Nobody had believed such events were possible in Scandinavia. Now they exist because they are needed. Even more important, everyday activities have grown in scope and number. A 1986 survey of street life in downtown Copenhagen reveals a tripling of social and recreative activities over the past fifteen years. The city has not grown in this period, but definitely street life has.

Comparably, public spaces in new residential areas are used more when these spaces have the requisite quality. The public spaces are needed. The need for spaces of all types and sizes is obvious - from the little residential street to the city square.

Criticisms, reactions, and visions concerning the improvement of living conditions and cities form the basis for the following examination of the physical framework for life between buildings.

As a starting point, no comprehensive, ambitious program will be outlined. On the contrary, it is a prime concept that everyday life, ordinary situations, and spaces in which daily life is lived must form the center of attention and effort. This concept is expressed by three modest, yet fairly broad requirements of public spaces:

- desirable conditions for the necessary outdoor activities
- desirable conditions for the optional, recreational activities
- desirable conditions for the social activities

To be able to move about easily and confidently, to be able to linger in cities and building complexes, to be able to take pleasure in spaces, buildings, and city life, and to be able to meet and get together with other people - informally or in more organized fashion - these are fundamental to good cities and good building projects today, as in the past.

The importance of these requirements cannot be overestimated. They are modest demands that aim for a better and more useful framework for everyday activities. On the other hand, a good physical framework for life between buildings and for communal activities is, in all circumstances, a valuable, independent quality, and - perhaps - a beginning.