Balance and Tension

Art by Georg Phillip Harsdörffer at www.bibliodyssey.blogspot.com

So creating enough housing, quality housing that is snugly nestled into a community that can ideally provide its citizens with everything relevant to a good life, a sustainable is, as you can imagine, an enormous game of balance and tension.

And probably many planners would argue that one city can't be all things to all people but, that it might be many things to many people. Whatever the vision of the city -- it would include a broad variety of competing ideas that must be interpreted, creating a constant play of tension in an effort to achieve the ideal of balance.

Imagine a juggler who keeps juggling as the audience throws more and more things for him/her to keep in the air -- while standing on a ball and being pulled in opposite directions.

Process:
This, I think, is the last big point I want to make. Unfortunately I didn't find a great visual reference for this idea of tension and balance and, I'm not so sure that I articulated it clearly enough--especially with the juggler thrown in there. This idea maybe just as important as the home and heart. Competing viewpoints and NIMBYism (not in my backyard) both positively and negatively impact decision-making when it comes to housing (depending on your perspective).

Home and Heart

Art by AbelB available at www.redbubble.com

I was wildly intimidated by the topic of housing for a very good reason. Of all of the planning topics, it doesn't get more personal than housing. Home is where the heart is. Home is essential. A good home can be revelatory or revolutionary.

And people will fight louder, longer and harder for home -- and they will fight with all their heart.

Planning for housing -- for home -- is, to me, daunting. Certainly quantity is an issue and, supplying adequate housing for residents is task enough. But quality housing is an ever-pressing concern and, what constitutes a good home is as varied as the people who live in them.

Do planners get it right every time? Probably not. Plans and planning process are living organisms susceptible to any number of bumps, bruises and viruses. And many different people bump into even the most solid of plans.

But I would wager that many a planner has laid awake at night thinking about the frantic man who wants to build a "granny flat" for his aging mom but his house isn't zoned for it -- or thinking about how to squeeze out a parcel of land or the funding for a much-needed park for a neighborhood with at-risk youth.

It is my humble belief that that sleepless planner will rise the next day and continue to work for heart and home.

Process:
So this presents a pretty idealized vision of planners but, I just wanted to get across that probably a lot of planners get into planning because the environment, the world, people matter to them. And of course I wanted to highlight the really personal nature of this topic.

The Planning Puzzle

You are right. Planning is not like this:






Planning is probably a lot more like Gotye's song Puzzle With A Piece Missing:

Visuals for Gotye - Puzzle With A Piece Missing from Tim Webster on Vimeo.

Lyrics to Puzzle With a Piece Missing

"Tiny pieces come to me every day
Still I wait
Things are falling into place
But so much time goes to waste

I stretch and shift
These parts won't fit
I can chop and change all I like
Rearranging this won't make it right

All doors are open.
All the doors are open."


The imagery is less important here but, the lyrics come pretty close to expressing the monumental task of get any plan to work perfectly. The pieces of the puzzle don't just fall into place.

Planners often work hard for small bits which don't always make sense to the general public and which occasionally don't even seem to fit the overall vision. And the wait to see a plan start coming to fruition is usually very long.

Process:
The intention is to interpret your observation that things don't always go according to plan in a visual way. My goal is to keep giving you visual information until some sparks. Let me know if it's too much visually.

How Sing?

For the latest post I really enjoyed reading about the involvement that Riverside and other cities are required to have when providing housing and a sustainable lifestyle and environment to it's citizens. I enjoy the idea of ensuring a maintainable lifestyle by requiring developers to design one or at least lay the foundations for one. I was aware of codes and laws as to where and how a community should be built but I didn't realize that the original idea behind these designs was so that the community that WILL be there would be able to stay their and live a sustainable lifestyle.

I also really enjoy the idea that housing could be a symbol for and provide so much to the community i.e. if a worker has a house then their commute to work will be shorter and provide for an easier and more efficient ride to work and create time for other endeavors in their life (family, hobbies, etc).

Of course I'm sure not all goes according to plan all the time so it might be valuable to note that in the piece but I enjoy the ideas of the productive aspects of housing and I feel that could be the strong point for the piece: everything housing is supposed to be and maybe what it actually is (if that is any different). I'm supposed to be making a video piece for this (I think) and as of yet I'm not sure how to articulate it but I feel that our discussion is progressing.





Here's a drawing of a house.

Riverside's Housing Element

In an effort to introduce concepts to you, I will draw upon excerpts from the City of Riverside's Housing Element:

Healthy and strong neighborhoods with an adequate supply of quality
and affordable housing are fundamental to the well-being of Riverside
and its residents. Beyond simply fulfilling a basic need for shelter,
adequate and affordable housing provides many more benefits. Studies
show that children in stable housing do better in school and are less
likely to experience disruption in their education due to moves. Living
in decent, affordable housing also provides individuals and families with
a sense of economic security and the ability to focus on their needs.

An adequate supply of a variety of housing types and prices is also
important to Riverside’s employment base and its economic vitality. A
mix of homes affordable to a range of income levels can attract and
help retain a diverse employment base in the community, support the
local workforce so they can live close to their jobs, and support
economic development objectives. Shorter commutes allow workers to
spend more time with their families while benefitting from reductions in
traffic congestion, air pollution, and expenditures on roads.

Healthy and strong neighborhoods also depend on supportive services.
Parks, recreation, and open spaces beautify neighborhoods and
improve property values. Complete sidewalks and bicycle routes
encourage walking and exercise, which improve the health of residents.
A complementary mix of community amenities—medical facilities,
commercial uses, and various service agencies—provide residents with
their daily needs. And community centers offer places for residents to
socialize and strengthen a sense of community.

As required by state law, Riverside prepares a housing element as part
of the Riverside General Plan 2025 to provide objectives, policies, and
programs to facilitate the development, improvement, and preservation
of housing. It is intended to create livable neighborhoods that offer a
high quality of life, facilitate a diversity of housing choices for different
lifestyles, increase housing opportunities for very low, low and
moderate income households, and support the provision of adequate
housing and supportive services for those with special needs.

Taken together, the Housing Element plays a fundamental role in
achieving Riverside’s vision of a greater city. By providing quality
housing opportunities for Riverside’s diverse population, strengthening
the quality of neighborhoods, and assisting residents and the workforce
of all income levels, Riverside will continue to be denoted as one of the
most livable and sought-after communities in the nation.

Source: www.riversideca.gov

The Housing Element

Image by wordsareart

The housing element is one part of the general plan of the city.

The Housing Element is mandated by Sections 65580 to 65589 of
the California Government Code. State law requires that each
city identify and analyze existing and projected housing needs
and prepare goals, policies, and programs to further the development,
improvement, and preservation of housing. To that end, State law
requires that the housing element:
1) identify adequate sites for a range of
housing opportunities
2) assist in the development of adequate and
affordable housing
3) address constraints to meeting the City’s housing
needs
4) conserve and improve the condition of housing
5) promote housing opportunities for all residents.

Source: City of Riverside

Process:
The image here is meant to convey the idea that black and white words, documents, laws seem to construct linear, boxy cities. But, it also reinforces the more sinuous, mind map bubble concept that is foundational to planning process in regard to housing. Many, many facets of daily life are considered before building begins. Planners will consider data that projects well into the future so that every need, both today's and tomorrow's, will ideally be a part of that black and white, that foundation.

Housing's Many Rooms

Photo by Marion Charreau at www.mindmap art.com Projects in French

In order to explore the housing topic further, I came up with a working list of sub-topics, which reflects the many areas that planners are trying to address within the housing element.

Shelter
Community
Neighborhood
Economy
Jobs
Commute
Traffic
Sustainability
Schools
Recreation
Parks
Open Space
Variety
Security
Food
Security
Services
Safety
Law
Etcetera

Process:
It is my hope that I can move your initial perception of "housing" from linear, boxy and redundant to a concept that is more fluid and interwoven, like a tapestry or a mind map.

What is Housing?

As we began talking about the topic of housing, you said your mind jumped immediately to "images of an endless suburbia; rows upon rows of houses that are identical".



Photo by Ian Duke.

This made me think of that song Little Boxes:



But there is more to housing. You made a strong association between houses and jobs, concerned that "everyone is struggling to keep their homes by struggling to keep their jobs". This comment triggered a discussion on the role of housing in the community. Planners work to ensure that their city is rich in jobs in order to keep residents living, working and playing in their city. They also strive to provide housing that is affordable for all income levels.

Rules of Engagement

Art Vulups Engagement Guidelines and Expectations

General:
 Art VULUPS is an experimental project with defined vision, mission, goals and
objectives sponsored by the Inland Empire Section of the American Planning
Association;
 Art VULUPS organizers and team participant's are volunteers;
 All Art VULUPS works will be donated to the California Planning Foundation
at the 2011 California Chapter of the American Planning Association Conference.

All Teams:
 Will collaborate to produce pieces of art conveying land use and sustainability
concepts;
 Are encouraged to incur minimal expenses by utilizing “found” or “leftover”
materials, if applicable. All others may buy and use "new" or "used" materials
at their own expense;
 Will share intellectual rights of the ideas, concepts and processes resulting
from this project;
 Any member may replicate an Art VULUPS piece or may produced an
interpretation outside of this project;
 Are encouraged to participate in all the civic dialog events programmed for
"after completion of art work".

Artists:
 Will guide the planners to use creativity and think and work outside the box.

Planners:
 Will guide the artists to bring planning and sustainability facts and opinions into
the creative process.

Art Work:
All works will:
 Convey a land use and sustainability concept;
 Be produced for viewing by the general public at community gatherings,
exhibitions and events;
 Be created in a simple form to allow viewers to understand the concept behind the
piece;
 Each piece should be accompanied with a brief explanation of the concept behind
the piece;
 The artwork donation may be tax deductible upon CPF's approval;
 Two-dimensional pieces shall not exceed 18"X24" (including frame)
 Special arrangements may done for pieces requiring framing at no cost to the
teams;
 Three-dimensional pieces shall not exceed 20" in any direction;
 Performances and multimedia shall be submitted in a CD/DVD format;
 Non-conventional media guidelines will be established on individual basis;
 The works will be auctioned at the 2011 CCAPA conference. The CPF will set
the minimum bid.

Source: www.artvulups.org

What is Art VULUPS?

Photo by Marlow Harris of Martin Sanchez' folk art installation in Riverside, California at unusuallife.com

How the Project Works

The Project is based on two basic concepts:
Using art and creative expression to teach and promote land use planning and sustainability concepts
Enhancing collaboration and communication between urban planners, artists, educators and community leaders.
Presently, there are two phases on the horizon:

Phase 1: Collaboration = Art
The first Art VULUPS Collaborative has been organized to reveal the positive power of engaging urban planners and artists in the production of public art. This interactive experience will explore how classic and contemporary art can be used to teach and explain land use planning and sustainability concepts. Art VULUPS will support efforts to deliver this innovative approach to communication to other communities in the U.S. and across the globe.
Phase 2: Art = Knowledge
Once the first phase is complete, the resulting art collection will serve as an educational tool to promote land use planning and sustainability concepts. Art VULUPS will identify opportunities to showcase the collection and deliver it to a variety of demographics.
Supporting educational and outreach components will identify key approaches to utilizing the art collection in public and educational settings. Education and outreach will explore strategies for the implementation of future projects as well as opportunities to better serve the planning profession, the arts and the public.

Project Goals
Establish a framework for alternative approaches to community outreach and civic engagement based on art and creative expression.
Develop a formal art collection utilizing land use and planning concepts to be used as educational tools amongst planning professionals.
Use the project to contribute to the educational goals of the American Planning Association
Communicate with artists to offer inspiration and expand critical thinking about the built environment from the perspective of land use planning and sustainability.
Establish a collaborative public art approach which allowsplanners and artists to work together in the pursuit of sustainable development solutions and which is firmly rooted in the creative process.

Check it out at www.artvulups.org

The Beginning

For the first time in the history of the Inland Empire Section of American Planning Association, urban planners reach out to the local art community to collaborate in an unprecedented public art project: Art as a Vehicle to Understand Land Use and Sustainability (Art VULUPS).

On July 1, 2010 sixteen teams of planners and artists began a journey of collaboration in the production of artwork and creative expressions that convey basic land use planning and sustainability principles and concepts. One of the major goals of this project is to establish a framework for an alternative approach for community outreach and civic dialog engagement.

The works will be exhibited in conjunction with community gatherings, workshops and presentations at different locations throughout the Inland Empire, including the Riverside Arts Council's Gallery at the Riverside Plaza. The project will culminate at the 2011 Annual Conference of the California Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA), when the collection is auctioned for the benefit of the California Planning Foundation (CPF).

ART VULUPS is an independent project conducted by planners and artist volunteers and sponsored by the Inland Empire Section of the American Planning Association. Major partners include the California Planning Foundation, the Riverside Arts Council and Inlandia Institute.

Daniel Foster, Artist and Executive Director of the Community Foundation, Robert Johnson, Planner and City of Temecula's Assistant City Manager and Matthew Burris, Director, Sustainable Communities and Climate Services at Constructive Technologies Group opened up the event with a casual conversation about the importance and positive impacts of combining key ingredients for sustainable development: the arts, creativity and the land use planning practice. Afterward, local artists and planners were thrown together to embark on this collaboration in order to explore planning and sustainability themes.

Nathaniel Osollo, artist, and Carolyn Schutten, planner, were teamed up and given the topic of housing to explore. That dialog will occur here.

Source: www.artvulups.org