Ordinary Places

CABE's lastest publication, Ordinary Places says a 'Smart' thing: "We have a serious problem with the quality of most ordinary streets. Streets determine how places feel,
yet cars still dominate. To civilise them, streets need to be designed first and foremost as places in themselves, prioritising the needs of disabled people,pedestrians and carers with pushchairs, and cyclists, above the motorist. This frees councils to remove clutter such as unnecessary signage and guardrails.
Once sights are raised, streets can start to reflect local identity".

They call this 'Sparking the Debate', and then proclaim the need to teach people visual literacy.

Excuse me, but who did the ******* designing in the first place? Was it 'Ordinary' people or the people trained in visual literacy? If post-war development is anything to go by, training in 'visual-literacy' isn't necessarily an asset.

The pamphlet is described as "a starting point for debate about creating the culture and conditions to help ordinary places to become valued and valuable".

Its 2010, why are we at a starting point? Jane Jacobs pointed this all out over 40 years ago.

CABE goes on to say "It asks how people can directly influence the quality of their places? Why don’t all pupils learn about design, to help make sense of the places around them?"

Another question must be, why should normal people have to give up time from their busy lives to tell professional designers how to do their job for them?

Jane Jacobs pointed the finger firmly at the professional planners, architects and traffic engineers and challenged them to recognise the value of ordinary, messy, mixed use places, which the quantitative models couldn't and can't deal with.

Its entirely condescending and elitist to presume ordinary people need teaching a bit of visual literacy to improve the public spaces and public elevations they have no control over. Isn't this somebody elses job??

Recognising the value of ordinary places is really the only show in town now. Value in the ordinary comes from appreciation of the small humble things, and taking the time patience and care to do things well.. plot by plot..builidng by building etc.