Browsing tag: slow cities

  • March 13, 2019

    Carl Honoré’s In Praise of Slowness is a Must-Read

    People all over the world are reclaiming their time and slowing down to live happier, healthier and more creative lives. It’s called the Slow Movement. Carl Honoré’s own moment of epiphany came when he tried to streamline reading-before-bedtime to his two year old in order to save time. But then he thought, what is the point of rushing through life just to save a minute? What followed is In Praise of Slowness, an in-depth investigative book into the history of the slow movement and its various manifestations, from Slow Food to Slow Cities to Slow Parenting. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to reconcile with their inner speed demon.

    What is the Slow Movement?

    The Slow Movement questions the unhampered materialism that drives the global economy. We feel constrained by greed, inertia and fear to keep up an unrelenting pace. Even children eel the pressure to do as many things as possible. How did we get to this point? According to Honoré, it began during the Industrial Revolution with the rise of factories, modern capitalism and increasingly accurate clocks. Workers began to be paid by the hour and not by productivity, allowing management to squeeze as much productivity out of us as possible by forcing us to work ever faster.

    The irony is that working long hours on the job actually makes us less productive and more error-prone, not to mention unhappy and ill. Many of today’s rising medical conditions such as insomnia, asthma, hypertension, migraines and gastrointestinal problems are caused by stress.

    slow living

    So what does Honoré mean by Slow? He stresses that the concept does not literally mean to move slowly. Nor does it mean turning back the clock. Rather, it is about promoting a balance between the modern and traditional world. As Uwe Kliemt, the Tempo Giusto pianist who plays classical music more slowly said, “The world is a richer place when we make room for different speeds.”

    Therefore, Slow is defined as “calm, careful, receptive, still, intuitive, unhurried, patient, reflective, quality-over-quantity. It is making real and meaningful connections – with people, culture, work, food, everything.” In contrast, he defines Fast as “busy, controlling, aggressive, hurried, analytical, stressed, superficial, impatient, active, quantity-over-quality.”

    Slow Food Movement

    What is a Slow City?

    The cultural revolution began in Italy in 1986 with the Slow Food Movement, which praised the joys of sustainable farming; organic and seasonal produce; supporting local farmers, markets and restaurants; and connecting with family and friends over a delicious meal. In fact, the very same city that brought us the Slow Food Movement, Bra, Italy, also gave Cittaslow (slow city). Expanding upon their original ideas, they aim to improve the quality of life in cities, resist the homogenization and globalizations of cities around the world, protect the environment, promote cultural diversity and provide inspiration for a healthier lifestyle. Since 2005, when In Praise of Slow was written, there are now 252 cittaslow in over 30 different countries and territories.

    In the United States, a similar movement flourished independently of Cittaslow, called New Urbanism, which promoted walkable neighborhoods with lots of public spaces. In their cities, the streets are narrow and flanked by wide, tree-lined sidewalks. Garages are tucked out of view in the lanes behind their owner’s homes. They are also socially conscious, including a blend of mixed-income housing, schools, leisure facilities and businesses. New Urbanism has its critics though, saying that it feels as if you’ve landed into The Truman Show (which was coincidentally filmed in the New Urbanism community of Seaside).

    Slow Cities

    Both movements, though, have labeled cars as the biggest enemies of slowness. With their noise and their space, they make pedestrians feel alienated. “The whole scene says cars first, people second,” Honoré wrote. Yet the less cars there are and the slower they go, the more connected a community feels. People walk more. Crime is lower. And with less cars, there’s more space for benches, bicycle lanes, play areas and parks. Slow Cities naturally foster a stronger community, which in turn encourages people to relax and slow down even further.

    Slow Living

    Unfortunately, the Slow lifestyle is often only accessible for the rich and upper middle class. Alternative medicine, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods and grass-fed beef are not easy for everyone to come by. In the United States, public transportation is poor and with such wide street lanes and huge overhead freeways, we feel encouraged to drive. However, the book does include tips that everyone can incorporate, such as cutting down on Netflix, spending more time with friends and family, meditating, cooking and walking. At the end of this book, you’ll feel inspired to design a slow life whatever way you can.

  • March 24, 2018

    Slow Space in Cities Increases Wellbeing

    In honor of International Day Of Happiness, NewCities published a series from 10 experts from across the globe on urban wellbeing and happiness, including Mette Aamodt. An excerpt of her article, “Slow Space, Slow Cities” is reprinted below.

    NewCities is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to making cities more inclusive, connected, healthy and vibrant.

    We had been trying to live a slow life for a long time before realizing that there was such a thing as the Slow Movement. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis the same time my partner Andrew Plumb and I were finishing architecture school and starting our careers. The fast-paced, 80-hour weeks at “starchitecture” firms wasn’t going to work for me. We had just moved to New York and simply getting back and forth to work from our Brooklyn apartment was exhausting. As our classmates were making a big splash with their experimental architecture, we consoled ourselves with the story of the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race, we said.

    When we learned of the Slow Movement it gave us a name for what we had been doing in both life and design – valuing experience over objects, fewer things done better, the sensual pleasures of life and an appreciation of nature. We call our design philosophy at Aamodt / Plumb “slow space” where we explore the conditions necessary to slow one’s experience of time.

    In this fast-moving world of the 21st century, particularly in cities, we need slow space, a place where we can pause, slow down, be present and truly connect. There is a theory, first developed by British geographer Jay Appleton in 1975, that humans have evolved to crave both prospect (opportunity) and refuge (safety). In landscape theory, this is represented by the safety of the cave and the opportunity of the savannah with its unexplored territory and wildlife. I think this is equally true in the city. When we are “out and about” or “pounding the pavement” in a city we are prospecting. We are looking for opportunities, looking for what is new and interesting. Cities are full of opportunities, that is why people go there, but what refuge do they offer? The slow spaces are the spaces of refuge, both physical and mental, that we retreat to when we are overwhelmed, in need of comfort, or just tired at the end of the day.

    I have lived in cities all over the world and have been a student of each while there: an urban studies major and architect in New York, an urban planning student in Paris, an urban design fellow in Fukuoka, an urban planner in Oslo. Each of these places has taught me lessons about slow space that can be applied to all cities.

    Read more from “Slow Space, Slow Cities”