Great cities start with a plan

by Matt Majors

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December 19, 2011

While running this morning with my trusty iPod Shuffle, the Simple Minds’ “Theme for Great Cities” popped up. It’s a cool instrumental, mid-tempo song with a steady beat. I allowed my mind to flow with the rhythm and considered the title, that evoked images of city life, flashing lights, busy streets, and great architecture.

As much of a stretch as that sounds, it stirs in me the fact that I’ve always marveled at great cities, both large and small, and I am always inspired or lifted by the many details found within the fabric of a wonderful urban environment. I can still remember the effect that Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston had on me as a young teenager - I felt like a kid in a candy shop. The sights and sounds, the smells, the buildings, the traffic and the diversity of people bustling in every direction - the rush of incredible information flooded my senses.

It was hard to soak all of it in and understand as a teenager why those experiences moved me so much. I’ve since visited many other cities over the years, earned a degree in architecture and focused much of my career on the study of good planning and the design of buildings within urban settings. And yet, I cannot proclaim “Eureka!” and suddenly reveal all the secrets of what makes a city great. But I have learned a few key ingredients for successful cities, neighborhoods and buildings.

It starts with smart planning.

Fredrick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture, understood the importance of planning. Central Park, arguably his crowning achievement, captures so many elements that make Manhattan the magical wonderland it is today - A bold, yet simple statement of park and open space design within an enormous city center, it defines so much more than its own park boundaries.

Central Park creates edges. It’s a subtle, yet absolute reason that millions of square feet of New York City real estate have been - and remain - some of the most valuable spaces in the world. The homes, museums, offices and hotels lining this spectacular landscape owe their livelihood and success to Mr. Olmsted.

As an architect and resident of Charlotte for nearly 20 years, I’ve come to learn a lot about John Nolen,  an early 20th century student of Olmsted. Nolen also helped shape many great cities across America, and here in Charlotte, he was instrumental in visualizing Myers Park.

In 1911, Myers Park began as a simple gesture towards planning a grand avenue (now known as Queens Road). According to the plans, the streets were to receive strategically planted oak trees, medians of precise dimensions, wide sidewalks, with pedestrian and human scale kept sacred, and were to be implemented throughout hundreds of acres of precious landscape. Further, many single-family lots were carved out, with specific custom house plans, and fused into the master plan.

And 100 years later, Myers Park is a nationally recognized, wildly successful neighborhood.

Included in remarkable books like Allan B. Jacobs’ Great Streets as well as other publications recognizing outstanding planning and architecture, Myers Park serves as a link, a lifeline and a major artery to Charlotte’s Center City and thriving urban fabric.

Parks and open space are crucial elements of great cities, as are in-town neighborhoods with permanent residents and sustainable housing options. Services, such as grocers and farmer’s markets, bookstores, dry cleaners, large and small retailers, churches, libraries, and more provide lifeblood ingredients critical for urban environments to survive.

Great planning will create great cities.

Whether urban planners, landscape architects, architects, engineers, or simply smart human beings who care about sustainable urban living, as designers we must continue planning wisely. So much has been given to us by the Olmsteds and the Nolens of this world; We need to continue to execute plans with pragmatism and sensitivity in our designs, and to consider dimensioning, smart planting, sidewalk design and pedestrian planning, without ignoring the almighty automobile, parking and our continued need to accommodate vehicular traffic. We also must seek better architecture and building design with a growing need for denser, more mixed-use components, all the while striving for sustainability and green design.

As we move further into the 21st Century, greater visions will crystallize in our center cities. It’s an exciting and challenging time for our country. As we embrace urban living and sustainable ways of life, and plan our parks and green spaces with thoughtful consideration for the community and the future, we get closer to realizing all the things that just “sound good on paper” now. And we truly start walking the walk - or running the run, with some good music in our headphones and a vibrant city laid out in front of us.