A couple of years ago I was in New York. I had a stereotypical and unfair view of the city as a lawless mess but this was a totally unfounded view. Instead I found a living breathing city that was dynamic and made room for the inhabitants to live and create and add more unique content to the city. The city is a thriving hotbed of arts, business, entertainment, creativity, and multicultural exchange.
Of course did not happen overnight or easily. The city has had hundreds of years of slums, corrupt government, crime, and of course some of these problems still persist.
However the city has grown despite these problems and has in fact flourished. It is in many ways the unofficial capital of the world and does not seem to show any signs of slowing its growth or decaying.
So how did it get this way? What is the secret to not just growing a city out but to cultivate all those factors that you want to flourish while minimizing all those factors that you don’t want to permeate your city?
Is the answer, well-reasoned and guided growth? I don’t think so. Although having sensible city planning is certainly a help, I’ve been in communities and cities that had very close and well-coordinated growth and for the most part they are sterile environments. These type of communities tackle growth problems by methodically adding to the population base while adding rules and regulations to cover any eventualities that might arise. This makes for a very clean and safe environment but stifles creativity and self-expression. The result is a very generic and featureless expanse of buildings. This in turn can stifle growth.
Is the opposite any better? Of course not. Unchecked growth is an invitation to crime, disease, poverty, and chaos. You just have to look at any of the boom towns of the old west or any part of the world where people suddenly migrate to, trying to find their fortunes.
A good example in Houston are the Montrose district and the Washington Avenue area. Back in the 70s and 80s, these parts of Houston were full of empty dilapidated buildings, and infested with crime. They were not places to be after dark. Some brave souls and some investors however disagreed and put some money, time, and effort into these areas. Artists came for the cheap property values and persisted in the area. Over time the city took an interest and opened police substations and little by little these areas have become the crown jewels of Houston.
Now of course some national retailers, chain restaurants, and big box stores have taken an interest and the city is moving to over-regulate and gentrify the area and the balance is turning to over-regulation and over-control which threatens to rob the areas of their diversity and flavor.
The real fact of the matter is that growth is a painful and awkward experience, just as it is for living organisms. Just as parents give children the chance to expand their world and step in to guide that growth, so should city governments learn to only step in when needed. Otherwise allow the city to develop its own distinct character.
Allow districts to find what they are good at and embrace it. Don’t force the city to do something it doesn’t want to do, yet don’t neglect it to the point that it begins to wither under its own inertia.
A light touch will facilitate the rise of a great city. A heavy or an absent hand will stifle or even kill a city.
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