I'm so excited about this weeks's QOTW. The question is What would you like to see happen to our city spaces? This is a topic I have been passionate about way before Covid came along to make the first step in clearing out the cities, forcing us to rethink our already poorly functioning use of urban space. In other words, the way is (literally) cleared for our radical ideas to improve our cities. As for what they are, they most certainly depend on the city. So let me take my current place of residence as an example: Mexico City.
Mexico During Covid
While Covid restrictions have turned many other cities all around the world into virtual ghost towns, here in Mexico the situation a bit different. While many places remain closed, there is still a lot of activity in the streets. Vendors and beggars likewise are trying to make a buck. Still, there are much less people and virtually no crowds to drive you crazy. Actually, you could almost say, the situation has become more bearable. No literal traffic jams of pedestrians, no trains and buses filled to the brim with passengers, just enough people so you won't have to feel like you're in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.
However, there are notable changes on the roads and highways. Take Periferico, for example, the two-story, multi-lane traffic artery running... not along the periphery of the city, as the name would imply, but circling right through it. Well, just as many other mammoth freeways of this city, that road remains mostly empty, if not entirely deserted. Same can be said about many office buildings, like the one near where I live, completed a year ago, and abandoned ever since. Given the current situation, I think it's safe to say that it will never be used, at least not as intended, for offices. But instead of seeing these things as a disaster for city coffers or real estate investors, with a bit of adjustment they can turn into fulfilling imminent needs.
The Never-Ending Water Issue
Ever since the Spanish conquest Mexico City has always had a problem with water. This is probably not the first time I talk about the seemingly insatible water needs of this city, while it receives enough rainfall to cover all domestic AND industrial needs. Of course with the way all this rainwater is mismanaged, it becomes a "waste product" causing regular flooding... (After all, this whole valley used to be a lake once, and for a good reason too.) Meanwhile, our local "experts" in managing the city claim "harvesting rainwater is not a feasible solution, since it becomes too dirty once it hits the ground." I will let you ponder the flaw in this argument yourself.
As a possible alternative, I used to dream up some extensive roofing over such streets as the Paseo de la Reforma, which is a great avenue not only for motorists, but also for pedestrians and cyclists. Only during the rainy season does it become utterly uncomfortable, just like most streets, as if the shower was turned on at full blast. So why not build a big roof over it? One that's high enough for the traffic to pass and trees to grow under. It would make Reforma the place to be, while the water could be collected to feed us, as well as the trees.
Now, however, with Periferico being used less, maybe we could treat it as the roof that's already built? Just close the top level for traffic, cover it with soil, and use it not only to capture the rain, but to filter and store it too. It is already elevated, so it could be gravity fed to cover the needs of... urban gardens all around it. You could even include a meandering trail for walking, cycling, etc, keeping the original function of helping us get around, only in a beautiful and healthy way.
Making the Most of Glass Towers
Okay, so what about the recently abandoned office buildings? How could they be best utilized? Looking at the architecturally popular, but otherwise not too functional glass facades, what comes immediately to mind is the use of sunlight. Sure, the windows are mostly tinted, which may have to be changed, but otherwise the structure could be an ideal place for vertical food forests. After all, it maximizes exposure, and stacks potentially arable spaces on dozens of levels, right in the middle of an urban food desert. A radical idea, for certain, but surely doable. Not to mention, such an application of urban space would fill an immediate local need. It's not like it hasn't been done before, like with this building in Tokyo:
Crazy Plans?
I have to admit, these ideas sound just as fantastic and removed from reality during the Covid, as they had been before. Honestly, I don't see a chance any of these solutions to be implemented anytime soon. Decision makers (as well as followers) are still waiting for the "normality" to return, which these structures were built for. However, continuing down on this road we have embarked on may inevitably lead to the breakdown of other systems, leaving the individual open to implementing whatever solution they come up with.
Did I mention the vendors and beggars the city seems to be full of? They are the immediate victims of the economic effects of Covid restrictions. Most of them have already been living on a day-to-day basis, which the current situation has only made worse. Soon they will have to do something (...anything!) to keep from starving. I believe it will be primarily these people who eventually will reach a critical mass, and start taking over office towers and abandoned highways to make life livable. What is merely a nice dream for me, is a matter of survival for others. And THAT is where the potential for change lies.