Urban (un)planning

You immediately notice a sort of haphazard feel to the architecture of this city, partially as a result of changing standards over the centuries, partially as a result of blitzkrieg redevelopment, as a lot of buildings here were blown to bits by the Germans during the war, and partially as a result of 180 degree turns in planning thinking between the 50s (tear down anything that gets in the way of cars!) and now (tear down anything that promotes the use of cars!)

The result is chaotic yet somehow intensely delightful.

Take a look at the photo that I took, randomly, at the end of my street: from left to right there’s an admittedly charmless brick ’70s office building (yes, that’s a Mexican food stand in front of it) followed by an early 19th century  brewery building converted to condos, next to which you’ll see two spanking new condo buildings, followed by a late 18th century warehouse converted to condos and, on the right, wearing yellow and red brick, a Victorian hotel now used as an office building.

It is the very definition of architectural chaos.

Yet, inexplicably, as you wander around and through it, stepping on cobblestones, paving stones, cement, asphalt (more chaos!) the scale, the constantly changing visual richness, the constantly altering textures and planes and angles and materials are somehow pleasing, comfortable, welcoming. Dare I say it? Organic.

There is no symmetry here, no order, no apparent plan, no perfect repeating angles, and that may be its special appeal because, like human beings, it’s messy, unpredictable, ever changing, and ultimately…….surprising!

And as any 5 year old will tell you, there’s nothing better than a surprise.