This gallery is a small collection of things that interest me in our cities. These things, I think, say a lot about those inhabiting the environment, their values, and attitudes. There is a large variety of observations captured here: from bug hotels to hostile architecture to community efforts. It has it all (or most of it).
All the images were taken in the last three years.
chapter 1: historic preservation
Often when discussing historic preservation, we're thinking about something large-scale. Here I want to focus on the smaller aspects of the practice, such as saving historical signs, parts of buildings, and walkways.
I particularly enjoy these examples for multiple reasons, among which: they allow us to grasp the existence of something before we encountered it, we see the physical history of the place; these efforts encourage cultural exploration; they promote historic preservation on a small scale.
Something that particularly excites me about the efforts to preserve these signs of the past is the opportunity for spolia - including elements of old buildings into the new construction to prolong their lifespans.
chapter 2: signs, with love
For me, there is so much joy in finding a creative sign somewhere in the city. We're used to having very authoritarian signs that deliver their messages in strict and boxed ways. Why stick to that if you can personalize the signs and make them more human-centered?
Some evidence that street signs don't have to be boring. I am fascinated with what Tirana(Albania) is doing with its street signs, so finding these creative signs around the world provides food for thought on how we can incorporate more of them into our cities' fabrics.
chapter 3: hostile architecture
Hostile architecture is primarily designed to avoid unwanted behavior, which ranges from sleeping to skateboarding to leaning onto something, you name it. It is problematic on multiple levels, which I won't discuss now. Rather I wanted to show the forms hostile architecture can take.
The photos taken in Niles were of particular interest to me because the forms used to make the architecture hostile are intended to appear decorative. A regular passerby might think that they are parts of the flower bed's design since they appear "natural" - it's a cute little leaf. These are mostly used to prevent skateboarding.
The benches I saw in Antalya are one of the most hostile ones I’ve seen in my life. Despite having a full back panel, they provide two separate seats, which prevents sleeping, comfortable sitting, and even cuddling on your first date.
The bench dividers on the right prevent sleeping, challenging people who experience homelessness; taken in London.
The little stoppers in the photo above prevent skateboarding (the photo was taken in a skateboarding park, which makes it more absurd). The spikes on the railing in the picture below might prevent from resting and again, skateboarding.
chapter 4: steps in the cityscape
I started noticing something in the concrete pathways of Chicago in the spring of 2021. I did not pay attention to these things before. Maybe it's due to the abundance of squirrels in Chicago's suburbs, or maybe I just developed an eye for these signs. Now I find it touching and almost heartwarming to see the animal and human steps, handprints, or intentional writing set in concrete.
Human prints: hands and feet. Some were left untouched, some were filled with black&write mosaics.
chapter 5: community efforts
Many community efforts are under the umbrella term of DIY urbanism. They include guerilla gardening, guerilla wayfinding, the creation of community libraries, and much more.
Community libraries are my personal favorite in this section. I wish I captured the diversity of those I saw in Illinois but found only one photo. They are great little culture and education hubs for the communities to grow together.
The weather stone on the photo on the right just made us smile. When we saw it, we both had no idea what a weather stone is and I still have no clue.
chapter 6: memorial benches
Dedicating something to a loved one while providing a place for rest. These don't need any comments, they deliver the messages themselves.
chapter 7: bug hotels
Bug hotels are good for biodiversity, especially when they are located in suitable parts of the city, such as parks, squares and community gardens. Besides that, these are simply lovely.
more to come,
Liuda
Credits:
All photos were taken by Liuda Serohina