Over the past decades, many European cities and towns undertook robust and sympathetic revitalization programs within their historic centers. By transforming narrow, picturesque streets into human-friendly environments—often restricting vehicular access to the city centers—the notion of a pedestrian zone was re-invented; at least in contemporary terms, as I am not sure that medieval streets were places of visual or olfactic charm.
The urban flaneur
As change is implemented, there is much delight and some resistance, but overall citizens welcome improvements in the quality of their public spaces. The ability to stroll city centers at a leisurely pace offers members of the community and visitors alike, an experience that does not set a value on time. Perhaps this will necessitate a change in the public’s attitude toward time, a commodity that society no longer seems to enjoy, seemingly unable to appreciate “free time” beyond surfing an iPhone.
Today’s idea of an urban promenade is almost a bygone ritual, one that was called in France le Flâneur, and in Italy LaPasseggiatta, both part of a Latin culture of strolling, idling, and people-watching. This archetype of an urban experience is often associated with the concept of modernity despite its origins dating to the 16th or 17th centuries. This urban ritual is chronicled in literature by authors Victor Hugo (1802–1885) and Walter Benjamin (1892–1940), and by artists Gustave Caillebotte (1848–1894), Jean Beraud (1849-1935) and other impressionist painters. (see above images)
In modern revitalizations, streets and plazas regain their social identity by providing a place for:
- the exchange of recent family news
- the enjoyment of friends around a habitual apéritif at a corner café (interesting to note that many cafés and bakeries were traditionally located at street corners, while today, gas stations and ATM machines sell their respective commodities at these locations -seemingly a radical change in our value system!)
- the display of one’s social status, or simply to remain an acute observer of town life from the sidelines
The use of these new spaces requires from architects, landscape architects and urban designers, the revisiting of a fundamental question: How does one activate a public space by giving it a sense of publicness? What does this mean and how may one achieve this lofty goal?
Wittenberg
The charming German town of Wittenberg (a UNESCO World Heritage site often called Lutherstadt Wittenberg) is located 50 miles south of Berlin and is home to two renowned historic sites. First, the cathedral where the Protestant Reformation took hold after Martin Luther (1483-1546) famously posted his Ninety-Five Thesis, and second, the home—now museum—of famed Northern Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553). The above images illustrate the artist’s style and his depiction of his contemporary Martin Luther as well as mythical figures.
Upon entering the medieval town during my visit, I was greeted by simple houses and elegant patrician homes that defined both narrow and broad streetscapes. Few contemporary interventions were visible, perhaps because the city had been for so long under the control of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), a communist state that governed the region between 1949 and 1990; a situation of isolation that was exacerbated during the Cold War.
GRD (German Democratic Republic)
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the end of the division termed by Winston Churchill the Iron Curtain, many of the untouched houses (spared from much of the damages inflicted on German cities at the end of WWII and later by the lack of interest under the GDR) were now beautifully restored and painted in various tones of pink, yellow, green, and blue, in addition to the non-descript color schemes left over from the GDR. This beautification gave the city an historic and scenic appeal, which translated into increased tourism.
During my visit I discovered something of great interest, namely the countless textures of pavement throughout the streets and public squares. While pedestrians typically do not spend time gazing down and admiring street pavements, Wittenberg had judicially orchestrated a unifying and innovative way-finder throughout the city. The visual strategy in defining areas of movement and repose was accompanied by celebrating the below-ground stream that runs parallel to the main street. Subtle changes within the pavement guide pedestrians from place to place while creating areas for public activities. There is such delight at all scales, from the public (street and plaza) to the semipublic (outside cafes and restaurants with terraces).
Image 5: Pavements in Wittenberg (Author’s collection)
Pavements
Cobblestones of different sizes, textures, layouts (gridded or fan like), and colors (including various grout colors) interconnect geometrically with larger polished granite tiles and occasional pea gravel. There is a hierarchy in this diversity and it is accomplished by the incorporation of mundane urban utility covers for gas, water, and electricity, while providing for drainage systems and urban fixtures such as tree grates, trash cans, light posts, urban benches, and bicycle stands.
Even select door entrances receive special treatment as part of a textured pattern that differentiates sidewalks from roadways, all treated within the same horizontal surface to allow equal rights for citizens regardless of their mobility as they enjoy moving through the city. Conversely, this subtle treatment in the lack of definition between sidewalk and vehicular traffic suggests drivers are more aware of their surroundings, as spaces are shared and no longer strongly defined. For the urban flaneur, feet and mind work in sinc, and the pedestrian is left to appreciate the visual pleasure of being curious while walking the city without inhibition or fear.
Image 6: Pavements in Wittenberg (Author’s collection)
Of particular note, is the city’s attention to the resurrection of an existing stream as part of the visual path throughout much of Schlosstraße and Collegianstraße. Not unique in their intention—many cities revive water features that were previously covered due to the insalubrity of their earlier function as an open sewer—Wittenberg does it in an innovative manner by including this urban feature as part of the pedestrian’s visual, auditive, and functional experience.
Here again, hierarchy is given in the spatial and textural treatment of the edges of the stream, while providing moments to cross, or even to encourage the pedestrian to descend closer to the water. A modest viewing area brings a moment of intimacy in understanding how the city worked hundreds of years ago.
Conclusion
The above descriptions are about both simple and complex patterns created by pavement, and while they may be considered solely aesthetic, mundane, or worse, frivolous, I believe that they are important, as they contribute to an urban environment where open spaces are no longer simply voids—empty places that are not conducive to attracting activities.
On the contrary, the geometries, textures, and sequencing of visual hierarchies “intentionally” promote successful places for people, and “casually” guide them from place to place, where they may congregate, enjoy the shade or sun, or simply be attracted by the outside sitting area of a restaurant. Pavement, if done well, defines spaces and transitions, punctuates our urban experience, and invites us to create—by the simple act of our presence—something special that defines the publicness of a place and not simply a public space.
Wittenberg’s success in creating important moments for public activities were done elegantly and modestly and should be inspirational as we venture forward in transforming America’s downtowns.
Postscript
While I stated that there were few modern interventions in the city, I remember confronting two majestic doors. One neglected and another that had received particular attention in renovation. This modest intervention, accomplished with such inventiveness both at the scale of the architecture and of the human, was refreshing. This was a reminder of the importance of architecture to partake in a historical lineage where the attention to program and detailing is reinvented on a daily basis.
Architecture Education: lessons from vernacular architecture—inventing verse re-inventing
Casa Rezzonico by Livio Vacchini, Switzerland
Door Locks in Corripo, Switzerland
For additional images, visit Pavings