#5. Secrets, Serendipity and Snickelways

Secrets, serendipity and snickelways - how important could they be in urban planning?

There are a number of important things when it comes to urban planning - transports, affordable housing, quality of life, urban design, governance, wealth distribution...and so the list goes on. Understandably, these were taught at most universities across the world. Many would agree the boredom and limitations of our modern life but very few see through its limitations, even fewer remember the times when great things happened in the streets, when secrets went on from one house to another, when countless serendipitous meetings happened at a corner café. Once a while, we encounter snippets of these in fables, fairy tales or in historical and fantasy films. Secrets, serendipity and snickelways have become so etched in folklore and human imaginations that they fulfill the role as an escape route for many people dissatisfied with the limitations of 'modern' urban realm, either with a pack of popcorn on hand or with a cup of coffee on the table.

Snickelways of York, a human-scale street fit for serendipitous encounters and fulfill human imaginations.

Today, only a handful of us could remember the true meanings behind secrets, serendipity and snickelways in a city. In fact, few lecturers from the university have given enough thought on these elements. Politicians don't seem to care about them, developers were told to follow what the planning codes require them to build or they will face legal encumbrance. The limitations of our current legislation and planning codes are surmounting, to the extent these perceived 'archaic' urban elements have been unduly swept under the carpet. Even if they exist, they would understandably be protected by the national heritage laws and exist in pockets around the world, such as the snickelways of York, the streets of Fez and the hutongs of Beijing.

Streets in Fez, Morocco shows the crystallisation of human ingenuity on providing safety surveillance, creative expressions and a platform for human connections.

Since the turn of the 20th century, predictability, uniformity, regulations, setbacks, motorways and zoning have triumphed over surprises, spontaneity, human-scale, alleyways and mixed-use environment. The fading themes of secrets, serendipity and snickelways had an enormous impact on human imaginations and mental health. The worsening mental health statistics is one indication. Understandably, zoning is created to protect citizens from undesirable environmental pollution and contagious diseases brought by industrial revolution and high urban density. However, the urban realm today has become so dictated by zoning to the extent zoning is a problem itself. It forces people to drive long distance from residential areas to commercial/industrial areas to work, it encourages urban expansion and energy usage, which in turns, created endless environmental problems which proponents of zoning vowed not to in the very first place. Why would planners create this difficult situation that they themselves have to then remedy? Could there be a different way to deal with the issue?

Humans seek imaginations in a city which bequeaths history. Shown here is the city of Zhenyuan in Guizhou, China.

By countless trials and errors, cities today have developed sophisticated technologies and accumulated innovative strategies to mitigate the environmental externalities brought by mixed-use developments and high-density urban neighbourhoods. What were seen as competing, impossible interests before may not necessarily be so today. For many centuries, humans prefer to live in a city full of secrets where history nourishes the vast desert of monotonous routine and where untold haunted stories brought countless excitements to its citizens. Humans are proven to be friendlier to strangers in a human-scale alleyway rather than seeing strangers next to a motorway. Businesses thrive in the quaint little streets and snickelways have proven to be more psychologically welcoming than the sterile motorways where there is a need for speed. Cities have proven to be more resilient if they were designed to be human-scale. However, many cities have undergone a complete overhaul since the 20th century to serve economic growth. That say, a city can only function with sufficient transport accessibility and connectivity - the providence of efficient transport and communication networks. However, a city should never be dictated by motorways till the extent walkability and the rest of interesting snippets of life it entails be taken out of the equation, leaving the citizens in anguish.

A human-scale street in Kaz, Turkey, built before the advent of automobile. Such streets were once prolific as many lost their essence after being retrofitted for automobile uses.

Perhaps, it is time to rightfully reclaim the human-scale urban environment humans have perfected for millennia for the scientifically proven benefits of 'Quality of Life'. Arguably, human-scale streets, medium-high density neighbourhoods, mixed-use urban environment and places where socialisation could take place, i.e. plazas, bridges, riverfront and marketplace, provide too many benefits to be ignored. Adding secrets, serendipity and snickelways to the urban environment dictated by motorways is not an awkward but logical solution we have arrived upon. A mixture of urban forms, not a boring suburbanisation of the primate city, is in dire need.

The challenges brought by the supposedly 'scientific' planning codes in the 20th century has reached a health epidemic - rising suicide rates and mental illnesses. Urban planners, who inherited the European enlightenment tradition believed vestiges from the past should be extinguished but later found themselves to be handicapped by taking a left wing position to social betterment. The entire system of urban planning has to be reflected upon. Planners from the developing countries have long imported ideals from the developed world. Why are people depressed despite rising living standards? There is no concrete answer to this but could it be the way our cities operate and function? Is it because it is too automotive-oriented instead of human-scale? Very likely. So how will urban planners balance accumulated logic (i.e. human-scale environment) and modern science (i.e. the urban planning profession since 1890s)? This is definitely a question which will long captivate the current and future generations of practising urban planners.

#Futuretypicalcities #Humanscale