| | Introduction: Framing the Discussion |
Transcript of Bill Dennis and Stefanos Polyzoides introduction to Council IV, (independently published), Santa Fe, NM
Transcription by Jason Miller
(independent)
October 18, 2002
[View the pdf]
“…So we’re here and we’re talking about trying to change the codes. And we think we have the best ideas…”– Bill Dennis, in his introduction to the Council IV
[BEGIN TAPE]
Bill Dennis:
. . . those of you who have come to the councils before, we’ve had three of them before: two in Charleston and one in Santa Fe. They’ve always been involved in showing projects and critiquing them in terms of design. In Miami, at the Congress, everyone really felt that the pressing issue right now is codes. So we’re changing the format a bit from our previous councils, and we’re really focusing on codes: various codes that have been implemented, proposed—with the idea that we’ll try to get to the end of this on Sunday with some kind of consensus, in some way, to proceed into the future. So I encourage you to share all of the information that you’ve brought; we will have boards when we move over to the next venue, where you can post codes if you’ve brought them, so people can see them.
And I really encourage you to discuss things as much as possible. This isn’t a series of set presentations, although this morning there will be some; the point of this is discussion. And as we move over to the next one this afternoon, we’ll all be in chairs; we won’t be in an auditorium like this, so it will be much easier. So we are somewhere here—this is an old map of Santa Fe. This afternoon we’ll be going over here to the Santuario de Guadalupe, and on Sunday morning we’ll be at the rail yard, which is over here.
Just to quickly go through the schedule, so everyone knows where they’re going, what’s happening: That’s me. Stefanos will talk a little bit about how we should frame the discussion this weekend and the things to think about. And then Paul Crawford will talk a bit about use-based sprawl codes and how we got into this mess, and what are all the components that we have to deal with. Then Peter Katz and Geoff Ferrell will talk about form-based codes. Then we’ll have a short lunch: Try to eat someplace quick, because I wouldn’t want you to miss—there’s the Santuario, by the way, so you’ll recognize it when you see it—John Reps, who, if you don’t know who he is, is sort of the preeminent urban historian in this country. He’ll be talking about new urbanism in the 13th century, which is more relevant than you might think. From 2:30 to 5:00, we have the CNU Codes project, telling us what they’ve been up to and all the different codes they’ve been looking at. Then we’ll have a margarita break. Then the engineers will inform us on what mischief they’ve been up to with AASHTO standards. And then dinner on your own.
Tomorrow again is at the Santuario. Andres will present the SmartCode. After that is everybody giving a smart response—not a smart-ass response, but a smart response—to the SmartCode. Then we have lunch from 12:00 to 1:00. And then Basim Hakim is talking about 5th century codes. It may seem like we’re going backwards, but . . . and then the afternoon session is some cities that have adopted or are in the process of adopting codes, which they’ll talk about. And then the train—that is dinner. The station is a couple blocks from the Santuario, and that’ll leave right at 5:30. It’s about an hour and a half; there’s bartenders on the cars. And then we’ll go out there: It’s outdoors, but there will be patio heaters and a campfire, and you can sit on the train if you get cold. But that should be a really good chance to discuss things. That’s the station, so you’ll recognize that.
And then on Sunday we’re gonna meet in a warehouse space and just talk, just discuss this. Paul Crawford and Gianni Longo and Ellen (Greenberg) will help frame the discussion and summarize what we’ve talked about over the weekend. And we hope to come to some kind of resolution by the end. You have a map on the back of your schedule: Here we are right now, there’s the Santuario, and the railyard performance space is down here.
When I told somebody about this council and I said I was inviting a hundred planners, they said, “Well, it sounds like a hundred monkeys, trying to type and come up with Shakespeare.” Maybe we’ll get lucky: We actually have some really incredible monkeys here—sorry Patrick (Siegman).
So we’re here and we’re talking about trying to change the codes. And we think we have the best ideas, but we don’t know—we don’t know the implications of the codes we’re putting in place. So who’s involved in changing the codes? It’s a pretty motley cast of characters. There’s the architects and the wonderful buildings they come up with. The planners. Engineers. Lawyers—sorry Joel. And developers. Politicians—an exciting group of people. And the public—actually, that’s being generous, I think.
So, in the ’40s and ’50s, this is what codes promised: This is a magazine from 1942—a lovely, lovely image of bucolic countryside, but this is what was delivered. And the same codes are everywhere, whether it’s a big one or a small one, it’s the same code. And we know what the problem is. But what’s the solution? This is what we’ve come up with so far: Is this the solution? Well, maybe that’s a little extreme, and plus, it’s too hard to hit.
So what direction do we go? We know that regulations are necessary; for instance, we have use-based codes—this office building—and you can see the difference, and this is very important when we go to form-based codes. But it’s not quite sufficient. So the big question here is, can we change our lifestyle, reduce our dependence on driving—and this has a lot to do with the engineers—or will we end up with all roads? I’ve been there; that’s a nice place, by the way. And then there’s the whole issue of how we integrate nature. We need to respect nature, but the human habitat as well. This sign: This is from an Italian magazine and it says “Natural Reserve for Humans. Please don’t disturb the excellent specimens.”
We don’t expect utopia, just a good place to live. And this—I love this cartoon, from The New Yorker: “Map of Sorghum Corners, Ohio.” And the neighborhoods are “Midtown,” “Upper West Side,” “Upper East Side,” “Helen’s Kitchen,” “Tri-Belm” (triangle below elm), “Shopper’s Village Mall, a.k.a., ‘The Village,’” “No-Pine” (north of pine), “So-Pine,” (south of pine), “So-Map” (south of maple), “Little Canada,” and “Finlandtown.” So we need these kinds of places that have that kind of diversity.
So I just wanted to thank, before we proceed, the Council sponsors, including yourselves. There’s the McCune Foundation, which is a New Mexico foundation, which gave a generous grant. The Great American Station Foundation, who is taking care of the registration. The Knight Foundation, which again will support the publication of the Council Report. HUD. Enterprise Foundation. Aldea de Santa Fe, and Arthur Fields, who is generously providing the breakfasts. SOM, who came through with a nice check. Santa Fe Southern Railroad, who gave us a great deal. Los Poblanos, who is putting up some of the people here.
So, I think that’s it for me. And, the next person talking will be Stefanos (Polyzoides), about framing the discussion.
(applause)
Stefanos Polyzoides:
Thank you, Bill. I’m not sure we can have a council after that introduction!
A few brief announcements: Bill has decided to organize this Council and hopefully John will follow, in the spirit of the ???Tertillium Dictum, that there is no issue before the empire that will not be discussed without a full house. As you remember, St. Stephens, in London, was born, the House of Commons, and the modernists wanted to rebuild it so they could seat every deputy of the British Parliament. I think only two-thirds can sit; the other third stands. And that’s the issue today; I think most of you cannot see the fact that there’s a full house standing, in the back. So we’re being really successful; what we’re going to talk about today is truly crucial.
Secondly, I appreciate the fact that finally, Bill procured a pulpit for Andres; we’re going to be meeting in a Santuario! And I think that if the SmartCode that DPZ has authored will not pass from the perspective of Catholic authority, I’m not sure how it will ever be implemented. So Andres, you have two hours to make that happen.
This is not meant to be an introduction to the Council as much as an introduction to Paul Crawford. I would like to say, nonetheless, a few words about the nature of the Councils and the nature of this one.
There is no activity that is more important to the CNU than coming together twice per year to discuss burning questions of interest to all of us, that are also central to the movement. Increasingly, we are not going to be judged by whether we founded or witnessed the foundation, or led the organization in its beginnings, or attended every Congress, or are doing great work individually. Increasingly, we are going to be judged by the work of each other. What that means, in essence, is that our individual thoughts and deeds are going to be at least as important as the automatic pilots under which we are all operating. And I can assure you there’s not enough lifetime left in any of us to fight the battle of changing the world. So, as an aspect of my waning days as chair of the board of the CNU, I have argued that we need to take on the transportation dilemma and the codes dilemma as a first opportunity to actually begin to develop common tools and common understandings that are going to drive us decidedly forward.
So this meeting is about attempting to bring our disparate practices and our disparate thoughts into some kind of order, while at the same time hearing our colleagues who are laboring on the transportation front, give us a summary of their work, so that in December and through the rest of the year, we’ll be able to join with them in pushing that frontier forward as well.
The question of interacting and the question of being together and laboring on particular issues and projects is of great significance. There is strength in that, that is far greater than simply partying together or getting to network together. And I want to believe that a group of 100 dedicated practitioners who know what they’re doing, in touch with each other, can truly, truly change the world. And I think the events of the last couple of years—the gatherings, the exchange of ideas, and the publications that come out of the Councils—I think amply support this kind of hope.
So we have a remarkable two and a half days in front of us, and I sincerely hope that we can work with each other to find a way to find a way to proceed, at least on the code front, in a relatively unified way. |
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