Everyone in LA should have an equal opportunity of being eaten by a mountain lion
MIT Media Lab, 8th April 2011
In accepting the 2011 Kevin Lynch Award at MIT, Randy Hester gave a provocative speech about the enduring importance of urban design. Here is my tweetroll from the event.
18:06
At the 2011 Kevin Lynch Award Ceremony @MIT Media Lab, intro by Andres Sevtsuk.
18:30
Randolph T. Hester wins Kevin Lynch Award @MIT – giving powerful talk abt risks of virtual capital that doesn’t care for “place”. #urbanism
18:34
RH – everyone may not care about greenhouse gases but everyone cares about #nature – concern for nature is the gateway to ecologicalism.
18:38
RH – there is a paradox btwn ecology & democracy and a need to harness the paradox, leading to new, recombinant urban/ecological aesthetics.
18:40
RH – it’s not about designing urban or landscape but both. Everyone in LA should have an equal opportunity of being eaten by a mountain lion.
18:44
RH – the most important map to make is of the community’s “sacred places”, typically including a centre and a natural boundary. #urbanism
18:46
RH – conflict is the most valuable form of creativity, more valuable than policy or humour. #urbanism
18:49
RH – second most important map to make is the Power Map – showing the interconnectivities between the key players. #urbanism
18:52
RH – native wisdom combined with abstract ecological theory is very powerful and only comes from including people in the process. #urbanism
19:04
Randolph T Hester defines sustainability: “enabling form, sustainable form and impelling form” – utilitas, firmitas, venustas? #urbanism
19:13
RH responds to #RTPI president: it would be really unfortunate for UK regional govt to be abolished – scares the bejeezus out of me. #planning
19:15
Randolph T Hester – we need to plan around watersheds – why we need regional #planning.
The power of the network 