The theory
argues that that if multiple needs, whether emotional, financial, physical, or
other, lead to a similar course of action, then the action must be valid.
My primary example
is urbanism. Responding to climate
change leads to urbanism. Adjusting to
peak oil leads to urbanism. Moving our
cities to a more financially sustainable basis leads to urbanism. Strengthening our economy leads to
urbanism. The commonality of those paths
can’t be coincidental. Urbanism must be
a profoundly pertinent answer for our time.
Nor must the
paths flow in a single direction.
Sometimes two truths can have a symbiotic relationship, each needing the
other to succeed. If one is true, then
the other must be equally true.
The “not so
big” work of Sarah Susanka has that kind of a symbiotic relationship with
urbanism. Susanka argues that many of us
desire more and more square feet in our homes, when what we really need is more
quality in the square feet we can afford.
So she offers design elements and strategies to add that quality. The quintessential Susanka house feels
livable, comfortable, and bigger than it really is.
Although one
can conceive of a “not so big” house on acreage, the “not so big” approach
achieves full fruition in an urban setting.
The design of a “not so big” home encourages use of the outside common
area, which is a stronger common area when urbanism is the adjoining land use. Meanwhile, urbanism is most successful when
people need less room to lead comfortable and fulfilling lives, with the greater
density creating the demographics that will support walkable businesses.
“Not so big”
needs urbanism. Urbanism needs “not so
big”. Urbanism is a fundamental truth
for the 21st century. Therefore, “not so
big” must also be a fundamental truth for the 21st century. Perhaps that proof wouldn’t pass the test of
a strict logician, but it works for me.
Susanka
spoke at the annual meeting of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU),
bouncing comfortably between her life path and her philosophy. I recommend listening to what she had to say. The talk is audio only, unless you count the
power point slides. The video is 72
minutes long, so requires an extended stay at your computer. But it offers a wealth of content for those
with patience. (If you must skip ahead,
Susanka doesn’t begin speaking until about 16 minutes in. However, the School Street project in
Libertyville, Illinois, which is presented during her introduction, is also worth
your attention.)
For those
lacking a free hour, I’ll offer highlights.
Transplanted as a child from an English village to Palos Verde, near Los
Angeles, Susanka learned early that not everyone could take a footpath to a
village grocery where one could chat with neighbors.
Carrying
that lesson into her profession, she became an architect who believed that architecture
should be about preparing an environment for living.
She argues
that we should be living better not bigger and that what we need are smaller, higher
quality homes. She suggests that we
want our dwellings to give us a feeling of home, but we keep looking for that
feeling by building bigger homes, which is the wrong place to look.
Susanka argues
that we have a notion of how we live, but that the notion is often unrelated to
the reality of our lives. (I’ve suggested
that suburbia is often driven by people buying homes suitable for elegant
Christmas parties and happy backyard barbecues, when their day-to-day life is actually
about helping with homework and doing laundry.
Indeed, many folks haven’t hosted a party in years.)
I’ve been a
fan of Susanka for over a decade. In
fact, I’m disappointed that I haven’t yet mentioned her name in this blog. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to
listen to her at CNU 21 and intend to begin incorporating her thoughts into
this blog. Until then, I suggest listening
to her. It’ll be worth your 72 minutes.
As always,
your questions or comments will be appreciated.
Please comment below or email me.
And thanks for reading. - Dave Alden (davealden53@comcast.net)
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