The idea of community is embodied within town squares and plazas. They protect and nourish the interaction of community members and their activities. They promote a sense of belonging without the stigma of having to contribute financially.
Being a new
city in a relatively new country, Brisbane has fewer of these spaces than the
many historical cities of Europe. This creates an issue of the normalcy of
public interaction and external environment driven anxiety. As you can see
walking down any street in Brisbane, people are guarding themselves from
interaction using technology; texting their friends, listening to music,
browsing social networking sites. This reduces the ability for open spaces to
be enjoyably active within Brisbane. This anxiety is brought on by a general lack of personal security and inner peace to exist without doing something. Many would rather enjoy a day of shopping and eating rather than simply interacting within a community. The egocentric nature of the individual should be changed to a desire to interact and include rather than inversion and disinterest.
 |
| Photos taken in Reggio Emelia, Italy |
No comments:
Post a Comment