libraries as 'retail' space

I was struck by a recent article, How a New Dutch Library Smashed Attendance Records, by Cat Johnson at the online site Shareable, which nicely highlighted the potential of libraries as community centres. 

nieuwe bibliotheek - credit unknownThis was striking to me mainly because I view libraries in Bermuda as being an opportunity missed. I realise, though, much of it has to do with constrained budgets ($2.1 million in the 2014/2015 budget and probably lower still in the current year). In contrast, the Dutch clearly had ample funding available to them when devising a new approach to their library. 

Designers of the Dutch library, Nieuwe Bibliotheek, took the tack of treating it as retail space. A brilliant notion, in my opinion. Books are grouped by interest or topic, whether fiction or non-fiction. They are outward facing, as in a bookstore, encouraging you to browse. There's a cafe and comfortable sofas, in addition to the usual tables and chairs. Most important, the library is supported by a continuing programme of events. It is a destination with several reasons for you to visit, and visitors is exactly what Nieuwe Bibliotheek gets: 100,000 people in the first two months of its opening in 2010.

Can we do more in Bermuda? Probably. 'More' would involve a space that combined the childrens' library facility with the adult library. That way, parents and children could enjoy the facility together. It would have a 'drop in' centre element to it too. Legal clinics, for example, or job search services and the like could be based at the library. If you were thinking of where to meet up with a friend, the library would be one automatic option. Branches? Sure, in Somerset and St. George's. 

glen oaks branch library, queens, ny - credit unknownAre there summer job or after school work opportunities at my ideal library? Yes, absolutely. Instilling in our youth a love of reading is so important. Even the teen that's too cool for his shirt can disguise his love of books as a job.

An exhibit area or two would allow our many community groups to have a place and space for their message. Do you know what Transition Bermuda is doing? Have you heard of PechaKucha Nights?

Of course, you'll need to eat too, and a farm to table cafe would be amazing.

Are we doing any of this now? We might be. I have not been inspired to check out our library in years, and I'm a reader. However, I know we do have librarians who are a veritable fount of information. So let's build on that to create a greater connection to the community and make our library a vibrant place to be. As a centre of learning, an excellent library should not require debate.

What do you think?

not your usual urban planning work

It's a good idea, generally speaking, to look outside your usual environment to see what others are doing.

Mitchell Sipus is someone who is working in a realm that is quite foreign to us here in Bermuda. With graduate degrees in architecture, urban planning and refugee/migration studies, he has served as an advisor in Afghanistan and Somalia, both places in a pretty constant state of (re)construction. 

The range and depth of the challenges is quite something to even contemplate for those of us living and working on a coral reef-ringed island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

His blog, Humanitarian Space, provides insightful learning opportunities for planners and is well worth checking regularly. As he describes it, "In the humanitarian aid industry, a humanitarian space is a defined, politically neutral space within an area of conflict that allows humanitarian actors to assist populations in need with decreased levels of danger." The blog is a "...virtual space committed to ideas and dialogue on issues of conflict, stabilization, displacement, aid, and development."

The blog post, Archive: 9 Posts from HSpace that you wish you had read, links to a number of blog posts Sipus views as well worth a first/second look. I would agree.

image - sutika sipus

observations of a planning director #1

One year on from my return to the Bermuda Department of Planning in June 2013, I do have some observations to share. 

Aspects of the planning profession have changed a lot in the past decade or so. Actually, urban planning began changing more than ten years ago – as, indeed, it should – but our professional institutes seemed slow to catch on. (And I’m not sure whether planning educators could even be considered ‘current’ at this point.) 

What changed? Community engagement now goes beyond town hall meetings and open houses. There are tools such as MindMixer and Neighborland to gauge public opinion and obtain constructive input and feedback. Charettes, traditionally used by architects to brainstorm design solutions, can help focus planning priorities and develop a consensus on options. 

seaside, fl, early new urbanism. image - steve brookeWhat else? ‘Walkable city’ is a movement that began, slowly, at the nexus of new urbanism and transit-oriented development back in the nineties. When planners put an emphasis on pedestrians, it can reap benefits across a goodly spectrum of our daily lives. You can end up with better sidewalks, slower traffic, improved health and increased economic activity. 

Tactical urbanism, newer still, is a form of community building through people-focussed interventions where residents take matters into their own hands. They don’t wait for planners to do a study or conduct a survey; they see a need and address it. This is a tool planners are beginning to latch onto as well. Useful where the ‘powers that be’ are slow to recognise and act upon opportunities to improve a neighbourhood. 

So, is Bermuda keeping pace with these examples of new directions in urban planning? Partly, yes. With development of the new City Plan, traditional community engagement efforts were mixed with newer methods of outreach to help guide strategy and policies. I suspect there will be more experimentation with, and additions to, the engagement toolbox. Apart from anything else, it’s fun! 

The walkable city is a tougher nut to crack. In Bermuda, there is a perception that parking must occur as closenew york, ny, #1 walkable us city. image - walkscore as possible to one’s final destination, which results in an emphasis on cars rather than pedestrians. Tools such as Walk[YourCity] may help to restructure the odd and negative reaction to walking anywhere – apart from the E2E! – that Bermudians seem to have. 

As for tactical urbanism, Ms Simmons on Ewing Street demonstrated quite well how to take matters into her own hands! In this case, her purpose was to save existing trees in a neighbourhood rather than a guerilla action to plant new trees. 

In all, as I indicated when I got this job, I would like to see productive collaborations between the Department of Planning and those having a sincere interest and/or investment in our island, and I don’t mean only developers and homeowners. There is room at the planning table for artists, environmental stewards, students, entertainers, hoteliers – anyone, really. We can use the new directions of the planning profession to devise and realise all sorts of collaborations that improve Bermuda for everyone.