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How to Make an Attractive City

Only a few cities in the world are truly beautiful—and none of them were built in recent history. At least, that’s what folks at the YouTube channel The School of Life say. In their video “ How to Make an Attractive City ,” they lay out six fundamental rules cities need to be beautiful. Below is a summary of their urban vision, and a response about what they get wrong.

Not Too Chaotic; Not Too Ordered

An ordered city has balance, symmetry, and repetition. When it’s a mess, it feels like no one is in charge—like a skyscraper springing out of a low-density neighborhood—while excessive repetition is harsh and bleak.

Cities should seek order and variety to create organized complexity. The city of Telc in the Czech Republic, for example, requires that every home is the same width and height but they are allowed to vary in form and color, allowing passersby to focus on a few key differences without being over stimulated.

Visible Life

Modern cities are filled with brutal, anonymous office buildings on dead streets connected by cold freeways. There is no life or activity on the ground, even as colorful ideas percolate inside.

The streets we love are alive with activity. They are filled with people and lined with transparent storefronts that allow us to see people at work.

Imagine if a pipeline were placed across a scenic river—people would throw a fit ( and they have ). But the Roman aqueduct isn’t upsetting because it blends functionality with a beautiful form. It’s not the pipe we hate, but the ugliness.

We’re under the illusion that we want to live alone. “More and more people,” they say, “tuck themselves away in a private realm—and it’s been a disaster. It’s become deadly, cold, boring, and very, very wasteful on the environment.”

Beautiful cities have bustling public squares where people can drink coffee or read the newspaper. These squares should be intimate and enclosed enough to feel like an extension of your home, but large enough to give us relief from our cozy private quarters. They even offer an ideal size: 30 meters across. If it’s too large, we feel dislocated and out of proportion—you should be able to recognize a face across the square. It should feel contained, but not claustrophobic.

Orientation and mystery

We need small back streets to feel cozy and get lost with wide boulevards to help us navigate and establish a sense of place.

Close proximity to our neighbors is also important, since people are nicer when they’re always a bit on display.

The showpieces of a city show our priorities as a society—and currently it’s giant towers housing even bigger corporations. Often cities are known for their most iconic skyscrapers—be it the Sears Tower in Chicago, Chrysler Building in New York, or Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. The big things show what we want because they demand our attention.

We should reserve the honor to symbols of our higher priorities. “Towers have to be worthy of their prominence. They must be aligned with our best ambitions and long term needs.” That’s why they propose a general height limit of five-stories with dense, compact development.

Make it Local

Each city has its own culture, character, strengths, and weaknesses. They should connect their character with distinctive local materials and forms. In Seattle, that might mean rich cedars and local sandstone. Setting a distinctive character gives a city a sense of place and a unique identity. If a city is too generic, there is no reason to live, work, or visit it over any other city.

The Two Main Obstacles

First, an intellectual confusion about beauty. “We think that no one has a right to say what’s beautiful and what’s ugly.” But this type of relativism is dangerous, and leaves the community vulnerable to the aesthetic whims of each developer.

We know which cities are beautiful, and we can tell by the crowds of tourists they attract. So we ought to develop a scientific approach to beauty and enforce it through government regulation.

That leads us to the second obstacle: a lack of political will. We’ve given over the responsibility to build beautiful cities to private corporations. “Beautiful cities have only ever been created when cities impose strict and ambitious regulations,” they claim.

The goal of building is to make us not regret the nature that’s been lost. People need to decide on their local flavor of beauty and gather the political will to enforce it. That’s how we’ll build the next beautiful city.

What they get wrong

The proposal suffers from tunnel vision—it sacrifices function for beauty, it forsakes the variety it claims is essential to good living, and it shoehorns other essential traits of great cities under an aesthetic umbrella.

Cities are human habitat. They need to be healthy, productive, enriching, and functional—not just beautiful. Active and bustling streets are important because they build strong economies, offer mental and social stimulation, and provide a density that makes public investments worthwhile. It’s hard to say a bustling street is beautiful, per se, and even harder to say it’s important primarily for that reason.

Most great cities did not arise from ambitious regulations, but rather formed organically over hundreds of years. It’s overly strict regulation that can stifle the complexity and variety that give a city its beauty and function. Regulations are great at keeping the worst of urban planning at bay. But they’re not responsible for bringing the best either. Many zoning laws are responsible for the very auto-oriented dead zones that the video decries in modern cities.

In talking about scale, they’re right in asserting that density looks and functions best when focused rather than peppered through a city. A skyscraper can stick out like a sore thumb in a low-rise neighborhood—like the 33-story First Hill Plaza that sparked a sharp community response and new zoning legislation. But the solution isn’t to enact five-story height limits. It’s to create and expand the urban village model that Seattle has become famous for. It’s to put density where it belongs.

Finally, cities must provide varying levels of activity and privacy for their residents. Many seek out urban environments for their bubbling activity and social nature. But some will always need and want a quiet, private place to relax and recharge. It is unfounded to say that we all secretly like being on display to our neighbors. And a city that operates on this assumption will be an unattractive home to many.

The video does a service in making the case for beautiful cities. Too often beauty can be lost to function, leading to soulless and uninspiring cities that leave people feeling lost and disconnected. But a beautiful city without function is its own vice. Finding a balance and respecting the variety of ways that can be achieved is the formula for a great city.

Ben Crowther

Ben is a Seattle area native, living with his husband downtown since 2013. He started in queer grassroots organizing in 2009 and quickly developed a love for all things political and wonky. When he’s not reading news articles, he can be found excitedly pointing out new buses or prime plots for redevelopment to his uninterested friends who really just want to get to dinner. Ben served as The Urbanist's Policy and Legislative Affairs Director from 2015 to 2018 and primarily writes about political issues.

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How to make a city great

What makes a great city? It is a pressing question because by 2030, 5 billion people—60 percent of the world’s population—will live in cities, compared with 3.6 billion today, turbocharging the world’s economic growth. Leaders in developing nations must cope with urbanization on an unprecedented scale, while those in developed ones wrestle with aging infrastructures and stretched budgets. All are fighting to secure or maintain the competitiveness of their cities and the livelihoods of the people who live in them. And all are aware of the environmental legacy they will leave if they fail to find more sustainable, resource-efficient ways of managing these cities.

To understand the core processes and benchmarks that can transform cities into superior places to live and work, McKinsey developed and analyzed a comprehensive database of urban economic, social, and environmental performance indicators. The research included interviewing 30 mayors and other leaders in city governments on four continents and synthesizing the findings from more than 80 case studies that sought to understand what city leaders did to improve processes and services from urban planning to financial management and social housing.

The result is How to make a city great (PDF–2.1MB), a new report arguing that leaders who make important strides in improving their cities do three things really well:

They achieve smart growth. Smart growth identifies and nurtures the very best opportunities for growth, plans ways to cope with its demands, integrates environmental thinking, and ensures that all citizens enjoy a city’s prosperity. Good city leaders also think about regional growth because as a metropolis expands, they will need the cooperation of surrounding municipalities and regional service providers. Integrating the environment into economic decision making is vital to smart growth: cities must invest in infrastructure that reduces emissions, waste production, and water use, as well as in building high-density communities.
They do more with less. Great cities secure all revenues due, explore investment partnerships, embrace technology, make organizational changes that eliminate overlapping roles, and manage expenses. Successful city leaders have also learned that, if designed and executed well, private–public partnerships can be an essential element of smart growth, delivering lower-cost, higher-quality infrastructure and services.
They win support for change. Change is not easy, and its momentum can even attract opposition. Successful city leaders build a high-performing team of civil servants, create a working environment where all employees are accountable for their actions, and take every opportunity to forge a stakeholder consensus with the local population and business community. They take steps to recruit and retain top talent, emphasize collaboration, and train civil servants in the use of technology.

Mayors are only too aware that their tenure will be limited. But if longer-term plans are articulated—and gain popular support because of short-term successes—leaders can start a virtuous cycle that sustains and encourages a great urban environment.

Download the full report, How to make a city great (PDF–2.1MB).

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What makes a great city great public spaces. and these 6 rules, insights : oct. 3, 2016 urban planning, a new book explains the six steps needed to create amazing spaces..

What makes a great city? The answer is easy, says renowned urban planner Alex Garvin. The public realm.

"Streets, squares, parks," Garvin said, explaining what he meant at a lecture in Houston last week. "It's what belongs to us ."

Garvin's new book, What Makes a Great City is a guide (not a question), featuring iconic public plazas, green spaces, boulevards and other areas that have inspired Garvin over the years.

Garvin's ideas are worth paying attention to, given his illustrious career creating beautiful spaces. He helped plan Atlanta's iconic BeltLine of urban parks around the city. In New York, he oversaw planning for the city's 2012 Olympic bid, which paved the way for new parks along the city's waterfront.

Today, he argues, three cities in particular -- Minneapolis, Madrid and London -- are the leading examples of creating amazing spaces in the public realm. But Garvin, who spoke at a Kinder Institute lecture last week, argued that those amazing spaces don't come out of nowhere. Each of them, he said, has six specific characteristics. And any other effort by lawmakers or advocates to create amazing spaces in their own communities would be wise to ensure their projects uphold those six tenets too.

1. It must be open to anyone.

The easy example of this is a public park, but plazas, some offices and even subways fit the bill. One of Garvin's favorite examples is the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca, Spain. "People come to the Plaza Mayor from all over Salamanca because it is overwhelmingly identifiable, accessible, safe and easy to use," Garvin writes in his book. "It accommodates people of different goals, backgrounds, and reasons to be there."

2. It has something for everybody.

One of Garvin's favorite public spaces is New York City's Bryant Park. In addition to shops selling crafts and art, it has a restaurant, a cafe, an ice skating rink in the winter and a summer movie program. No matter what you're looking for, Garvin says, you can probably find it at Bryant Park.

3. It can attract and maintain demand.

An attractive place will draw people from near and far away, Garvin writes. "Urbanization starts when property owners initiate development," Garvin said.

In the 1950s, retail shops along Vienna's Kärntner Straße were losing business, as customers lost interest in the noisy, polluted area dominated by cars. Retail opportunities expanded and even more customers arrived once the city cut off the street from vehicular traffic and turned it into an open-air pedestrian mall. The technique has turned the street into one of Vienna's leading destinations.

4. It needs a framework for urbanization, to allow for surrounding development.

In St. Petersburg, streets were aligned so that they'd lead to to the city's Admiralty building, which is one of the city's most conspicuous landmarks. It provides a useful framework for pedestrians. "In a great city, once people arrive at their destination, they must be able to orient themselves and then get to the other places they wish to visit.... stop along the way ... and move around easily throughout the public realm," Garvin writes.

In St. Petersburg's case, the Admiralty building supports both a symbolic and actual link to the West via its access along the Neva River; the city quickly grew outwards from that point.

5. It needs to be a sustainable, livable environment.

By this, Garvin means, great places are designed for people, taking into account all their human needs. That means they have fresh air, a lack of noise and trash, and plenty of shade, if necessary.

In his book, he touts the San Antonio River Walk as a prime example of those principles in action. Originally, it was the result of a flood mitigation effort by the city in the early 20th century that today has evolved into the state's most popular tourist attraction. "This ... demonstrates that though many conceptualize environmental remediation as opposed to economic development, improving the public realm can unite the two," Garvin writes.

6. It needs to nurture a civil society.

Cities can be chaotic places, but somehow, great public spaces seem to bring out the best in people. Or maybe it's the other way around: when people act gallantly, they can create amazing spaces. Either way, amazing public spaces are taken care of by the people and businesses who use them, and the governments responsible for overseeing them. And those who use the space are respectful.

For this example, Garvin is partial to New York's Grand Central Terminal. "Miraculously, hundreds of people rush around the great hall of Grand Central, only rarely bumping into one another or getting into an argument or fight," he writes.

And -- though he doesn't include it in his list of six rules -- there's another thing any city should keep in mind: great projects require lots of resources. "If you want to have a great city, you have to work at it," Garvin said. "It isn't done cheaply."

Ryan Holeywell

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Why Do We Love Paris but Hate Frankfurt? A Swiss Author’s Six Qualities of Beautiful Cities.

Courtesy of Luke Ma /Flickr

In “ How to Make an Attractive City ,” a new video from the School of Life , London-based Swiss writer Alain de Botton offers a cheeky, thought-provoking, six-point manifesto on the need for making beauty a priority in urban architecture and design.

“So few cities are nice,” de Botton, the founder of Living Architecture , a British organization that commissions leading architects to build holiday rental homes in the U.K., says in the video. “Very, very few out of many thousands are really beautiful. Embarrassingly, the more appealing ones tend to be old.”

We might be getting better at making things like cars, planes, and phones, he says, but we’re getting worse at building beautiful cities. De Botton, who authored The Architecture of Happiness and is a popular speaker , argues that the idea that beauty is subjective is a half-truth. Maybe we can’t wholly agree on what beauty is, but we all know ugly when we see it. And the world’s cities, plagued with developer-led building and a lack of government oversight and public exigence, are becoming increasingly soulless and unlivable, even as the world’s population becomes more urban.

Courtesy of melquiades1898 /Flickr

“We think that no one has a right to say what’s beautiful and what’s ugly,” de Botton says, noting that there are “good reasons” no one vacations in Frankfurt, Germany, or Birmingham, England. “[L]et’s stop being dangerously relativistic about this. Yes, there is such a thing as beauty. Sydney and San Francisco and Bath and Bordeaux have it, and most other places don’t. The proof lies in the tourist statistics. Let’s stop saying that beauty is just in the eye of the beholder. That’s just a gift to the next wealthy idiot who wants to put up a horrible tower.”

“It’s not a mystery why we like some cities so much better than others,” he says. “This is a manifesto about how to make attractive cities. There are six fundamental things a city needs to get right.”

Courtesy of Party Lin /Flickr

Order and Variety

Balance, symmetry, and repetition are pleasing to humans, de Botton argues. A love of order is one of the reasons people love Paris, he says.

But excessive order, he points out, “feels alien.” The key is to create the kind of “organized complexity” that comes from establishing parameters, like a square (above) in Telc, Czech Republic, where every house is the same width and height, allowing an orderly framework in which individual buildings can vary in form and color, creating the kind of character that we love in a neighborhood.

Visible Life

De Botton argues that people are happiest when they live in densely packed areas where the human comedy is on full display. Lively street life in neighborhoods full of activity makes us happiest, he says. But many modern cities are full of dead industrial zones and “brutally anonymous” office buildings cut off from street life.

Good cities are compact, de Botton says. Through the later decades of the 20 th century, the assumptions that humans don’t like living around one another and that making it means having your own plot of land in the suburbs led to isolation, soulless sprawl, and wasted resources. A compact city like Barcelona, Spain, uses a fraction of the energy of sprawling Phoenix, Arizona, de Botton argues.

All of the most beautiful compact cities have human-scaled squares where people can gather. Ideally, the squares are no more than 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter so that you can make out a person’s face on the other side—lest they become alienating. Squares give us a break from the confines of home and allow us to bask in the cheering company of others in uplifting surroundings, de Botton says. Yet nobody’s built a good square on the planet for decades, he says.

Courtesy of daryl_mitchell /Flickr

Orientation and Mystery

By definition cities are huge, but the best cities offer a mix of big and small streets. But too many cities prioritize vehicles over humans, de Botton says. A city should be easy to navigate for both humans and vehicles, with big boulevards for orientation and warrens of alleyways and small streets to allow us to wander and create a sense of mystery and exploration.

Modern cities are all about the big, de Botton says, but the ideal human scale is five stories high; anything more starts to make humans feel insignificant, small, and trivial. But our cities have been largely hijacked by commercial interests, he says, advocating that we stop making the collective mistake of allowing large corporations to hog the airspace in our cities, building shrines to industry rather than things we care about. “Towers have to be worthy of their prominence,” he says. “They must be aligned with our best interests and long-term needs.”

The deadening sameness of cities is a problem, de Botton says, emphasizing the need for cities to use locally sourced materials and build architecture that is born from the specific culture, climate, history, and social traditions of a given place.

For more details about de Botton’s manifesto, check out the video below:

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What makes a good city? Urban design, explained

First in a series of illustrated essays: Part 1: An introduction to urban design

“Why do the apartment buildings all look the same?”

“Why does South End look so boring?”

“Why is it so dense?”

“What about traffic?”

Questions like these have become common in Charlotte over the past several years. Charlotte neighborhoods such as Plaza Midwood, South End, Elizabeth and uptown have seen substantial redevelopment, and the quality of those projects has varied from very good to abysmal. Elected officials are tasked with approving or denying these projects, and to many observers, some decisions by the council and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission seem hard to understand.

I have sympathy for those appointed and elected officials. They are bombarded with conflicting opinions, hyped-up images from developers, real-estate jargon, and innumerable empty platitudes about “community, ” all while facing real community opposition to almost everything, and whether a good or a bad project makes little difference.

Amid this confusion, bias and hypocrisy, our appointed and elected officials are expected to distinguish objectively between good projects and bad ones. They should resist community opposition when it’s misplaced and withstand developers’ pressure to bend (or break) city policies so those developers can make more money. Elected officials are also supposed to ignore the large amounts of money developers contribute to their “war chests” for their campaigns. Within this maelstrom of conflict, our elected officials hold the ultimate power to grant or withhold legal rights on property. Their decisions alter the city’s landscape for decades – for better or worse.

The founder of London's The School of Life Alain de Botton features a manifesto that explains how to make attractive cities in 6 fundamental rules.

Not too chaotic, Not too orderly : The equilibrium between order and variety .
Visible life: The streets that are full life .
Compact: highly integrated and well order cities, the importance of squares in cities.
Orientation and mystery : The balance between big boulevards and small streets.
Scale: Cities must be compact and dense and its buildings should represent the ambitions and long term needs of citizens.
Make it local: Buildings shouldn't look the same anywhere as cities need to have strong characters. They need a style of architecture that makes their location specific.

The main obstacles that Botton presents for building beautiful cities are not economical issues but the lack of political will and the intellectual confusion around beauty. This situation results in the development of cities being in the hands of investors, leaving the design of the cities to the free market.

How to Make an Attractive City, by Alain de Botton

In this video, Alain de Botton – philosopher, author of ‘The Architecture and Happiness’ , and founder of The School of Life – explores how to make attractive cities. He highlights the importance of evidence-based design that takes beauty meanings into account. Intead of focusing solely on functionality, the secret for a great city is the balance between function and the city’s identity.

According to de Botton, the six fundamental rules for a great city are: 1. Not too chaotic, Not too orderly; 2. Visible life; 3. Compact; 4. Orientation and mystery; 5. Scale; 6. Make it local.

And here are some interesting quotes:

“The obstacles to building beautiful cities are not economic. Collectivelly we have money. We face two main problems: Firstly an intellectual confusion around beauty, and secondly lack of political will.” “Let’s not keep saying beauty is just in the eye of the beholder. That’s just a gift to the next wealthy idiot who wants to put up a horrible tower.” “Beautiful cities have only ever been created when governments impose strict and ambitious regulations to keep the greedy private guys in check. (…) When governments give up on beauty we start to hate all buildings.”

… And all this makes me think of the future of Christchurch, not with great hope.

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How to Make an Attractive City

We’ve grown good at making many things in the modern world – but strangely the art of making attractive cities has been lost. Here are some key principles for how to make attractive cities once again.

Source: www.youtube.com

While we can’t objectively measure beauty, in this video from the School of Life , London-based Swiss writer Alain de Botton offers a cheeky, thought-provoking, six-point manifesto on the need for making beauty a priority in urban architecture and design. Alain de Botton feels that tourism can be seen as helpful proxy variable for what the general public perceives as good urbanism that makes for beautiful cities. The six main points of this article are:

Order and Variety
Visible Life
Orientation and Mystery

Tags : urban , planning , urbanism , culture , architecture , tourism .

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How to make an attractive city

We’ve grown good at making many things in the modern world – but strangely the art of making attractive cities has been lost. Here are some key principles for how to make attractive cities once again.

BY Andrew McDonald

January 4th, 2016

Cities are such a ubiquitous part of life it’s odd for many of to even notice them at all. With this ubiquity has come some beautiful and inspired design however. Paris, Milan, New York and many others spring to mind when thinking of beautifully design cities. Yet not all cities are created equal.

We’ve become great at making many things in the modern world – but the art and science of making attractive cities has been lost somewhere along the way. The team at the School Of Life lay out some key principles for how to make attractive cities again.

The School of Life theschooloflife.com

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Making plans for better urban futures.

On ‘How to Make an Attractive City’

The London-based author Alain de Botton has released an engaging 14-minute video on his thoughts on what makes a city attractive. The honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects proposes six key qualities that attractive cities possess, namely

* A balance between consistency and variety

* People’s activities being on display

* Compactness of cities and of public spaces

* A balance of features that make it easy to orient oneself on the one hand, and mysterious enough to permit enjoyable exploration on the other

* A limit on all but buildings of exceptional civic value to five-storeys high

* The use of locally-sourced materials and architectural styles that reflect local ways of life.

De Botton says that these six qualities define a beautiful city, and that we know beauty when we see it — it’s reflected in the statistics for where people choose to go sight-seeing. However, we’ve succumbed to an intellectual confusion about what beauty is, and a sense that we are powerless to change things. As a result, greedy developers have free rein to build ugly but profitable buildings that make us feel alienated. De Botton concludes with a rousing call for the citizenry to work with government to produce developments that conform to his six principles and are therefore beautiful.

I recommend watching it, and I’ll assume that readers of this post have done so.

The purpose of this post is not to expose the contradictions in his post, although contradictions there perhaps are. To take the most problematic example, on the one hand he declares that we all have a good understanding of what beautiful cities look like (just examine the tourism statistics!); on the other he seems to assert that we are lumbered with a kind of ‘false consciousness’ about cities, particularly as regards privacy. (To de Botton, the ability of some people in Cartagena to peer into their neighbours’ homes at will represents some kind of ideal. Surely even if it is an ideal it is one that is highly dependent on the character of the neighbour.)

Instead, the point is to firstly critique a couple of his more specific recommendations; secondly to argue that his belief that no-one has built anything conforming to his six principles in decades could not be more wrong; and thirdly to argue that his recommendations may simply exacerbate the main problem he complains about.

Piazza Design

De Botton claims that a decent piazza has not been built anywhere on the planet in decades; despite this, he asserts, piazza design “isn’t rocket science”. Having thus summarily dismissed the intelligence and sensitivity of countless architects, urban designers, urban planners, politicians, developers and many lay experts, the Good Professor then expounds: there is apparently only one criterion for the design of a good square, that it should be neither too large nor too small. Anything larger than 30m across starts to become so large as to produce alienation. This is because beyond that we lack the ability to hail someone on the other side of the square. I guess de Botton is doing some armchair extrapolation based upon the acuity of the human eye and the reach of the voice here, rather than measuring the dimensions of beloved piazzas. For example, all of the following are, ex hypothesi, unattractive piazzas:

Saint Mark’s Piazza, Venice: 171m by 70m

Saint Mark’s Piazetta, Venice: 88m by 48m

Saint Peter’s Piazza, Vatican City: 240 by 210m

Piazza Navona, Rome: 257m by 55m

Piazza del Campo, Siena: 120m by 100m (this is, of course, demonstrably large enough to race horses around)

Michelangelo’s Campidoglio, Rome: 80m by 50m

The massively influential connoisseur of medieval piazzas, Camillo Sitte, found that the average dimensions of the squares he considered great were 142m by 58m.

Now, piazzas may be valued for many different reasons, and de Botton is perfectly at liberty to argue that these piazzas are bad public spaces and seek to persuade us. (“Do try to understand my lessons, Michelangelo: this isn’t rocket science!”) However, if he does this then he must surely ‘bite the bullet’ and no longer rely on tourism statistics to demonstrate our knowledge of what makes an attractive city — does any tourist to Rome, Venice, or Siena not prioritise seeing these piazzas?

Consistency and Variety

Secondly, de Botton praises a street in Amsterdam where each building is restricted to the same height and width, and the colour range is restricted. Aside from these restrictions, the designers have been given free rein. This is a recipe for a beautiful street, in de Botton’s estimation; not in mine.

The flaw in the recipe for beauty can perhaps best be seen by analogy. Imagine if we were to measure the height and other vital statistics of a huge range of fashion models, and use this data to determine the averages. If he were a modelling agent, de Botton would perhaps hire a group of models who all have these vital statistics but whose faces may express every kind of individuality known to humanity. The result would surely not necessarily be beautiful, and could be pretty disastrous for the modelling campaign. In other words, the features of the face (or facade, if you will) are clearly a crucial aspect of beauty, and to leave this to the whim of individual design teams doesn’t seem any more likely to lead to beauty than the developer free-for-all that de Botton seems to think is the status quo.

Height Limits

Thirdly, de Botton claims that building heights should not, except for buildings of extraordinary civic importance, exceed five storeys. Anything more, he asserts, makes us feel small and insignificant.

This is surely wrong in at least two respects. Firstly, the apparent size of any building is entirely dependent on the observer’s position. (Many urban experts seem to be oddly forgetful on the small but crucial point when drawing up criteria for judging urban space.)

Secondly, this assumes that we compare our physical size to those of buildings; however if we do this then almost any structure designed for human use will make us feel small. A bungalow or even a garden shed is comfortably larger than I am; the average room, if I can make myself adopt the requisite mindset, must appear as a gaping void. If tall buildings really do make us feel insignificant then surely the rule should be to build structures that are as small as feasible. Why, then, does de Botton feel such a strong attraction to these mid-rise blocks?

I can only think that these five-storey blocks have the comforting imprimatur of tradition. The old cores of many cities are fairly commonly built up to about five storeys but not many more. This was not due to some kind of technical limitation on building high: look at, for example, the forest of skyscrapers in medieval Bologna…

… or the towers of San Gimignano. In the Middle Ages the wealthy ‘hijacked the skies’ and engaged in an aggressive status race to build the town’s tallest tower. Now we book trips to see these UNESCO-recognised towers. It’s a funny old world, Alain…

Yet it was surely not aesthetic considerations that made mid-rise buildings the norm in many old areas, but economics. They are the result of a trade-off between the convenience of spatial proximity to a city centre and the inconvenience of walking up so many flights of stairs. Beyond a certain number of storeys it becomes more convenient to live slightly further from the city centre in a lower storey. Encouraged by the combination of the undesirability of higher-storey flats and the additional costs and complexities of taller buildings, in many cities the result was a four-to-six storey standard fanning out along the most convenient routes. Supporting evidence includes the design of the ‘Haussmann buildings’ of Paris, which have five storeys plus a garret in the mansard roof. The lowest residential floor the ‘piano nobile’) is the most opulent; the garret is proverbially the lodgings of starving artists.

The only way a building of eight storeys can make us feel more insignificant than a building of five storeys is, I suggest, if we imagine ourselves having to clamber up to the top and believe that it will tire us out. After the invention of the lift this no longer applies. There are, of course, other reasons why taller buildings may not be favoured, for example depending on the design they may block too much sunlight or cause significant downdraughts. However, de Botton’s favoured reason seems far from compelling.

Bottoning Out

De Botton believes that modern cities are simply not built according to his criteria. Surely this could not be further from the truth. One of the most ubiquitous types of development since the War very often conforms to all of de Botton’s criteria: the shopping mall.

Consistency & Variety

Typically the shopping mall combines consistency and variety in a way reminiscent of de Botton’s Amsterdam street: each shop is exactly the same height and often the same width; the contents of each shop may have little relation to the others and each express their individual characters (or ‘brands’), but the fittings of the corridors immediately outside and connecting the shops have a rigorous uniformity.

There is plenty of activity on display, from the milling crowds to the shop assistants going about their jobs, from people giving out free samples to people putting on a show. De Botton complains that much office activity is hidden in anonymous towers and that we have little idea of the fascinating projects going on within. But such projects very often involve doing specialist work on a computer that we would not understand even if we could see; it is easily understandable retail shops in places like malls that quite closely approximate de Botton’s apparent dreams of a ‘butcher, baker, candlestick-maker’-type high street.

Compactness

The shopping mall is relatively compact given that there may be more shops in a mall than in many districts of a city put together, and the corridors are often narrow so that the shopper can get a good view of the goodies for sale on both sides of the corridor. A food court offers many of the functions of a compact piazza, and all of the ones de Botton celebrates.

Most often the shopping mall, unless constrained by a lack of land, restricts itself to being midrise and stretches out along corridors instead of upwards. In a high-rise mall a lift shoppers must typically use lifts, thus bypassing many floors and many shops; where the mall is mid-rise shoppers can be encouraged to rely on escalators instead. By putting the escalator that connects a floor to the lower one some distance from the escalator that connects the floor to the upper one, the shopper is strongly encouraged to walk past many different shops and therefore many temptations.

Orientation & Mystery

On the one hand the typical shopping mall is designed to be easy to orient yourself, with corridors leading to large ‘anchor’ shops and different zones of the same mall sometimes being given different characters, or themes. On the other hand, shopping malls are notorious for introducing disorienting aspects into their design. Cues about the time of day and the cardinal directions are often removed by providing consistent lighting and an absence of clocks; different floors in the same zone are typically stylistically near-identical, strongly encouraging the shopper to use shops as wayfaring aids. This both boosts brand recognition and increases sensitivity to new arrivals.

Distinctiveness

Lastly, the shopping mall very often tries to provide some kind of distinctive experience that makes it unique. Mall developers, like de Botton, don’t want people travelling long distances to see a place that’s merely samey. Irrespective of whatever manipulation may be going on, many shopping malls do, or did, support some of the local culture of a place. Particularly at their peak in the 80s and 90s, people used to spend much of their free time socialising, flirting, dating, exercising, and experimenting with their lifestyle and image. In many places they are, or were, the social hubs of the area, and what both happened at the mall and was provided by the mall reflected local culture to some degree.

Developments that conform to de Botton’s criteria are everywhere; and yet I do not believe that he is proposing raising a citizen army to fight for more malls. De Botton seems to assume that by restricting developers to a mid-rise level we would therefore be frustrating the ‘greed of property developers’; and yet, as we saw in the example of the typically mid-rise mall, this might actually be to the developer’s advantage. For a given Gross Floor Area it is often better to have a larger building footprint than a smaller one, for example because of the extra footfall if the property happens to be on a useful route.

A neighbourhood might be developed according to strict Bottonian principles, and yet all the streets and buildings might be privately held by the same developer. Because the land has been privatised the owner may hire private security forces to patrol it and may have the right to limit certain types of activity occurring on his streets and piazzas (such as the political protest de Botton advocates), or to clear away ‘undesirable people’. This is hardly a hypothetical scenario, and it is one that seems far more objectionable than someone building a six-storey building.

Quite simply, de Botton’s medicine may only exacerbate the disease.

An Urbanist Carlyle?

De Botton strikes me as being a kind of agreeably mild Thomas Carlyle. The great Victorian thinker surveyed the spiritual confusion and consequent paralysis of his age and concluded that the latter was far worse than the former. He therefore urged that people suffering from these problems throw themselves into work so that there is no time to ponder philosophical conflicts. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do that with all thy might and leave the issues calmly to God”, he famously counselled. The Victorian age was awash with similar sentiments, from ‘the devil will make work for idle hands to do’ to Rudyard Kipling’s infamous description of leisure time as ‘the unforgiving minute‘. I recommend Houghton’s superb book ‘The Victorian Frame of Mind.’ However, the boost these attitudes gave to the pre-existing Protestant Work Ethic probably helped the development of capitalism; and yet it was capitalism, for all its virtues, that was busy shredding established patterns of life and therefore exacerbating the sense of dislocation and spiritual confusion that was a root of the paralysis.

In a similar way, de Botton surveys the aesthetic confusion and helpless paralysis of his age and seems to conclude that the latter is the worse problem. He therefore declares that the millennia-long debate about aesthetics is merely intellectual confusion and that we should throw ourselves into the politics of urban development. Since his principles are entirely compatible with maximising developer profits, his followers may only be exacerbating the greed and inequalities whose urban manifestations seem to be at the root of de Botton’s dissatisfaction.

Also like Carlyle, de Botton blithely ignores the obvious concern that different parts of society may have different, and even antagonistic interests. Carlyle’s gospel of work became increasingly implausible in tandem with the development of class conflicts about the control of the workplace and the monetary proceeds of the work. In Carlyle’s defence, he was writing before the development of working-class organisation and the rise of socialism; I’m not sure de Botton has that defence. “Collectively, we’ve got enough money” to create beautiful cities, de Botton sighs. Quite so, for we are far wealthier than any previous society. But the point is that this money is not in some collective pot awaiting more judicious collective decisions but is distributed with staggering inequality. It is disproportionately in the hands of the ‘pizza corporations and hedge funds’ he lambasts, and I do believe he knows it.

He knows it, just like the author of a book on ‘the pleasures and sorrows of work’ knows that his celebration of shop-workers taking pride in what they do and happy to show it is starry-eyed in a world where many shop-workers are on insecure contracts, low pay and work in alienating working conditions. Just like the author of a book on the varieties of love knows that it is profoundly difficult to reduce beauty to a six-faceted formula.

De Botton feels alienated by modern cities; I dare say he’s far from alone. But the solution is not to retreat into mere formalism that ignores the substantive problems and as a consequence may exacerbate them. Any resolution to the problems de Botton raises surely must involve squarely facing up to the root causes of any alienation, and by looking with greater attention at the many lessons that beautiful cities across the world can teach us.

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How to make an attractive city.

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We've grown good at making many things in the modern world - but strangely the art of making attractive cities has been lost. The School of Life, in this video, provides some key principles for how to make attractive cities once again. What kind of city would you create?

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101 small ways you can improve your city

The least you can do to make a big difference where you live

Sometimes the smallest things we can do for our neighborhoods can have the biggest impact. At Curbed, we know the power of a vegetable garden planted in a vacant lot or a library installed on a sidewalk. Here, we’re sharing 101 urban interventions and ideas that show how even the tiniest changes can make our cities better places.

We've scoured cities all around the world for small ideas with huge potential, and asked some of our favorite urban thinkers for tiny ways to make outsized transformations. And we divided them all up into six sections to help focus your efforts. We hope this serves as a resource for urban inspiration—and that you'll contribute your own thoughts in the comments.

1. Redesign a crosswalk. In 2015, a handful of Seattle streets were reborn when a rogue designer painted colorful new crosswalks. Instead of wiping them away, the city made them a permanent part of the landscape, and even appropriated the idea, setting up a community crosswalk program so other neighborhoods could create their own colorful street art. Between promoting community pride and increasing pedestrian visibility and safety, it’s a quick, colorful step forward. Check out Atlanta , Los Angeles , and Santa Monica for more examples.

2. Green your parkway . Okay, there’s gonna be a ton of regional slang to fight through here: You know that little sliver of property between the sidewalk and the curb? Whatever you call it, replace whatever’s there with a stormwater garden that allows water to naturally percolate into the ground. It will not only alleviate flooding on your street, it will filter and clean the water on its way back underground.

3. Make a seat. " One small thing a person can do for your city is build an attractive bench and place it where it's needed. There is an urban seating deficit the world over and some of my favorite cities are those where people frequently build their own street seats. Here are bunch of examples we once catalogued in New York City." — Mike Lydon , The Street Plans Collaborative

4. Create a little free library. Libraries may change and evolve, but the pleasure and joy of reading a book remains. In Dallas, the Little Free Libraries/Libros Libres project helped construct and decorate makeshift shelves positioned across the community, part of a wider community literacy project. Inspired by the wider Little Free Libraries movement , it’s creating a real-life literary community on city streets.

I was lucky enough to get this photograph of #BillCunningham on the street in 2012. thanks for all the inspiration, Bill - #GOAT A photo posted by Anthony Danielle (@takinyerphoto) on Jun 27, 2016 at 10:37am PDT

5. Start documenting your street. Share the beauty of your surroundings, whether it’s through an Instagram hashtag or a personal photo project. Once you start snapping pictures of everyday life there’s no telling what you’ll find or who you’ll meet.

6. Add additional bike parking. While artful racks and bikeshare stations are sprouting up everywhere, popular roadways and sidewalks can still become overcrowded with riders angling to anchor a U-Lock. Small businesses can help make a difference by placing some DIY rackspace out front to make the parking situation more bearable. Here are some creative solutions .

7. Plant a tree . Shade, serenity, sustainability— trees add so much to the urban landscape and ask so little. Many cities give away free trees , have planting services , or require tree planting permits, so check your local rules before you start digging .

8. Pick up more poop. "I have the habit of trying to pick up someone else’s dog’s poop every time I pick up my own. I am talking about old poop, as opposed to ambushing another dog’s poop-in-progress." — Michael Bierut, partner, Pentagram

9. Forge a fancier garbage can. If there isn’t money in the municipal budget for murals or street art, there’s still creative ways to beautify the streets. Providence, Rhode Island, turned everyday urban hardware such as fences and trash cans into colorful creations with the help of a local nonprofit, The Steel Yard. By commissioning artists to create striking bike racks and railing, the city gets more exciting, eye-catching infrastructure.

10. Set up a small, interactive community art project on your corner. " Share your art with people in small ways. With our As You Wish project, our artists made versions of people’s wishes with cheap materials we had on hand. With Forensic Friends , people stopped by our artists on the street and described a friend like you would if you were doing a forensic sketch of a criminal. But, instead, the artist draws a portrait of a friend from the description. With Listening Booth , we simply have somebody sit and listens to anybody who wanted to talk." — Jim Walker , founder and director of the Big Car Collaborative

11. Hang some chandeliers . Need a way to brighten a blah block and add whimsy to a dark sidewalk? The Chandelier Tree in Los Angeles has become a local landmark for the dozens of lighting fixtures ensconced in a sycamore. Neighbors donate to the electric bill using a repurposed parking meter . In Vancouver, a spinning, LED-lit chandelier was installed under a bridge underpass.

12. Fight crime with neon . Especially in a city strapped for cash, streetlights are low on the priority list as they’re expensive to install, maintain, and keep powered. But they’ve also been proven to deter crime. Two Philadelphia artists took it upon themselves to brighten a dangerous South Philly block with a " neon mural ." The illuminated work of art has become a social-media destination after dark, putting eyes on the street at a time when the neighborhood needs it most.

13. Begin a guerrilla garden uprising. Green thumbs often have private plots and backyards to grow, but they can also get on the front lines. Surreptitiously filling in unkempt lots or small patches of untendered land with plants and flowers, or tossing a "seedbomb" at a hard to reach patch of land, turns lost space into lush greenery. Richard Reynolds, one of the leaders of the movement, maintains a blog with invaluable tips on how to reclaim "unloved public spaces."

14. Look underground. "So much of what happens at the city surface is impacted by what happens underground. From sewer systems to bedrock geology to culverts, what happens below the urban crust can highlight the history of a place, revealing why and how a city develops. In Lexington, SCAPE recently went subterranean, tracing the historic buried stream channel of Town Branch, and creating a podcast tour that describes this forgotten waterway and how it shapes the city's past and future." — Kate Orff , landscape architect, principal at SCAPE, author of Toward An Urban Ecology , New York City

1 5 . Make an alley into a public art studio. Back in 2004, Detroit homeowners frustrated by people tagging and vandalizing their property decided if their garages were going to be canvases, they might as well benefit the community. Now, those alley-facing doors have become public galleries thanks to The Alley Project, which works with more than 100 young artists to showcase their work, hold art classes, and beautify the neighborhood.

16. Get lit . Sometimes it only takes a few spotlights to completely transform a city block. Casting light on a forgotten building can bring a renewed sense of appreciation and community. Boston’s new strategy to light its city hall has enlivened its famous adjacent plaza, even for those who hate the "Brutalist punching-bag" of a building.

Pirate Printers, una nueva forma de impresión urbana http://www.urbansmag.com/pirate-printers-impresion-urbana/ #pirateprinters #berlin #art #urbanart #design #urbandesign #raubdruckerin #alcantarilla #estampado #camiseta #tshirt #fashion #moda #urbanfashion #modaurbana #orange #naranja #stamping #urbansmag A photo posted by Urbans Mag (@urbans_mag) on Sep 20, 2016 at 6:39am PDT

17. Turn infrastructure into t-shirts. It’s a simple way to achieve instant street cred. German art group Raubdruckerin uses a "pirate printing" technique that, in essence, screenprints manhole covers, a process that creates graphic T-shirts with a clever connection to different European cities.

18. Fix up your porch . "In a city like New York it's easy to burrow inside your house and ignore the outside. But I have a neighbor with a stoop who has plants on every step, and a neighbor with a tiny vestibule who has managed to fit in one pretty copper pot by her front door. Both of their houses look brighter and friendlier, like they bothered to accessorize." — Alexandra Lange , architecture critic, Curbed

19. Don’t despair; depave. Working under the banner "free your soil," the Portland, Oregon-based group Depave has been kicking asphalt for a decades, turning unused parking and abandoned lots into community gardens and parks. If you discover an opportunity to literally reclaim your streets, the group has a guide on its website to help get started.

Kunstenaar @ichbinkong werpt letterlijk een nieuwe blik op photobombing #theylive #stockholm #comeandsee #streetart pic.twitter.com/xmIZY0AzYm — Canon Nederland (@CanonNederland) October 3, 2015

20. Make faces. “ Eyebombers ” believe that there’s nothing a bit of humor can’t fix. By taking “googly eyes” and placing them on inanimate objects around the city, eyebombers add a bit of Muppet-like merriment to public space. How can you be in a bad mood when the garbage can is giving you a goofy grin?

21. Go chairbombing. Public benches and seats have been removed in many cities due to fears of loitering, which often has the sad side-effect of discouraging community interaction (cue Forrest Gump). To encourage people to sit, share, and socialize, Brooklyn group DoTank started chairbombing , upcycling discarded pallets into street furniture they set up on empty sidewalks, reclaiming the corner for the public.

22. Design fake signs. The frighteningly official looking faux signage installed by Michael Pederson stops people in their tracks and engages citizens with their cities, as they look around to see if anyone else noticed the caution sign placed next to a sidewalk crack or a rating system for the quietness of a local park. If you’re aiming to make a bigger splash, you could always take it upon yourself to fix an incorrect sign, like artist Richard Ankrom did with a spot-on replica of a Los Angeles freeway sign in 2001 .

23. Turn utility boxes into civic canvases . In Philadelphia’s Washington Square West neighborhood, industrial metal utility boxes line the streets. Instead of seeing them as a mandatory, unusable part of the landscape, a group of local art students wrapped them in colorful artwork. This simple, striking beautification project , co-funded by the University of the Arts and Washington Square West Civic Association, turned more than a dozen aesthetic afterthoughts into colorful neighborhood symbols.

A photo posted by 5 Every Day (@5everyday) on Sep 7, 2016 at 2:16pm PDT

24. Turn a freeway overpass into a coworking hub. LA writer Kailee McGee was inspired to change up her work routine while on the road. Or more accurately, over the road. With the help of a handful of friends, McGee set up school desks on the apex of a pedestrian bridge over the 5 Freeway to create a pop-up, open-air coworking hub, complete with Wi-Fi and LaCroix (but of course). Nothing beats a change of perspective.

25. Network your alleys . Reinventing an alley can turn a dark, scary space into a vibrant place. An even better idea is to combine several alleys into a network of public spaces that stretch on for blocks. In Vancouver, the project More Awesome Now , is turning alleys (they call them laneways) into assets with basketball courts, foosball tables and shady cafes. And they’ll all be connected with a way-finding system using bright paint and eye-catching graphics.

26. Create a fit path. As part of the Market Street Prototyping Festival, a San Francisco celebration of creative urban intervention, one design team decided that activating the sidewalk required a different kind of action. The City Fit Path proposal, a simple-to-set-up series of exercise stations and prompts, encourages easy and equitable workouts, no gym membership required.

27. Create a community sign initiative. Many marquee streets in American cities share a certain edge, history, and a organic form of verbal branding that helps draw attention, pedestrians, and customers. The CoSign project in Cincinnati’s Northside neighborhood used visuals to makeover a neglected block, commissioning artists to transform staid storefronts with arresting, original signage. After redecorating another street in Covington, Kentucky, the project is poised to hang a shingle, so to speak, in cities nationwide.

28. Remake an underpass into an art space—or a park . Los Angeles has hundreds of pedestrian underpasses originally built to help students get across busy streets. But most of the underpasses have been sealed off to discourage illegal activities. In the Cypress Park neighborhood, coffee shop owner Yancey Quinones fought to reopen a nearby tunnel and fill it with art. The monthly openings spill out into the streets, activating the entire block. Need more inspiration? We’ve rounded up 11 ugly urban underpasses now functioning as parks.

29. Start a parking lot diary. Lexington’s plans for the Town Branch Commons , a linear park system that would thread together different areas downtown, is a game-changer. Part of that new system will run through the Transit Center, a huge, bland parking lot that could be put to better use. To come up with a new use for the space, the city will set up a parking lot diary and let resident feedback determine the shape and function of their new urban park.

30. Open a gallery in your living room . If you think your apartment is cramped, maybe all it needs is a few paintings on the wall: Paul Soto turned his 300 square-foot apartment in Los Angeles into a functioning gallery .

31. Take over an empty storefront. Closed for business doesn’t need to mean closed from the community. Numerous neighborhood groups, artists, and local business groups have turned empty commercial spaces into canvases and economic catalysts. From Project Pop Up , which hosted an array of displays and shops in abandoned Pittsburgh Storefronts (some of which have become permanent tenants) to initiatives such as Chashama and SmartSpaces in New York, creatives are breathing new life into these underutilized spaces.

32. Fix up your local park. Does barely functional equipment take the fun out of your local playground? Would new basketball courts or equipment make the park next door more enticing? To help guide those seeking to get their public parks in tip-top shape, the Center for Urban Pedagogy created a guide for building coalitions, activating the community, and petitioning local government for change. It’s New York-centric, but the lessons can be applied everywhere.

33. Build a pop-up playground. "Explode the static notion of the playground. No city resident is too old to play, and no city space is too small to become a playscape, even if just for a few hours. Gather loose parts (wood scraps, old tires, cardboard boxes, stones) and sponsor a session of Pop-Up Adventure Play . When people of all shapes, sizes and colors come together to play in unexpected ways, communities grow stronger." — Kate Tooke , Sasaki Associates

34. Start an urban orchard. This is more of a long-term solution to supporting parks and local agriculture. But isn’t the idyllic vision of sitting under an apple tree a few blocks from your apartment worth the wait? The Chicago Rarities Orchard Project (CROP) will literally take root in the city’s Logan Square neighborhood, in a lot adjacent to one of the area’s main intersections. The planters/planners also have plenty of additional fruit trees growing in a nursery, ready to be spread, Johnny Appleseed-style, to different sites across Chicago.

35. Build swing sets for adults . With the value of play proven to be a source of stress relief and inspiration, there’s no reason grown-ups can’t get in on the fun. An increasing number of cities and designers are providing adults with places to relax, recreate, and workout. The 21 Swings project by Tous les Jours transforms a busy median in Montréal into a highly visible space for fun.

36. Plan a pop-up dog park . If your neighborhood doesn’t have a place for dogs to run free, that’s nothing that a few yards of temporary fencing can’t fix. A pop-up dog park that’s become part of a weekly Sacramento farmers market became so popular it inspired a permanent park for pooches to be built nearby.

37. Ask kids to help design their own playgrounds. Participatory design shouldn’t have an age limit. Involving children in the creative process for local parks and playgrounds not only guarantees the end results will be more engaging to the end user, but also it fosters an early appreciation for design. Firms such as Public Workshop are renowned for working with a much younger set of client when making play spaces a reality.

Check out this before/after photo of our #ParkletSF of the week: #parklet at Caffè Greco designed by @rebargroup . pic.twitter.com/fIg1IVgR4B — Pavement To Parks (@pavement2parks) July 26, 2016

38. Turn a parking space into a park. Bustling streets can do much more than handle automobile traffic. That’s the idea behind Park(ing) Day , a worldwide event that encourage artists and designers to turn metered parking spots into temporary community installations. The concept has even become city policy; the Ground Play program allows sponsors in San Francisco to test similar projects and turn some into permanent public spaces, as does the People Street initiative in LA.

39. Slow down . Driving just 5 mph slower might save someone’s life. A famous 2011 AAA study looked at 422 crashes involving pedestrians and determined that a person is twice as likely to die if they’re struck by a car traveling at 30 mph instead of 25 mph. A study in 2017 confirmed these results, finding that speeding was the main factor in 31 percent of all traffic fatalities. Better yet, petition your city to implement a " 20 is plenty " zone for dense urban areas—98 percent of pedestrians hit at that rate of speed will live.

40. Give directions to your entire city. With a mission to get more "feet on the street," the Walk Your City project promotes more conversational, community-oriented wayfinding. Community groups can visit the site , create a set of custom signs (with messages such as "It’s a 2-minute walk to the library"), and get them shipped and ready to install. The concept has already played out in cities such as Mount Hope, West Virginia, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

41. Map a 40-minute walking circle around your house. Measure and draw a two-mile radius circle around your house to determine your " walkshed ," the places you can easily walk. You’ll realize how many local amenities are closer than you think—most people can walk two miles in about 40 minutes—and you’ll be more likely to hoof it and support local businesses.

42. Don’t forget the suburbs when building bike lanes. Making your neighborhood safe for cycling is important, but shifting suburban commutes can make a massive difference in safety and larger transportation patterns. Initiatives like the Family Friendly Bikeways program in Chicago help connect riders across local cities and towns.

Truly everything can be shared. Even kayaks. https://t.co/OaLxfNJgOP — Sharing Summit (@SharingSummit) September 14, 2016

43. Paddle to work. Bike share and ride share have become commonplace. But paddling to work is another thing entirely. In Minneapolis, a paddle share system lets commuters ride the Mississippi, traveling between two stations on the mighty river. Since the boat docks are connected to the city bike share system, it uses both modes of transportation to get you to work.

44. Organize a local car-free day. Every September 22 cities around the world participate in a global Car-Free Day , showcasing the possibilities of a more progressive commute and the advantages of walkable streets and biking infrastructure. Want to be inspired? Check out 14 beautiful car-free cities .

45. Paint a pop-up bike lane. Rather than talk about the impact of new bike lanes on the Macon, Georgia, transportation network Better Block went ahead and brought the vision to life with the help of 498 cans of paint (and support from the city and the Knight Foundation). The pop-up paint job, which linked together existing bike lanes, may be a precursor to expanding the city’s cycling infrastructure.

46. Take the bus. "Get lost in your city. Often times we avoid certain areas or simply stay within our comfort zone, but the true city dweller should attempt to reach all areas of the place they call home. You'll be surprised to find that not everything you read—both positive and negative—is true." — Germane Barnes , architect , designer, and city planner, Opa-Locka, Florida

47. Obey traffic laws. Cars that swerve into bike lanes or don’t watch out for two-wheeled commuters definitely deserve to be called out and ticketed. Bikers who ignore rules don’t help the cause for better bike lanes and better enforcement. Pedestrians should pay attention while crossing busy streets. Everyone: Follow the rules of the road .

48. Bicycle to new parts of your city. Slow Roll, a community bike ride series that started in Detroit, gathers riders to interact and explore new parts of the city, promoting riding in new neighborhoods, as well as expansions of bike lanes and bike share systems into underserved areas.

49. Form a bicycle-friendly district . The city of Long Beach, California didn’t just want to encourage cyclists to frequent local stores and restaurants, it wanted to prove that people on bikes were good for small businesses. The bike-friendly business districts provide amenities for two-wheeled patrons like racks and discounts, and serve as hubs for the city’s growing bike network.

50. Protect your bike lanes with plants . Vancouver took the protected bikeway one step further, turning the typical painted lanes into a planted greenway . Using self-watering planters instead of utilitarian poles not only safely separates bikes from cars, it improves the streetscape for all its users.

51. Fix up your bus stop. Is there a more bland and boring seat than a typical urban bus stop, a functional, feckless box of plastic? These key parts of urban infrastructure desperately need an upgrade , and people around the world are taking action. Community groups met that call to action with sharp redesigns, from Bus Stop Moves in Cleveland, which covers station walls with fitness instructions, or Ride, Rally, Ride in Memphis , which transforms transit stops into cycling hubs.

52. Build your own bridge. Nobody is suggesting that you try to one-up Robert Moses, but even a small span can make a difference. New York artist (and chief engineer) Jason Eppink often walked beneath the leaky Hell Gate Bridge Viaduct which flooded the sidewalk with a large puddle of dirty water. His satirical remedy, the Astoria Scum River Bridge , a miniature elevated wooden walkway, earned plaudits from locals, and eventually shamed the bridge owners into fixing the leaky pipes.

#Cyclehack #vienna w. >> The Strap-on #Cobblestone #Cocktailshaker << Using Vienna's deficient streets to mix it! pic.twitter.com/P1YvbCecsI — Smarter Than Car (@smarterthancar) June 26, 2016

53. Host a transportation hackathon. Pedaling meets prototyping at the worldwide innovation workshop Cyclehack , which gathers designers and riders in cities around the globe to build and test new concepts for a better bike tech. Transportation Camp is an annual "unconference" for tackling tough transit problems.

54. Just r ide a bike. Yes, riding a bike really can save the world. According to a 2015 study by the University of California at Davis , shifting more urban trips to bicycling, and cutting car use accordingly, could reduce urban transportation CO2 emissions by 50 percent worldwide by 2050. That seems especially feasible when you consider that half of all urban trips are a very bikeable six miles or less.

55. Organize a park-and-pedal. David Montague, the owner of a Boston company that makes foldable bicycles, wanted to encourage cycling in an area where many faced long commutes, and hit upon an ingenious hybrid solution: Organize a cycling-based version of the park and ride systems utilized by city commuters. His Park&Pedal system , which utilizes existing parking lots and trails to encourages people to split their commute between biking and driving, now includes 19 lots around the Boston area.

56. Swim your local waterways . Urban rivers, lakes, and harbors are being revitalized at an astounding rate. Organizing events where people can use waterways for recreation —even for one day!—helps visualize change. In Boston, the annual swimming events sponsored by the Charles River Swimming Club have bolstered restoration efforts for the once-polluted, now-swimmable river. See more cities that are reclaiming their waterways, over here .

57. Organize a bar crawl . Phoenix’s Meet Me Downtown functions as a weekly after-work mixer as well as a fitness event that gets people out on the streets and into local bars and restaurants. A variety of routes send participants into new neighborhoods and participating businesses offer deals for those who walk or run.

58. Advocate for accessible parks. Nearly one in five people have a disability in the U.S., but most parks aren’t built to accommodate them. Go to your nearest park and take a look around: Does it allow for wheelchair access? Are there supportive swings, activity panels at ground height, descriptions in Braille, accessible merry-go-rounds, and elevated play tables? Help build a more inclusive city by advocating for accessibly designed playgrounds .

Where to learn more

While the projects and proposals covered in this list lean towards DIY, the "yourself" part is optional. Small-scale urbanism is a great way to build community and unite neighborhoods, and numerous organizations and guides already exist to help and inspire. Here are some places to get started:

Project for Public Spaces

People’s Design Library

Neighborhood Design Center Action Guides

People Make Parks

The Parking Day Manual

How Can I Improve My Park

Tactical Urbanism , Tactical Urbanism 2 and the coming-soon Tactical Urbanist’s Guide to Materials and Design

Spontaneous Interventions

ArtPlace America

Shaping Space for Civic Life

Knight Cities Challenge

Pop-Up City

59. Get to know your neighbors . "We bring the trash cans out every Monday for our 85-year old neighbor and keep an eye out for him generally. We swap our lemons for another neighbor's superior kale. My husband bartered with our house painter neighbor: he designed the painter's website and the painter painted our house! We are on a first-name basis with all the store owners in our little 'downtown,' from bakery to bookstore. Our neighborhood has a Yahoo group—so old school—and through it I've found my daughter's preschool, a new dog walker, numerous babysitters and first learned about the hood's fabulous 4th of July parade. A neighborhood feels pretty special when we know we're all looking out for each other." — Allison Arieff , editorial director, SPUR

60. Provide dignity . Extend basic services to help your city’s most marginalized residents feel more welcome. Mobile showers and easily accessible public restrooms give people a moment of privacy and peace. The good news is, people want this and it works .

61. Start a YIMBY group . Across the country, pro-development, pro-housing fans are organizing against NIMBYs with unified YIMBY—that’s "Yes In My Backyard"—movements. Head to a YIMBY conference for new ideas.

62. Launch an oral history project. From Studs Terkel to StoryCorps , there’s a rich tradition of storytelling as a time capsule of modern life. Documenting your neighbors’s stories preserves the fabric and history of a neighborhood, giving context to why this place and its people matters.

63. Don’t eat so much meat . A 2016 Oxford University study showed reducing the amount of meat in Western diets by half could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save over $31 trillion (trillion, with a T) in healthcare costs. The # MeatlessMonday movement has gotten governments and schools all over the world pledging to stick to veggies one day of the week. (If you already don’t eat meat the rest of the days of the week, you’re ahead of the game.)

64. Volunteer. There are dozens of groups in your neighborhood doing their part to make your city a better place. Spend a few hours pitching in.

65. Share your idea with your neighbors . "Often, your neighbors need a little help figuring out how to make their ideas happen, and you can easily share suggestions or donate money on Neighborland . There is real power in sharing our ideas openly, connecting with others who share the same desire, and working together to make great ideas happen, like this streetscape improvement for the Mission District of San Francisco." — Dan Parham , founder, Neighborland

Check out the the photo credit! Jamaica Plain residents belly up to a homemade snow bar http://t.co/0vnZgGEVG8 via @BostonGlobe — Matt Fecteau (@MFect78) February 24, 2015

66. Turn snow piles into sidewalk ice bars. In 2015, Boston architect Chris Haynes and his wife Kristy Nardone turned #Snowmageddon into happy hour by carving a bar out of the massive mounds of snow accumulated on their block. Inspired by the Quebec Ice Hotel, their subzero watering hole boasted Bluetooth speakers, lighting, and the finest Moscow Mules (no word on whether the ice was hand-carved).

67. Talk to someone for 10 minutes. In Charlotte in 2015 and 2016, the Take 10 project recruited city workers to function as "ambassadors" who engaged in simple, direct conversations with residents, asking them what they like about their city and how to make it better. Crowdsourcing at its finest, the initiative also gave people a direct, personal connection with the municipal employees that make their hometown work.

A photo posted by Jim Hunt (@jimhunt) on Oct 4, 2015 at 1:56pm PDT

68. Set the table for community conversation. After breaking bread with someone, it’s hard to consider them a stranger. That’s the philosophy that informed The Longest Table , a 400-person feast put together by community groups in Tallahassee, Florida, to break down social barriers and get neighbors talking to each other.

69. Stage a scene. The public pranks of Improv Everywhere might seem like frivolous fodder for viral videos. But there’s something about witnessing a spectacle that can bring people together like nothing else. Their " No Pants Subway Ride ," which started in New York in 2002—and is exactly what it sounds like—has become an annual tradition in dozens of cities.

70. Take a person experiencing homelessness out for lunch. " Listen to their story. A lot of people just want to be heard or seen as human. I think it would be emotionally very hard to be ignored or overlooked the way our community is in San Francisco. How did they lose their housing? It's often unexpected. San Francisco’s homeless population is diverse and ever-changing. Some people lose their housing because they went through a medical bankruptcy after a partner became terminally ill. Some are veterans who fought in our wars. It's always interesting, and then you start to understand the sheer scale of the problem and how difficult it is to keep people housed in this city, with all of their idiosyncratic financial or medical needs." — Kim-Mai Cutler , columnist at Techcrunch

71. Become a tour guide for your neighborhood. You don’t have to live in a famous zip code to show people around. Using Vayable , you can create and share guided tours of the hidden gems in your neighborhood, or discover a unique experience nearby that allow you to become a tourist in your own city.

72. Join a time bank . Think of a time bank like a community ATM where you can deposit and withdraw "hours" of skills like cash. If there’s not one near you, the documentary Time as Money highlights several successful programs around the world and provides inspiring resources.

73. Create a community guide to tactical urbanism. Turning DIY projects into long-term additions can feel like a regulatory and zoning obstacle course. Officials in Burlington, Vermont, mindful of their citizen’s commitment to community projects, drafted a Tactical Urbanism and Demonstration Projects Guide , making it easier to launch neighborhood projects or organize small-scale interventions, and giving active citizens a green light to experiment.

74. Learn to give a great presentation. Community improvements always need ace advocates, and in addition to taking the time to listen to your neighbors, becoming a better speaker can help you spread the word and get local government on your side. The Neighborhood Design Center has a great guide.

75. Create community murals, and make preserving them a priority. Public art can illuminate a street, but protecting the work over time can truly define a neighborhood and foster creativity and talent. Philadelphia’s iconic Mural Arts Program , which started in 1984 and turned the city into a street art mecca, includes a restoration initiatives, to make sure creative expression is prized and protected. In Denver, Colorado, Crush Walls is an annual urban art festival that transforms the street walls of the city’s former industrial neighborhood.

76. Open a creative incubator . The community nonprofit CreateHere opened a space on a blighted Chattanooga street with a simple goal to improve the neighborhood. Over the course of five years, CreateHere helped dozens of artists relocate to Chattanooga, stimulating an estimated $4 million in local real estate investments and launching 300 small businesses.

77. Become a 311 vigilante . Civic reporting apps powered by SeeClickFix have gamified urban improvement in hundreds of U.S. cities—but they rely on people filing reports to work. Ann Arbor resident Rebecca Arends was a SeeClickFix superuser who had reported over 160 issues when she became frustrated by how long it took the city to respond to graffiti complaints. Using data from the app to identify the most vulnerable buildings, she coordinated an effort with the city to cover tags with murals—even enlisting some of the taggers to help paint walls.

78. Smile, particularly at strangers. "If you are feeling Southern enough, actually speak. It instantly makes the world a better place." — Carol Coletta , senior fellow with The Kresge Foundation’s American Cities Practice

79. Screen a movie outdoors. An impromptu movie night isn’t as hard to organize as it may sound. From a small gathering with neighbors to a larger, site-specific, artistic spectacular, cinema can expand horizons and bring people together. This guide on how to set up your own screening offers tips on how to host your own screening, whether it’s on an actual screen or the side of a building. Need a movie recommendation? We’ve got 101 of our favorites, right here .

80. Start a public mapping project . If action follows knowledge, than getting good data about your neighborhood can be the first step toward improvement. Nonprofits such as Public Lab offer the advice and knowledge needed to create citizen-made maps. You can also build DIY sensors to collect key data points such as pollution levels, which can help inform larger public debates about the environment.

"Grocery shopping in the Stone Age?" Overheard #PAFMemorial pic.twitter.com/O14y2tqaV2 — travellingcari (@travellingcari) September 19, 2016

81. Put your treasures where the public can see them. The need for sculptures and installations extends far beyond major parks, central squares, and high-trafficked tourist areas. Illuminating the off-the-beaten-path places with high-profile public art, such as the Picasso statue found amid New York University student housing, or Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons mural, set amid the Exelon plaza in Chicago’s Loop, gives the impression that wonders may hide around any city corner.

82. Just show up. "Most public zoning and development meetings are dominated by people who have a vested interest in the project. When a citizen shows up without a fish to fry, and expresses an opinion for the good of all, it’s a breath of fresh air." — Jeff Speck , author, Walkable City

83. Launch a community emergency hub . It’s not the most ideal circumstances under which to meet your neighbors, but knowing you have a local support network in place is critical for a crisis. Emergency hubs provide a centralized meeting place and a strategy that allows neighborhoods to remain self-sufficient in the days or weeks after natural disasters. In Seattle there are about 50 groups specifically organized for such events. This is especially good because climate change is making natural disasters—like the recent Hurricane Florence—worse .

84. Create a swimming pool from a dumpster . This ain’t no country club, it’s a simple, quick urban intervention that turns a neighborhood gathering into an impromptu pool party. Simple, down-and-dirty DIY swimming holes can make all the difference on a summer day. It’s highly recommended you don’t use a fire hydrant as a water source, however, since it may draw the attention and ire of city officials.

"Before I die I want to dance at my granddaughters' weddings" from Tonawanda , New York. pic.twitter.com/Bcx2FLQRbG — Before I Die (@BeforeIdiewall) August 29, 2016

85. Reflect and connect with your neighbors. "Create an anonymous prompt in public space using simple tools like chalkboard paint, stencils, and chalk." — Candy Chang , Before I Die , New Orleans

86. Brainstorm a community vision. Community planning discussions benefit from some levity, some understanding, and a lot of visual aids. The St. Paul, Minnesota-based Friendly Streets Initiative holds community visioning events that display large images of potential neighborhood improvements, asking neighbors to vote for their favorites via Post-It. It’s a quick, effective, and entertaining way to take the temperature of the neighborhood.

87. Shop local. It’s simple, straightforward, and an easy addition to your routine that supports local businesses, provides community jobs, and reduces transportation costs and carbon emissions.

88. Imagine housing in impossible places. "I love that in Indianapolis, near their new transit center, they looked at a traffic lane as they were redeveloping, and realized they didn't need it. So they put out an RFP for a developer to turn it into housing. Ironically the microhousing that was created is bolted onto a parking garage—which will be ultimately redeveloped, I would hope." — Gabe Klein , founder, CityFi

Was in Indy last week. Love how they took a travel lane, turned it into micro units & bolted it onto parking garage pic.twitter.com/hBZToFWPXt — gabe klein (@gabe_klein) May 23, 2016

89. Help build a better shelter. Sometimes, the best ways to help build your community is to help others who are feeling apart and alone. The Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, along with architect Corrie Rosen, created a series of guidelines , called Building Dignity, to help construct more comforting and effective shelters for victims of domestic violence. The plans include soliciting donations from the community, such as asking interior decorators to "adopt" a room, and asking a local steel artist to create artful window displays that projected both strength, security, and beauty.

90. Start a mobile produce market. Running a new route through the city’s food deserts, a decommissioned Chicago Transit Authority bus transported market-fresh produce—not riders—for eight months in 2017. The Fresh Moves project helped underserved neighborhoods get access to the same farmer’s market finds sold in other parts of the city.

91. Set up neighborhood Wi-Fi. In a digital world, neighborhoods without strong wireless connections effectively lose out on other important network connections, ones that can help provide jobs, opportunity, and education. In the Rod Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, an often isolated pocket of the borough, a local non-profit initiative decided to bridge that gap by building its own mesh wireless network , creating a tool for local communication and a platform for community development.

92. Come together to combat climate change. Villagers in the rural English town of Ashton Hayes didn’t need government help, special technology, or some special funding grant to fight climate change. Over the last decade, neighbors there have achieved a 24 percent reduction in emissions by collaborating and changing everyday behaviors, sharing tips on weatherproofing and reducing energy usage. The grassroots, no-drama effort had earned the town a place in the media spotlight by building community around a shared effort.

93. Fall in love. "I think if we love the places we live, we'll make better decisions about them. Even in communities that are lacking, we can at least love the way the morning light hits the trees or any little thing. And with a little space for love to grow, we can transform our own expectations, inspire others to do the same, and over time, make real changes to improve the world around us." — Ryan Gravel , founder of Sixpitch and the originator of the Atlanta Beltline

94. Write an op-ed. If you’ve got a good idea, share it. If you want to change your neighborhood, start building a coalition. Explain your plans and help build grassroots support.

95. Turn old bridges into something beautiful. Post-industrial sites pockmark many major cities, remnants of old industries that often fall into disrepair. Trust a Rust Belt city to find a way to make this infrastructure beautiful. The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC) hosted a pop-up project for a vacant covered bridge, showcasing new uses for the old crossing . It was so successful, that the city embarked on an official planning process to renovate and reuse the steel structure.

96. Plant a community garden. Rolling up your sleeves and digging in the soil offers a great way to meet neighbors and collaboratively add something to your neighborhood. To get started, the American Community Gardening Association offers a set of resources and recommendations on how to manage and maintain a public patch.

97. Create a crowdfunding campaign. While it’s possible to get burned occasionally when the hype of Kickstarter or Indiegogo meet the realities of city planning, not every crowdfunding platform is created equal when it comes to changing cities. In the UK, Spacehive , a site launched in 2011 by a London architecture writer, provides extra transparency that helps civic ideas get off the drawing board. It’s helped fund $7.4 million worth of projects, and even hosted campaigns sponsored by the Mayor of London . In the U.S., Ioby has raised over $5.2 million for neighborhood projects.

98. Map your public produce. After noticing how many figs hanging over property lines remained unplucked, Fallen Fruit started making maps to help neighbors discover unharvested edibles growing on sidewalks and alleys. For bumper crops, Food Forward will show up and pick unwanted fruit, distributing it to those in need.

99. Think bigger. "I think the best small thing we can do for our neighborhoods is educate ourselves on the kind of huge changes American cities need to pursue to build their way out of the terrible housing crises most prosperous cities face, divest themselves of auto-dependent infrastructure, improve access to education and job re-training, ruggedize themselves for a changing climate and drop their greenhouse gas emissions to zero in the next couple decades. Almost everything else is window dressing." — Alex Steffen, writer, speaker, planetary futurist, The Heroic Future

100. Throw an amazing block party. Don’t forget the ice cream.

101. Vote. No excuses .

Walking Is Increasingly Deadly, and Not Because People Are on Their Phones

This four-year-old, $150m mall in san francisco has never seen a customer, urbanism hasn’t worked for everyone, share this story.

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The Kitchen and Bathroom Issue

HABITUS has always stood ahead of the rest with a dedicated Kitchen and Bathroom issue of exemplar standards. For issue 60 we have taken it up a notch with our Guest Editor the extraordinary, queen of kitchen design, Sarah-Jane Pyke of Arent&Pyke, speaking directly to Kitchen and Bathroom design with some increadable insights.

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How to make an attractive city

The art of making attractive cities has been lost, but there are key principles for how to make beautiful cities again

The School of Life theschooloflife.com

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Cities should be designed to be attractive for local people and foreign tourist. Do you agree or disagree?

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Every year several languages die out. Some people think that this is not important because life will be easier if there are fewer languages in the world. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Today, many people do not know their neighbors in large cities. what problems does this cause what can be done about this, many people think cheap air travel should be encouraged because it gives ordinary people freedom to travel further. however, others think this leads to environmental problems, so air travel should be expensive in order to discourage people from travelling by air. discuss both views and give your own opinion, there is an increasing trend around the world of married couples deciding not to have children. discuss the advantages and disadvantages for couples who decide to do this., global warming is one of the most serious issues that the world is facing today. what are the causes of global warming and what measures can governments and individuals take to tackle the issue.

How to Make an Attractive City in 6 steps?

How to do an attractive city is a problem present in the society for many years , for the one that seems a correct solution is not achieved. With this video, The School of Life tries to bring some of the answers to the citizens in a clear and simple way.

The author of the video, The School of Life/Alain de Botton, summarizes his opinion about how to obtain attractive cities in 6 points, which would be:

1.- Not too chaotic. Not too ordered. Order and variety. Putting as example the island of Java in Asterdam or a square in the Czech Republic.

2.- Visible life. It refers to the presence of people walking and working on the streets of the city. In the opposite side would be the industrial estates.

3.- Compact. The ideal thing they would be the cities to half a way between the lived accumulation centuries behind and the dispersion of last decades, both negative sides. In these compact cities, great importance receives the square, in decline in the last years because of problems with the scale. The city of Barcelona would be a positive example.

4.- Orientation and Mystery. The cities need big streets across which to be orientated, and others smaller that allow the mystery and in which getting lost.

5.- Scale. It refers to the dimensions of the buildings. According to the author of the video, they should not exceed five plants. They might exceed this height the buildings with a special importance.

6.- Make it local. It refers to the character of the cities, his forms and the local materials. For example, Millbrae Crescent in the south of Glasgow.

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Knowing how to write an essay can help you out significantly in both, your academic and professional life. An essay is a highly versatile nonfiction piece of writing that not only tests your knowledge of a topic but also your literary and argumentative skills.

Each essay requires the same basic process of planning, writing, and editing. Naturally, we’ve used these stages to group our steps on how to write an essay. So w ithout further ado, let’s get into it! Here are the eight steps to write an essay:

Stage 1: Planning

1. Pick an appropriate research topic

In certain cases, your teacher or professor may assign you a topic. However, in many cases, students have the freedom to select a topic of their choice. Make sure you choose a topic that you’re well versed in and have significant knowledge of.

Having prior knowledge of the topic will help you determine the subsequent steps to write an essay. It will also make your research process considerably easier.

2. Form an appropriate thesis statement

A thesis statement is the central idea or premise your essay is based on. It is usually a sentence or two long and is included in the introduction of the essay. The scope of your thesis statement depends on the type of your essay and its length.

For instance, the scope of the thesis statement for a 500–1000 word school essay will be narrower than a 1000–5000 word college essay. A rule of thumb is that your essay topic should be broad enough to gather enough information, but narrow enough to address specific points and not be vague. Here’s an example:

The invention of the airplane by the Wright Brothers in 1903 revolutionized transportation and paved the way for modern aviation. It represents a monumental achievement in human history that forever changed the course of human civilization.

3. Create an essay outline

Creating a well-organized essay outline not only gives structure and flow to your essay but also makes it more impactful and easy to understand. The idea is to collect the main points of information that support or elaborate on your thesis statement. You can also include references or examples under these main points.

For example, if your thesis statement revolves around the invention of the airplane, your main points will include travel before the invention of the airplane, how it was invented, and its effects on modern-day travel. Take a look:

The Wright Brothers’ invention had a massive impact on modern-day travel. The subsequent growth of the aviation industry led to increased accessibility of air travel to the general public.

Stage 2: Writing

4. Write a comprehensive introduction

After creating the basic outline, it is important to know how to write an essay. Begin your essay by introducing your voice and point of view to the reader. An introduction is usually a paragraph or two long and consists of three main parts:

Background information
Thesis statement

Let’s better understand this with the help of an example:

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane in 1903 revolutionized the way humans travel and explore the world. Prior to this invention, transportation relied on trains, boats, and cars, which limited the distance and speed of travel. However, the airplane made air travel a reality, allowing people to reach far-off destinations in mere hours. This breakthrough paved the way for modern-day air travel, transforming the world into a smaller, more connected place. In this essay, we will explore the impact of the Wright Brothers’ invention on modern-day travel, including the growth of the aviation industry, increased accessibility of air travel to the general public, and the economic and cultural benefits of air travel.

Let’s understand how to construct each of these sections in more detail.

A. Construct an attractive hook

The opening sentence of an essay, also known as the hook, should include a powerful or startling statement that captures the reader’s attention. Depending on the type of your essay, it can be an interesting fact, a surprising statistic, or an engaging anecdote.

B. Provide relevant background information

While writing the introduction, it’s important to provide context or background information before including the thesis statement. The background information may include the time before a groundbreaking invention, the pros and cons of a significant discovery, or the short- and long-term effects of an event.

C. Edit the thesis statement

If you’ve constructed your thesis statement during the outlining stage, it’s time to edit it based on the background information you’ve provided. Observe the slight changes we’ve made to the scope of the thesis statement in the example above. This accommodates the bits of information we’ve provided in the background history.

5. Form relevant body paragraphs

Body paragraphs play a crucial role in supporting and expanding the central argument presented in the thesis statement. The number of body paragraphs depends on the type of essay as well as the scope of the thesis statement.

Most school-level essays contain three body paragraphs while college-level essays can vary in length depending on the assignment.

A well-crafted body paragraph consists of the following parts:

A topic sentence
Supporting information
An analysis of the information
A smooth transition to the next paragraph

Let’s understand this with the help of an example.

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane revolutionized air travel. They achieved the first-ever successful powered flight with the Wright Flyer in 1903, after years of conducting experiments and studying flight principles. Despite their first flight lasting only 12 seconds, it was a significant milestone that paved the way for modern aviation. The Wright Brothers’ success can be attributed to their systematic approach to problem-solving, which included numerous experiments with gliders, the development of a wind tunnel to test their designs, and meticulous analysis and recording of their results. Their dedication and ingenuity forever changed the way we travel, making modern aviation possible.

Here’s a detailed overview of how to construct each of these sections.

A. Construct appropriate topic sentences

A topic sentence is the title of the body paragraph that elaborates on the thesis statement. It is the main idea on which the body paragraph is developed. Ensure that each topic sentence is relevant to the thesis statement and makes the essay flow seamlessly.

The order of topic sentences is key in creating an impactful essay. This order varies depending on the type of essay you choose to write. These sentences may be arranged chronologically, in the order of importance, or in a cause-and-effect format.

B. Provide supporting information

It is necessary to provide relevant supporting information and evidence to validate your topic statement. This may include examples, relevant statistics, history, or even personal anecdotes.

You should also remember to cite your sources wherever you use them to substantiate your arguments. Always give researchers and authors credit for their work!

C. Analyze the supporting information

After presenting the appropriate evidence, the next step is to conduct an in-depth analysis. Establish connections and provide additional details to strengthen the link between your topic sentence and the supporting information.

Depending on the type of essay, this step may also involve sharing your subjective opinions and key takeaways.

D. Create a smooth transition

In case you plan to create multiple body paragraphs, it is crucial to create a seamless transition between them. Transitional statements not only make the essay less jarring to read but also guide the reader in the right direction.

However, these statements need not be too lengthy and complicated. Use words such as “however”, “in addition to”, and “therefore” to convey transitions.

6. Construct an impactful conclusion

An impactful conclusion creates a lasting impression on the mind of the reader. Although it varies in length depending on the specific essay, the conclusion is typically a paragraph long.

It consists of

A restated thesis statement
Summary of the main points
The broader implications of the thesis statement

Here’s an example of a well-structured conclusion:

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane forever changed history by paving the way for modern aviation and countless aerospace advancements. Their persistence, innovation, and dedication to problem-solving led to the first successful powered flight in 1903, sparking a revolution in transportation that transformed the world. Today, air travel remains an integral part of our globalized society, highlighting the undeniable impact of the Wright Brothers’ contribution to human civilization.

Let’s take a closer look at how to construct each of these sections.

A. Restate the thesis statement

Your conclusion should call back to your original argument or thesis statement.

However, this does not mean repeating the thesis statement as is. The essence of your argument should remain the same, but it should also be modified and evolved as per the information presented in your essay.

B. Summarize important points

A powerful conclusion not only lingers in the reader’s mind but also provokes thought. You can create a strong impression on the reader by highlighting the most impactful points of your essay.

C. State the greater implications

End your essay with the most powerful and impactful part: the larger perspective. This can‌ include a question you’d like to leave the reader with, the broader implications and impact of your thesis statement, or the long-term, lingering effects of your experience.

Make sure to include no new evidence or arguments, or to undermine your findings in any way.

Stage 3: Editing

7. Review your essay

Knowing how to write an essay is just one part of essay writing. Properly reviewing and editing your essay is just as important. Make sure to spend enough time going over your essay and adding any bits of information that you’ve missed.

This is also a good time to make minor structural changes in your essay.

8. Thoroughly proofread your essay

After making the necessary structural changes, recheck your essay word by word. It is important to not only correct major grammatical and spelling errors but also minor errors regarding the phrasing or tone of voice.

You can either choose to do this by yourself, ask a friend for assistance, or hire an essay proofreading service to go over your writing. To construct a fool-proof, error-free essay, it is helpful to have a trained pair of eyes go over it. Professional proofreaders can spot errors that are not visible to most people and set the right tone for your essay.

Now that you know the basics of how to write an essay, it’s time to learn about the specifics. Feel free to dig into the articles below and keep reading!

How to Write an Essay Header in 4 Steps
How to Write an Essay Outline
What is an Expository Essay?
How to Start an Essay

Frequently Asked Questions

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Passenger Plane Crashes in Brazil, Killing 61 Onboard

The Brazilian authorities said no one survived the crash, outside São Paulo on Friday afternoon. The airline, VoePass, said the cause was unknown.

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By Jack Nicas Paulo Motoryn and Niraj Chokshi

Jack Nicas reported from Rio de Janeiro, Paulo Motoryn from Brasília and Niraj Chokshi from New York.

Above the small city of Vinhedo, Brazil, on Friday, a passenger plane was falling from the sky. Residents began filming.

Those videos show the horrifying moment when an 89-foot-long plane, carrying 61 people and slowly spinning in circles, plummeted to earth. A moment after the plane disappears from view near a gated community, an enormous black plume of smoke rises from the spot.

One video then shows a house on fire, a swimming pool full of debris and a group of men peering over a scene of carnage in a yard: a shredded fuselage, twisted metal and, several yards in front of the cockpit, a body.

VoePass Flight 2283 crashed Friday toward the end of a scheduled two-hour flight from Cascavel, Brazil, to São Paulo. VoePass, a small Brazilian airline, said all 57 passengers and four crew members died in the accident.

Thick gray smoke rising into the sky in a residential neighborhood.

The airline and Brazilian officials said they did not know why the plane had crashed.

The plane, an ATR 72, had all systems operating correctly when it took off, the airline said. The pilots did not signal any emergency, officials said. The aircraft, a twin-engine turboprop plane, was built in 2010 and was in compliance with Brazilian regulations, they added.

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How to Make an Attractive City
And a city that operates on this assumption will be an unattractive home to many. Conclusion. The video does a service in making the case for beautiful cities. Too often beauty can be lost to function, leading to soulless and uninspiring cities that leave people feeling lost and disconnected. But a beautiful city without function is its own vice.
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How To Make An Attractive City Essay. 1263 Words6 Pages. Tan Yi Hong BEE140030 Synthesize and discuss the implication from the videos in relation to property development in Malaysia Based on the video "How to make an Attractive City" from Alain de Botton, the six points that he pointed out that makes a city attractive are order and variety ...
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First in a series of illustrated essays: Part 1: An introduction to urban design ... Simply put, urban design is the discipline that plans the public spaces of the city to make sure they're attractive, safe, and efficient. And "public spaces" does not mean only parks, plazas and playgrounds. Streets and alleys are also public spaces. So ...
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In this video, Alain de Botton - philosopher, author of 'The Architecture and Happiness', and founder of The School of Life - explores how to make attractive cities. He highlights the importance of evidence-based design that takes beauty meanings into account. Intead of focusing solely on functionality, the secret for a great city is the balance between function…
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Here are some key principles for how to make attractive cities once again.Source: www.youtube.comWhile we can't objectively measure beauty, in this video from the School of Life, London-based Swiss writer Alain de…
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Here are some key principles for how to make attractive cities once again. Cities are such a ubiquitous part of life it's odd for many of to even notice them at all. With this ubiquity has come some beautiful and inspired design however. Paris, Milan, New York and many others spring to mind when thinking of beautifully design cities.
On 'How to Make an Attractive City'
The honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects proposes six key qualities that attractive cities possess, namely. * A balance between consistency and variety. * People's activities being on display. * Compactness of cities and of public spaces. * A balance of features that make it easy to orient oneself on the one hand, and ...
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The School of Life, in this video, provides some key principles for how to make attractive cities once again. What kind of city would you create? We've grown good at making many things in the modern world - but strangely the art of making attractive cities has been lost. The School of Life, in this video, provides some key principles for how to ...
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Here are some creative solutions. 7. Plant a tree. Shade, serenity, sustainability— trees add so much to the urban landscape and ask so little. Many cities give away free trees, have planting services, or require tree planting permits, so check your local rules before you start digging. 8.
How to Make an Attractive City [theory] : r/architecture
Yes of course. There are many factors to take into consideration. New York City for instance, gets just a bit more sunlight than Barcelona (it's actually closer to the equator by a hair) but the weather is much colder, so sunlight is way more needed —ironically, looking at the city planning. Cheers!
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5.-. Scale. It refers to the dimensions of the buildings. According to the author of the video, they should not exceed five plants. They might exceed this height the buildings with a special importance. 6.-. Make it local. It refers to the character of the cities, his forms and the local materials. For example, Millbrae Crescent in the south of ...
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What makes a good city? Urban design, explained

The founder of London's The School of Life Alain de Botton features a manifesto that explains how to make attractive cities in 6 fundamental rules.

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