No more zombie cities.

I have been reading a lot about motivation and productivity.  One of the most interesting things to float to the top has been the Cult of Done.  Essentially, the idea is to do it now, short circuit all the things demanding perfection, and move on to something else.

From: brepettis.com

Tactical urbanism has also floated to the top of my reading list in the last little bit.  "Quick, temporary, or cheap projects that aim to make a small part of a city more lively or enjoyable."  It's turning pavement into a temporary park or reclaiming a street for people.  They have a manifesto too.

From: Pics of Trees

Tactical urbanism takes the Done Manifesto and beats old planning over the head with it.  While planners sit and wade through the Process, the small and quirky projects are actually making cities better places to live.  Temporary?  Sure.  Whimsical? Yup.  Finished? Yes.

Why can't planning understand how the perfect is the enemy to the city itself.  Our plans have to be perfect.  Our outreach has to be perfect.  Our surveys, letters, flyers, presentations, everything has to be perfect or it doesn't leave the office.  We protect ourselves from being told "no" or being by trying to find the perfect answer.

But what is less perfected than building a city?  Once a city is perfected, it is dead.  Then we planners make the poor thing lurch along until it bites another city and passes its bad zombie city germs on to the next place.

Or we dissipate, and are actually the zombie city pathogen.  Hmmm.  That is one think about a little more.