8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
1/35
CITYAS
LIVINGLABORATORY
Framework for a 21st century city
Sustainability Made Tangible Through the Arts
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
2/35
Mary Miss & Marda Kirn
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
3/35
1
Artists
Scientists
Poets
Engineers
Performers
Sociologists
Designers
Historians
CITY
ASLIVING
LABORATORY
SUSTAINABILITY MADE TANGIBLE THROUGH THE ARTS
Framework for a 21st Century City
COLLABORATION AND THE ARTS
ENVIRONMENTALSUSTAINABILITY
SOCIALSUSTAINABILITY
ECONOMICSUSTAINABILITY
CITY AS LIVING LAB
VISION
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
4/352
CITY AS LIVING LAB
VISION
City as Living Laboratory (CaLL) is a vision for linking the arts with sustainability to help us imagine and create cities
that redefine how we live our lives, use our resources, communicate, educate, and work.
CITY AS LIVING LABORATORY can help make ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC sustainabilityintegral to all communities of a city
To make SUSTAINABILITY TANGIBLE and visible for citizens, communities and institutions To EDUCATE the public about environmental, social and economic sustainability To stimulate ECONOMIC VITALITY in our neighbohoods and city-wide To ADDRESS CRISES in our cities such as environmental degradation, neighborhood blight, crumbling
infrastructure, and natural disasters
Artists are specialists in innovative thinking and are currently being overlooked as a resource Artists, working in collaboration with people in other fields, can create projects that educate, inspire, encourage,
and motivate citizens to think about the world around them in new ways
NATURAL SYSTEMS can be made evident in local and regional contexts INFRASTRUCTURE can be revealed and given visual expression SOCIAL PROGRAMS can connect neighborhoods with their environment, culture, history, and each other
SCALE - a citys large-scale sustainability initiatives can be expressed through smaller-scale projects RESOURCES - collaborative arts projects can partner with existing programs and institutions TIME - arts projects can happen immediately with fewer resources SPACE - arts projects can be integrated into the physical and virtual spaces of a city
PLACES - such as community gardens, parks, abandoned lots, infrastructure sites EVENTS - performances, festivals, exhibits, talks, tours, fairs, feasts, films TOPICS - land, water, transportation, energy, air, climate change, etc.
ARTISTS AND COLLABORATIONS
CRITICAL ISSUES
IMPLEMENTATION
PROGRAM TYPES
CONCLUSION
GOALS
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
5/35
3
CITY AS LIVING LAB
GOALS
The City as Living Laboratory will include places and programs where sustainability becomes tangible. To turn this goal into a realityartists and designers will create projects which address the critical environmental issues of our time (such as pollution, sprawl, waterand energy), or reveal a sites history, or provide meaningful social spaces within and beyond a community.
SUSTAINABILITY MADE TANGIBLE
Educating the public about environmental, social, and economic sustainability is an important part of this programs mission. Whetherfocusing on environmental issues or learning about the history of a place, citizens will be able to enjoy a city where education isapproached in a very unique way. Rather than the conventional use of interpretive signage or directives, educational experiences willengage people through the creative work of artists and designers.
EDUCATION
The City as Living Laboratory program can also serve as a means to address sudden crises, educating citizens about how to deal withthe unexpected, whether it be severe water shortages, an energy crisis, flooding, fires or hurricanes. Innovative solutions can be testedfor problems that have been occurring more frequently recently as a result of the unsustainable practices that have taken a toll on ournatural and urban environments.
ADDRESSING CRISIS
Sustainability is an economic mandate for both the public and private sector. Its focus on long term value is good business. City econo-mies can benefit from sustainability in many ways such as increased private investment on the creation of new jobs. Innovation is thecritical driver. Artists are a ready source of entrepreneurial capital and innovation in our cities.
ECONOMIC VITALITY
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
6/35
4
CITY AS LIVING LAB
GOALS
Uncle Toms Cabin1852Novelist & AbolitionistHarriet Beecher Stowe
Angels in America1992PlaywrightTony Kushner
The Jungle1906Writer / Social CriticUpton Sinclair
Still Here1994ChoreographerBill T. Jones
Burn on Big River Burn on1972Musician/Song-writerRandy Newman
PRECEDENTS
EFFECTSRESULTS The novel so ignitedpublic discussionabout slavery and itspossible abolition thatAbraham Lincolncalled it the little bookthat started the CivilWar.
The novel promptedTheodore Rooseveltto pass the MeatRegulation Act whichhelped establish theFood and DrugAdministration.
The song galvanized thecitys efforts to clean upthe polluted CuyahogaRiver, which helpedinspire the creation ofthe Clean Water Act.
The Last Wilderness2004PhotographerSubhankar Banerjee
The photo used inthe Senate to stopdrilling in the ArticNational WildlifeRefuge (ANWR)
The Broadwayplay helped toshift public opinionabout AIDS andhomophobia.
Guernica1937PainterPablo Picaso
The mural hasbecome emblematicof the tragedies andhorrors of warinflicted on individu-als and innocentcivilians.
The dance workhelped to focusattention onpeople with lifethreateningdiseases.
Artists have a centuries-long history of addressing issues in the public realm.Art can be critical, educational, analytical, interpretive, or symbolic.
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
7/35
5
CITY AS LIVING LAB
ARTISTS AND COLLABORATION
Through collabortaion artist can identify and re-examine issues to be addressed. They can create new partnerships across disciplinary, departmental, and institu-tional lines. They can refocus existing resources to achieve common goals. They can create solutions in temporary and permanent projects, programs and infra-structure. They can encourage the involvement of all citizens and inspire the personal and political will to create revitalized, sustainable cities.
Experimental Citywhere new ideas can beinvestigated and tested
Experiential Citywhere sustainability is made tangible
through the arts
Evolving Citywhere issues of our times can
be expressed
visual artistsliterary artists
performers
temporarypermanentconceptual
virtual
soundtouchtastesmellsight
scientistsplannersengineers
sociologistshistorians
+ + + =
Artists, designers and other visualizers can play a significant role as catalysts forenvironmental, social and economic sustainability.
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
8/35
6
NATURAL SYSTEMS
INFRASTRUCTURE
SOCIAL PROGRAMS
CITY AS LIVING LAB
CRITICAL ISSUES
Cities face numerous critical issues which varydepending on the needs and interests of each
community. The following section maps out oneway issues could be organized.
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
9/35
7
Geologic/ClimaticHistory InstallationsVisual Artist & Geologist
Air Quality Test SitesEnvironmental Artist &Air Quality Specialist
Micro-ClimateLandscape RoomsInterior Designer & Botanist
Wildlife Migration Markers &Information Points
Visual Artist & Zoologist
Traces of History VideoInstallations at Transit StopsVideo Artist & Historian
Water Treatment Plantsas Public PlacesArtist & Engineers
Revealing UndergroundUtility InfrastructureLighting Designer & Civil Engineer
Convert spaces below elevatedtransportation infrastructure togreenhouses & public spaces.
Architect & City Maintenance
Neighborhood EnergyMeasuring BillboardsUrban designer & Power Company
Street-Level Building Metric MarkersGraphic Designer &Environmenatal Engineer
Rush-hour/Dance-hourDancers & Traffic Control Specialist
The Death and Life ofGreat American Cities: Part 2Essayist/Writers and Urban Planners
Convert City Rooftops (gardens,planted trellises, or solar panels)Artist & Landscape Architect
Neighborhood CultureFront-yard ShowcaseSet Designer & Local Residents
Ancestry & Immigration MapsPublic ExhibitionWeb-designer & Anthropologist
Historical & Folk MusicTraditions ConcertMusicians & Historians
Puppet Show Exercise HourPuppeters & Fitness Trainers
Eating HealthyOrganic Garden PathsLandscape Artist & Dietician
Creative $$-saving & SustainableBusiness Events
Urban Designers & Economists
Sustainable Story-telling hourPoets & Grade Schools
Sustainable Habitat Stations &Monitoring/Surveillance SitesFilm-maker & Ecologist
Water Quality Test SitesLandscape Architect & Ecologist
Permeable pathways &Storm-water Habitat creationVisual Artist & Hydrologist
Seasonal Blooms PlaysActors & Forestry Experts
SOCIAL PROGRAMSINFRASTRUCTURENATURAL SYSTEMSSCALES
CRITICAL ISSUESEXAMPLES / OPPORTUNITIES
strategies to connect neighborhoods andcommunities physically and socially withissues focused on environment, culture,history, and justice
strategies to reveal andgive visual expression to naturalsystems in local and regionalcontexts
INDIVIDUAL
CITY
REGION
BOROUGH
NEIGHBORHOOD
STREET
BLOCK
BUILDING
strategies to reveal andgive visual expression toinfrastructural systems &networks
sn i
Community issues might be organized using the following headings:natural systems, infrastructure and social programs.
Collaborative projects can span across many scales and disciplines.
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
10/35
8
collaboration precedent: Artist + HydrologistCRITICAL ISSUES
NATURAL SYSTEMS
CONNECT THE DOTS(2007)Boulder, Colorado
Three hundred six-inch diameter blue discs marked theprojected flood level in the center of the city. Initiated asan art installation, the piece was so effective that city
officials requested that it stay up long after the exhibitwas over so they could use it for their flood controleducation program.
n
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
11/35
9
collaboration precedent: Artist + EngineersCRITICAL ISSUES
INFRASTRUCTURE
Arlington County Water Treatment Plant(2003-2005)Arlington, Virginia
This proposal transforms a 30 acre sewage treatmentplant into a public space. It creates a full-scale three-dimensional diagram that explains the wastewater
treatment process. The public can now interact with thisvital piece of infrastructure in new ways. It establishes aclearer understanding of the relationship between thesurrounding neighborhoods, the plant, and the Chesa-peake Bay.
i
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
12/35
10
collaboration precedent: Artist + Landscape Architect + Plant SpecialistCRITICAL ISSUES
SOCIAL PROGRAMS
Roshanaras Net(2008)New Delhi, India
A derelict 17th-century archaeology site in Delhi, Indiawas transformed into a temporary ayurvedic medicinalgarden giving the nearby community a new connection
to this site. As a result of this projects success thepossibility of a permanent garden in this and other parksis being pursued within the municipality.
s
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
13/35
11
SCALE
RESOURCES
TIME
SPACE
CITY AS LIVING LAB
IMPLEMENTATION
By seeding the city with small-scale projects over time the
landscape, experience and understanding of sustainabilitycan be fundamentally altered.
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
14/35
12
Large-scaleInitiatives
Small-scaleProjects
IMPLEMENTATIONSCALE
Small-scale arts projects can communicate a citys plans for large-scale initiatives.
The energy, transportation, infrastructure and other needs of cities can be met through a political process that implements planning, program and policyinitiatives through broad moves. Utility infrastructure sites need to be more energy efficient. Air quality needs to be improved significantly. Waste leaving the city needs to be reduced.
Neighborhoods need to be revitalized.
Sustainability initiatives can be made apparent and meaningful to individual citizens through small-scale collaborative arts projects that they encounterin their daily lives. Artists and designers can create a series of interventions throughout the city that can start immediately. Infrastructure sites can be transformed into public places to make people aware of the systems that support their lives. Pedestrians can be made aware of all the buildings they pass that have green roofs. Bio-swales can be made visible on median strips or in parks that clean street runoff water. The history of a neighborhood can be revealed.
SMALL-SCALE INTERVENTIONS
LARGE-SCALE INITIATIVES
PLANNING
PROGRAM
POLICY
Hydrology & Performing Arts
Poetry & Epidemiology
Art & Ecology
Geology & Design
Dance & Sociology
Planning & Sculpture
Anthropology & Architecture
Horticulture & Urban Design
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
15/35
13
Universities/Colleges
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
Museums
ZoosBotanical Gardens
Aquariums
Cultural Institutions
Educational InstitutionsExisting Institutions
Government Funding Agencies
Foundations
Corporations & Small BusinessesExisting Businesses
Civic Resources
Private Resources
Transit
UtilititiesSanitation
Parks
Community BoardsHousing and Preservation
Environmental Protection
Health & Human Services
Design and ConstructionEconomic Development
Neighborhood Associations
Churches, Temples, Mosques
Business Improvement DistrictsSoup Kitchens
Senior Citizens center
YMCA/ YWCA
Big Brothers & Sisters
Studio in a SchoolCreative Time
Design Trust for Public SpacePublic Art Fund
City Departments
Community Programs
Cultural programs
Existing Programs & Places
Resources& Partners
IMPLEMENTATIONRESOURCES
Arts projects can be implemented through collaborations with existing institutions and existing programs.
Sustainable cities can be achieved through refocusing existing programs, institutions and resources to address common goals. Cultural, civic, andeducational institutions, businesses and neighborhood groups can participate. If each can undertake to support a single project, over an extendedperiod of time the city can be transformed one small step at a time.
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
16/35
14
GREEN MARKETS Locate in all communities
TRANSPORTATION Reduce car traffic by 60%
INFRASTRUCTURE Make all waste and utility sites public spaces
WATER Gain access to waterfronts, improve quality, reduce consumption
ENERGY Reduce fossil fuel energy consumption
JOBS Increase employment especially in underserved neighborhoods
AIR QUALITY Reduce pollution by 50%
SustainableCity
Planning, program and policy initiatives have long range goals and often take years if not decades to implement. In the first 10 years, smaller-scale interventionscreated by artists and designers in collaboration with others can happen almost immediately and with fewer resources. As such, they can have an important roleby creating an interim presence for projects that will take years to complete. These interventions could engage a communitys interest and participation aroundan issue. New ways of thinking about sustainability can be introduced while announcing a citys long term intention to create change. Issues of environmentaland social justice can be addressed making an immediate impact on underserved communities.
next 90 years 2010 12 14 16 18 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 2100
- Variety of arts projects: temporary, permanent, virtual, conceptual- A range of scales of projects: $1,000-$5,000; $10,000-$20,000, $50,000-$100,000; $500,000-$1million; $1.5 million +- Different constituencies: communities, neighborhoods, boroughs, BID districts, interest groups- Different locations in the city
PARKS Convert all parks to 50% native plants
IMPLEMENTATIONTIME
Artists can help communicate a citys plans for the future within a relatively short period of time.
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
17/35
15
Infrastructural Spaces
Public Spaces
Institutional Spaces
Physical SpacesRoofsUnder Bridges and Elevated RoadsWater BodiesDrainage SystemsManholesPower PlantsWaste Plants
Building FacadesLobbiesAtrium
DoorwaysStore FrontsTransit StopsTransit Stations
Museums
ZoosBotanical Gardens
SidewalksParksPlazasCommunity Gardens
FaceBookMySpaceFriendsterLinked-In
Google EarthGoogle MapsGoogle Sketch-upGoogle Documents
Craigs ListE-Bay
Amazon
E-commerce Sites
Municipal WebsitesMobile DevicesGPS DevicesBlogs
Other
Networking & Social
Virtual Environments
Where canthis happen?
IMPLEMENTATIONSPACES
Arts projects can be integrated into the physical and virtual environments of the city.
In this way, the face of the city can be transformed as sustainability projects are implemented in multiple venues.
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
18/35
16
PLACE
TOPIC
EVENT
PLAN
CITY AS LIVING LAB
PROGRAM TYPES
The following examples show different approachesto transforming a city into a City as Living Lab.
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
19/35
17
PROGRAM TYPES
A redevelopment zone can engage artists early on to make
sustainability important and visible to its citizens. This couldset an example for the citys ongoing revitialization.
PLACE
TOPIC
EVENT
PLAN
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
20/35
18
PROGRAM TYPES
PLACE: Hunters Point
This project for Hunters Point in Queens would create opportunitiesfor about 300 housing units in new buildings that would bedesigned according to green design standards. However, it is notenough to simply meet green building requirements. Through theCity as Living Laboratory, artists can help create a visibly differentgreen city, raising awareness among local residents aboutsustainable practices and the complex history and infrastructure ofHunters Point.
Hunters Point Housing PlanHunter Point, Long Island City, New York City
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
21/35
19
Infrastructure Art Project
Natural Systems Art Project
Social Programs Art Project
TEMPORARYPROJECTS
PERMANENTPROJECTS
CONCEPTUALPROJECTS
DEMOLITION & SITE WORK SUB-STRUCTURE STRUCTURE SKIN & MATERIALS SERVICES & TECHNOLOGY ON-GOING OCCUPATION
PROGRAM TYPES
Arts projects can be inserted into all construction phases during the making of and on-going occupation of a place.Project construction phases for Hunters Point South Housing Plan
VIRUTALPROJECTS
PLACE: Hunters Point
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
22/35
20
Local Resources for Hunters Points South
Environment1. Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment
2. Downtown Alliance
3. Eyebeam Atelier
Art Organizations4. Creative Time
5. Exit Art
6. Alliance for the Arts
7. Dancing in the Streets
8 . Arts for Change
9. Public Art Fund
Social10. American Documentary
11. CultureNOW
12. Van Alen Institute
13. Architectural League of New York
14. Center for Urban Pedagogy
15. Design Trust for Public Space
16. Municipal Art Society
17. New York Foundation for Architecture
18. Open House New York
19. Storefront for Art and Architecture
Organizations20. Architecture For Humanity
21. Green Home NYC22. Not An Alternative
Utilities1. Consolidated Edison Co.
2. Newtown Creek Waste
Water Treatment Plant
Art institutions3. Sculpture Center
4. PS1 Contemporary Art Center
6. 5pointz Aerosol Art Center
Government7. PlanNYC
8. Art in the Park
9. DOT Urban Art Program
10. Dept of Environmental Protection
11. Economic Development Corporation
Colleges Universities12. Queens College
13. Pratt Institute14. LaGuardia Community College
Environmental15. Alley Pond Environmental Center
16 Community Environmental Center
Schools17. Information Technology High School
18. Long Island City School of Ballet
19. Public School 78
LOCAL RESOURCESCITY-WIDE RESOURCES
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
11
12
1314
15
16 17
18
PROGRAM TYPES
Arts projects can be implemented through collaborations with existing institutions and programs
PLACE: Hunters Point
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
23/35
21
PROGRAM TYPES
Topic-focused arts projects can provide in-depth investigationsof a specific theme within the broad range of sustainability.
PLACE
TOPIC
EVENT
PLAN
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
24/35
22
Water-related systems identified through data mappingand analysis can become opportunities for intervention.
PROGRAM TYPES
BEACONPOINT AT LONG DOCK(2007)
Beacon, NY / Artist: George Trakas
The artist-designed peninsula on the Hudson River water-front adjacent to Dia:Beacon includes a terraced fishingdeck, a new boardwalk, restored bulkhead, and a naturallypreserved south shoreline, providing direct access to theriver and its ecosystems.
NATURAL SYSTEMSn
TOPIC: Water
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
25/35
23
PROGRAM TYPES
MOTORNAMA ROSHANARA (2008)New Delhi, India / Artist: Ashok Sukuman & Shaina Anand
This project offered tours of the old industrial district alongRoshanara Road in Delhi using eco-friendly rickshaws. The
tour called attention to the various sites and histories of theindustrial age of this area, and its related narratives ofpollution, automation and skilled labor. Sites visited includea 100-year-old ice factory, a derelict cinema, motor repairand recycling shops, and a printing press among others.
SOCIAL PROGRAMSs
TOPIC: Industrial History
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
26/35
24
PROGRAM TYPES
RUMBLE STRIP TRIP(2005)New York, NY / Urban Designer: Petia Morosov
This is an example of a designer reimagining the function ofinsfrastructure. Innovative road-surface milling system thatadapts existing CNC technology used for grinding highwayrumble strips to engrave musically-encoded, acoustically-precise strip patterns in driving lanes. There are three main
objectives: to improve highway safety, to enhance drivingexperiences and to orient drivers to their surroundings.Collaborators on the project represent the fields of urbandesign, industrial design, acoustics, cognitive sciences,musicology and transportation planning.
INFRASTRUCTUREi
TOPIC: Roadways
Project collaboratioins included an urban designer, industrial designer,acoustician, cognitive scientists, a musicologist and transportation planners.
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
27/35
25
PROGRAM TYPES
Themed events of varying lengths of time can engage newaudiences in issues that otherwise might go unnoticed.
PLACE
TOPIC
EVENT
PLAN
PROGRAM TYPES
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
28/35
26
PROGRAM TYPES
Climate change was a topic that generated the creation ofan EcoArts Festival in and around Boulder, Colorado.EcoArts is a new event, a new model, a new way ofthinking bringing together people from all walks of life - toinvestigate the realities of climate change and celebrate thedelights of a sustainable future - in a conversation sparkedby the arts. EcoArts brings together science, environmental,arts, indigenous, and other organizations to offer you a widevariety of events - performances, exhibits, talks, tours, films,fairs, and more.
ECOARTS FESTIVAL (2007)Boulder, Coloradohttp://www.insite05.org/index.php
EVENT: Boulder
PROGRAM TYPES
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
29/35
27
PROGRAM TYPES
48C Public.Art.Ecology is an experiment set within themetropolitan city of Delhi. Twenty five art installations in avariety of public spaces drew attention to the fragile ecologyof the city.
EVENT: New Delhi
48C PUBLIC ART ECOLOGY(2008)New Delhi, Indiahttp://www.48c.org
PROGRAM TYPES
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
30/35
28
PROGRAM TYPES
inSite is dedicated to the realization of binational collabora-tive arts partnerships among nonprofit and public institu-tions in the San Diego-Tijuana region. Operating through aunique collaborative structure that is based on the activeparticipation of cultural and educational institutions in theUS and Mexico, inSite is focused on promoting artisticinvestigation and activation of urban space.
EVENT: San Diego & Tijuana
inSITE(first version 1992)
San Diego, California & Tijuana, Mexicohttp://www.insite05.org/index.php
PROGRAM TYPES
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
31/35
29
PROGRAM TYPES
PLACE
TOPIC
EVENT
PLAN
The numerous and complex issues addressed in a citys
existing sustainability plan can be made tangible tocitizens through collaborative arts projects.
PROGRAM TYPES
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
32/35
30
HOUSING
WATER QUALITY
CONGESTION
ENERGY
AIR QUALITY
CLIMATE CHANGE
STATE OF GOOD REPAIR
WATER NETWORK
OPEN SPACE
BROWNFIELDS
LAND PROJECTS
WATER PROJECTS
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS
OTHERS PROJECTS
CITYASLIVING
LABORATORYframework for a 21st century city
City Sustainability Initiatives
PROGRAM TYPES
sn i
PLAN: PlaNYC 2030
On Earth Day 2007, New York City published PlaNYC, a report outlining a long-term strategy of sustainability for the City. The plan set forth a variety of initiativesin categories such as land, water, transportation, energy, air and climate change. While many projects such as improving water and air quality have benefits thataffect everyone in the City, they are largely invisible to the public. Through the City as Living Laboratory, artists can help identify opportunities to reveal theseefforts to people throughout the City.
PROGRAM TYPES
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
33/35
31
HOUSING
WATER QUALITY
CONGESTION
ENERGY
AIR QUALITY
CLIMATE CHANGE
STATE OF GOODREPAIR
WATER NETWORK
OPEN SPACE
BROWNFIELDS
LAND PROJECTS
WATER PROJECTS
TRANSPORTATIONPROJECTS
OTHERS PROJECTS
Infrastructure Projects
Natural Systems Projects
Social Programs Projects
LEGEND
2010
PLAN: PlaNYC 2030
City as Living Laboratory projects can call attention to PlaNYC initiatives.
Since the inception of PlaNYC, nearly all of its 127 initiatives have begun. While many PlaNYC projects such as the opening of new playgrounds and bike lanesare quite visible to the general public, many highly beneficial efforts go largely unnoticed. For example, 15% of the taxi fleet has been converted to clean-fuelvehicles. Citywide emissions of greenhouse gases have been reduced. The MTA has begun drilling the tube to extend the 7 train line. Major strides have beenmade to improve the City's ability to handle storm and wastewater. These are among the many projects that the City as Living Laboratory could help make visibleto citizens.
2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030
CITY AS LIVING LAB
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
34/35
32
WHAT MAKES THE CITY AS LIVING LABORATORY A VITAL IDEA?Why would a city want to implement such a plan?
WE MUST DEAL WITH THE CRISES IN OUR CITIES.
It is imperative that we change the ways we live, work, build and play to deal with the economic, environmental and social crises we face.
MAKE ISSUES OF SUSTAINABILITY TANGIBLE AND VISIBLE.
We need the participation of all citizens, communities and institutions to maintain the political will to create newly sustainable cities
GIVE THE CITY A GLOBAL I.D. AS AN INNOVATIVE GREEN CITY.
Redefining the city in this way is essential to maintaining a contemporary presence in the global marketplace.
LINK CULTURE AND SUSTAINABILITY IN AN INNOVATIVE WAY.Use the skill of artists and the power of the arts as a resource to imagine and create change.
FAST TRACK SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES GIVING THEM AN IMMEDIATE PRESENCE.
This approach allows long term policy, program and planning initiatives to be visible throughout the city in a timely way.
CONCLUSION
CITY AS LIVING LAB
8/9/2019 City as Living Laboratory
35/35
33
Copyright 2009 Mary Miss & Marda Kirn
CREDITS
Contributors:
This booklet was made possible inpart thanks to the generosity of:
Phanat Xanamane, Mary Miss StudioJoseph McGrath, Mary Miss StudioScott JohnsonJudy Hussie-Taylor
Rennie Tang
Mary Miss & Marda Kirn
The Compton FoundationThe Schramm FoundationOur Anonymous Angel
Artist Mary Miss has been redefining how art is integrated into the public realm since theearly 1970s. She is interested in how artists can play a central role in addressing thecomplex issues of our times. Collaboration has been essential in Miss work, which crossesboundaries between landscape architecture, architecture, and urban design. Miss hasworked with historians, hydrologists, and botanists on projects as diverse as marking thepredicted flood level of Boulder, Colorado, or revealing the history of the Union SquareSubway station in New York City.
Mary Miss has won numerous awards, including the 2001 New York Masterworks Award, theCentennial Medal from the American Academy in Rome in 2001, and an Honorary DoctorateDegree from Washington University in 2000. She has been a Guggenheim Fellow, aResident Artist at the American Academy in Rome and a recipient of several New York StateCouncil on the Arts grants and NEA grants.
Marda Kirn is the founding director of EcoArts Connections, bringing together science,environmental, arts, and indigenous organizations in programming to increase awareness ofclimate change and sustainable living.
Kirn was the founding director of the Colorado Dance Festival, which, during her 14-yeartenure, was considered one of the top three dance festivals in the US; a founding memberof the National Performance Network; and a founder and director of the International TapAssociation. Kirn has written for various publications, received numerous awards, and hasbeen a speaker, panelist, and/or consultant for organizations in the US, Europe, PuertoRico, Mexico, Cuba, and India.