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October 1995
Viewpoint
By JB Jackson
The public or political landscape is quite distinct from the natural
landscape or the economic landscape. The architectural concept of the megastructure
was roughly that of a skeletal framework composing essential functions of the building,
into which are inserted the individual, more or less temporary, installations. The
advantages of the megastructure are that the individual is provided certain necessary
facilities and also greater freedom of choice. The megastructure is prior to the
individual installation and presumably, more lasting.
There is another kind of megastructure, a megastructure in terms of a whole environment;
one of the oldest creations of man. This megastructure consisting of the environment
organized by man can be called the public landscape.
This public landscape is the result of an historical process. We can say of it what
we have said of the architectural megastructure: it is prior to the individual citizen
or individual holding. The public landscape is prior to the private landscape. But
unlike its architectural counterpart, the public landscape can and does change, and
that is why it is of interest to us now: we must change the the existing public landscape
if we are once more to have a political identity.
We usually think of the monument as a permanent construction designed to keep alive
the memory of a person or event, and we give it a public character and a public location.
In form it varies from one period to another: we no longer build triumphal arches
or even erect statues of individuals; we are more and more inclined to consider a
whole environment a monument—a park, a grove of trees, an auditorium. Regardless
of its form the monument continues to serve more or less the same function: it is
a reminder of the past, it is a symbol of another community to which we belong: the
community of those who have died. If the public square is a reminder of the present,
the monument is a reminder of promises made, or origins which we are inclined to
forget.
Each culture has its own concept of that invisible community to which it owes loyalty
and from which it draws inspiration. The designing of and locating of appropriate
monuments in the new public landscape will likely be one of the most difficult jobs
of the coming generation of environmental designers; because this is not simply a
matter of recreation, it is a matter of reminding, of making people think.
The environmental megastructure—to revert to our earlier comparison—supplies essential
facilities for a civilized way of life; it thereby fosters the private landscape,
the private realm. A properly functioning public landscape allows the private landscape
to specialize and achieve individuality.
Would a landscape or a city conceived in these terms be beautiful? Not necessarily;
but it would remind us of order and unity and justice, and it is quite possible that
in time we would learn to find beauty in these characteristics. The permanent aspects
of our environment are those which matter most. If we produce a handsome and serviceable
megastructure we can tolerate the shortcomings of the individual environment, which
in any case lasts only a few years.”
That is why we cannot abide by any plan which actually removes public landscape.
That is why saving the cobblestone streets are so vitally important. It is the framework
of public life and opportunity.
A plan such as Horizons cannot survive the process of representative government On
the one hand, varied constituents, on the other limited money. Why haven't these
grand schemes worked before? Because streets had to be plowed and garbage picked
up and children educated. And it was a good thing. Many of the concepts were cockamamie
when viewed from today. Here are some questions to answer: 1)how is creating new
arts venues going to effect existing venues? were is programming money going to come
from. Every block club should rise up. This is not some grand solution to our fiscal
problems, but another drain on the sweating populace. Spare us the boldness. Buffalo
can do without yacht basins and artificial harbors. City are for me
A lot of prattle about the public-private partnership. The citizen only has to know
one thing: the public part takes all the risk, the private part takes the profit.