For folks who may be having a hard time understanding the Designing Local concept and why it’s necessary, think for a minute about the concept of local food.
North America has been warming to the concept of eating food that has been grown from places nearby. For most people, this is an easy concept to grasp: citizens simply decide to support their local agricultural economy and save energy costs associated with transportation. Easy and good. And it’s clear to most of us that by eating local food, it’s possible to enjoy the benefits of fresher, generally more nutritious and healthy food, too.
As an urban planner, what I love most about the local food movement is that it celebrates local geographies. For instance, in Columbus, Ohio where I live, lots of folks like to talk about Snowville Creamery, a Central Ohio dairy that uses a special processing technique that is supposed to make their milk more rich and delicious. (A good video about Snowville here.) Interestingly, Snowville only ships a limited distance so they can get their product on the grocery shelves as soon as possible for consumers to enjoy the best tasting milk possible. And because locals love and appreciate their milk, Snowville is employing a few dozen local workers.
Snowville’s farm is becoming a destination. There are tours of the farm so visitors can learn about their special process, and, in my eyes, any place or business that offers regular tours is a sign of real success. I like how Snowville goes to the trouble tell the story of the farm where the food is grown so it can become a part of peoples’ personal experiences. People love stories! They also love to be a part of a story, too.
Local food is contagious. Central Ohio restaurants advertise local ingredients like Snowville products on their menu to celebrate those ingredients, and, in turn, the restaurants themselves are celebrated when they are serve homegrown products in their dishes. With all of those restaurants talking about Snowville and using their products, this helps the local economy.
As a concept, Designing Local is very similar.
For instance, an ear of corn shipped from Peru (unless you’re in Peru) can’t possibly be as delicious as an ear bought on a nearby farm in the same way that a mass-produced street pole or building can’t possibly be as “delicious” as a pole or building that was designed with care by locals. The same is true for every sidewalk panel, building facade, greenway, and sign. Most places don’t think about these things like too many people don’t think about where their corn comes from.
For decades, I’ve noticed how few communities go to the trouble of expressing their local values. They don’t see it as essential or important. This is why we need to help places understand that it is reasonable and responsible to expect that their built environments (generally streets, buildings, signs, infrastructure, and parks) tell the good stories of their local communities. It seems to me that permanent things that end up on the ground should especially go out of their way to showcase and celebrate local people, customs, and natural resources. In the same way we shouldn’t be wasting energy associated with food production and distribution, we shouldn’t waste opportunities for homegrown storytelling associated with urban design and planning. Unfortunately, most places in North America have not done a very good job with their storytelling, but I think most places want to. Hopefully the idea will spread, be understood, and accepted like the local foods movement has.
I hope you now have a better understanding why the goal of 100% original communities matters. Through unique, local design, your business site, street, neighborhood, and city should strive to be at least as effective in celebrating the local geography and telling interesting stories as Snowville Creamery is.
(Featured Photo from SnowvilleCreamery.com)