[Back to the Future] - Resource Guide

Going "Back to the Future"

In a culture obsessed with looking toward the future, it is important that we don't forget to look at the past. A future built without understanding the good and bad, the successes and failures of history is one that stands on fickle foundations. There is much that we have lost to time which was once wonderful and which should be reintroduced again.

There is no need to throw the baby out with the dirty bathwater. While some things are better left behind in our pursuit of progress and a better life, many things deserve to be brought with us into the future. Building a prosperous nation and a happy people relies on learning and building upon lessons we have learned, not on throwing everything away and starting from square one every time a disruptive new technology arrives.

For example, while cars have been valuable for economic development, when they were introduced a century ago, we allowed them to take over everything. We made streets wider to accommodate them, we made houses further apart from each other and key amenities, we replaced millions of treasured places with parking lots. In service to the car, we sacrificed so much of what we deeply valued. In the belief that the car was the way of the future, we gave up parts of the past that we loved.

Now, we are paying for that. Because a city designed to suit the needs of machines is one designed contrary to the needs of human beings. While a car needs a wide street to speed along, humans need narrow streets to support social life, play, and shopping. While a car can quickly cross large distances, humans can't, leaving them isolated from each other and community life in a sprawling city. And while a car needs enormous amounts of asphalt to be stored on, humans need that space to be filled with destinations to stir their interest, fulfill their needs, and bring them together.

So before we lose any more to a vision of the future defined by cars, let's look at the past to see a more human-centric way of life that we have lost along the way. Below are some of the best kinds of places in a pre-car world that people loved and that we can and should bring back into our cities if we are serious about creating a future where everyone can thrive.

Pleasure Gardens vs. Parks

Today, we have parks. In the past, we had pleasure gardens. Modern day parks are small, bare patches of grass surrounded by car infrastructure. When everything is centered around the car, it's hard to spare space and resources for non-car uses or private homes, like public spaces. So the parks of today are often lacking anything interesting to do, merely offering a patch of green to rest our eyes on.

Before the car became the center of urban life, cities had large, beautiful parks designed to make people happy. It was embedded in the name – "pleasure gardens." They were full of attractions, event venues, play areas, places to eat, and more. Their purpose was to support walking and socializing. In today's age of rare walking and little socializing, we need to bring back places that encourage these important activities.

Painting source 1: https://www.homesandantiques.com/gardens/gardens-to-visit/pleasure-gardens Painting source 2: https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/the-pleasure-gardens-of-lower-manhattan/

Pleasure Gardens of the past:

Pleasure Gardens of the present:

Bryant Park [new text]

Bryant Park is one of the biggest success stories in the history of Placemaking. Located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, it used to be little more than a deserted patch of grass with barely any amenities within to attract visitation. Because of its lack of wholesome activity and the

Social Life ProjectTayana Panova

Car-Free/Car-Light Towns

A car-free town used to just be called a town. Now, not only is it hard to find a town or city that isn't overwhelmed by cars and traffic, but those few that remain have become tourist attractions. Two of America's most popular tourist destinations, Disneyland and Disney world, are exactly that – artificial car-free towns where space for cars has been instead filled with attractions for people. The famous Main Street America running down the middle of these theme parks used to be a standard feature of towns everywhere.

Disney is not the only place where you can still enjoy an urban setting free of vehicles. Neighborhoods like Chautauqua in the US and many parts of Europe are designed in such a way so that cars are not welcome, and people are much happier for it. Whey then, don't we have more such places?

Walkable Cities

By and large, walkable cities are some of the most popular, and walkable neighborhoods are some of the most valued in the world. It's no surprise. Walkability creates more interesting, beautiful, and convenient environments.

When you don't have to get in your car, drive for 10-15 minutes, and look for parking every time you want to run a simple errand or see other people, life becomes much easier and more pleasant. And when people are always milling around instead of zipping past in their cars, it makes sense to design the environment to be attractive to them which is how more beautiful cities are created. It's no wonder the vast majority of Americans want to live in walkable environments. Unfortunately, few American neighborhoods are walkable.

Streets for People Instead of Cars

Streets are nowadays synonymous with cars. But streets are the channels of a society's social and commercial activity. To use them only or primarily for car throughput is to waste immense potential. In cities and towns designed for people, there is almost always a vibrant main street that is interesting and pleasant to walk along. This main street acts as the backbone of the community and is a vital piece of how it functions.

Barcelona, Passage de Gracia, Paris Plage, Right Band and Barcelona, las Rambla

Old Style Small Town Life

When we think of small town life, we usually feel a sense of nostalgia. Small town life is something we associate with the best parts of the past – community, charm, and hominess. We think of beloved local businesses, cozy safe places, friendly neighbors, and children running around the park. When we talk about "back to the future" design, we are talking about bringing these qualities back which have unfortunately been lost to car culture.

Sometimes, creating a great future means looking to the past for inspiration. When it comes to designing great cities, that is certainly true. New isn't always better. When we weave together innovations and insights from the present with tried-and-true principles from the past, we can create a truly bright future built on solid foundations, and one worth pursuing.

The mission of the Social Life Project is to incite a renaissance of community connection in public spaces around the globe. Through our online publication, presentations, campaigns, and catalytic projects, we can create transformative impact on communities everywhere. Our work grows out of more than 50 years devoted to building the global placemaking movement. It is an initiative of the Placemaking Fund, along with PlacemakingX — a global network of leaders who together accelerate placemaking as a way to create healthy, inclusive, and beloved communities.

If you are interested in collaborating (articles, presentations, exhibits, projects, and more) or supporting the cause contact us.