LiN: Micro mobility = Macro change

Meeting with Finn Geipel, Giulia Andi, David Levain and Vesta Nele Zareh 6^th April 2011.

 

In an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of my trip and with the desire to experience the train, I took the overnight sleeper from Paris to Berlin. The amount of carbon used for each trip is published when you buy your ticket. This 14 hour journey uses a fraction of the carbon that the 1 ½ hour plane trip does.

 

Feeling good about your carbon consumption however, hardly compensates for the way you feel when you arrive at Berlin Central at 9:10 AM, having hardly slept, having shared a small stuffy compartment with five strangers and a stowaway cat and having stupidly forgotten to bring water. There is no food or drink available on the train!

 

The new Berlin Central railway station is a masterpiece of logistics and engineering. You can transit from the Inter-City train, to for local train or to the metro within the same structure. You can even see the trains crossing the void within the building. It is breathtaking. I’m glad I caught the train after all.

 

 

 

 

The LIN office is in a brick industrial building that occupies nearly a whole city block. My time contingency came in handy.

 

 

 

I was met by Giulia Andi and David Levain, who had prepared for the meeting with a slideshow, publications, water, chocolate and coffee. Finn Geipel and Vesta arrived a little later, straight from a studio at the University.

 

After briefly explaining my quest and showing some maps of Sydney (which never fails to amaze) it was clear that this would be a lively exchange. The LIN contribution to the consultation had, I felt, developed ideas that are particularly applicable in the Sydney context.

 

The first comment that Giulia made was about the scale of the project. This was a vast and complex project, larger than anything they had attempted. The initial task was to discover the landscape and the meaning of the landscape.

The first thing they realised was that Paris has a very dense centre with 210 dwellings per hectare whilst outside the centre the rate is about 28. This equates to roughly 12,000,000 people over 1700 km². (Even with the relatively low densities outside the centre, this compares directly with Sydney’s 4.4 million people over the same area) Paris is both a dense city and a light city. Paris metropolis is already there. The main thing is to make it more legible, to make its parts relate to each other.

The LIN model is to make more intense, smaller centres that allow low impact local transport solutions and foster mixed use. Jobs must be mixed with housing.

LIN see great potential in smaller scale flexible suburbs. They are the most easily rebuilt, transformed or mutated to accommodate the idea of micro-mobility. The overall impact of micro-mobility is not to be underestimated. By providing very low impact transport options to smaller centres will have a profound effect on the environment, and on the sense of community.

Even though the scale of the urban fabric can remain small, a certain density needs to be achieved in order to sustain such centres. (A figure of 1700 people was suggested as a minimum to support a micro centre shop)

Finn spoke about the river. The Seine is a fundamental structuring element of the city. It is the reason people settled there in the first place. It used to be more present. The city gradually turned its back on the River as it became more polluted and as people became more paranoid about flooding. Increased regulation has made the river a no-go zone.

 

A subject Finn is studying with his students, is, to see what happens when apparently incompatible things are put together, such as the river and it’s flood zones with a more intense urban environment. Another urbanity develops that is at once more intense and allows the river to self clean, to have its natural cycles. This is possible with the Seine, he says.

 

On the subject of the consultation, Finn and Giulia described the experience into parts. Despite a rather vague brief and he has yet untried format of the consultation, they felt there was great benefit in working together (they made particular reference to Mike Davis, the man in red, from RSHP whom they consider to have been a significant contributor to the collegiate spirit of the teams)

The presentations, (which they also described as being intimidating,) were very impressive. Inviting all the players, even those who hate each other, provided for a testing but surprisingly constructive outcome. There was a real sense that (to quote Sarkozy) “together, anything is possible”.

But the momentum was lost. After the exhibition, the whole subject went quiet. The wave had passed. The problem, according to Finn, was a lack of leadership at that moment. What was needed was a strong personality, someone who could be outside the politics and unite all parties around the project. (Finn sites Barcelona under Bohigas)

 

Even though, in as sense, time is being lost, projects are beginning to happen. Grand Paris is a label that is being worn by a growing number of projects. A new network has been created that results in projects. The concept of micro mobilities is filtering through, according to Finn.

 

According to Giulia, the consultation has sparked not only an understanding of Grand Paris, but ways to approach similar phenomena in all cities. Ultimately this is their most important motivation, to help mobilise the world.

Nicholas Sarkozy’s speech must not be forgotten.

L I N are now working on the smaller city of Angers (on the Loire). The issues here are all the same; global warming, less industry, transport, and housing etc We must carefully select the topics for synthesis to frame the solutions. We must rethink the way we do urban Planning.

 

Each city, say L I N, will find their own way. Berlin, for example, has established a special Berlin IBA Studio. As Berlin does not have the kinds of funds that were made available for the Paris consultation, a studio has been established that takes a different approach to the way expert advice and community involvement is sought. Specialists are invited to talk and impart knowledge on a diverse range of issues these include contributions from developers and community groups.

Exchange and communication are vital. Finn described the travelling show designed by Rem Koolhaas selling the idea of a united Europe. Some kind of catalyst to open up discussion should be found on this subject too.

“We still have to grow into Grand Paris, to communicate on a larger scale”

Vesta, David, Tim, Finn & Giulia

 

L I N are working on the extension of four metro lines. Micro-mobility can only work when the macro mobility (an efficient transport system) is in place.

They were fascinated by the plans of Sydney. They expressed enthusiasm at the possibility of one day visiting. Lets get them there one day soon, I say.

 

Thank You L I N, for an unforgettable afternoon, worth every gram of carbon!