On Belonging by Kim Samuel

Author:Kim Samuel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abrams
Published: 2022-09-13T00:00:00+00:00

DESIGNING FOR HARMONY

NEW URBANISM is one of the frameworks that seeks to reorient our cities and living spaces back to ancient design principles used in medieval and pre–modern era towns in order to recapture a sense of place, and to design the town and city as a unit in support of the community and the activities it carries out. At the same time, it aims to reestablish the connection between design and the community by drawing on historical architecture, materials, and ordering of environmental and pedestrian-centric spaces in ways that also support our increasingly flexible economies. This framework aims to address the figurative “erosion” between new residential buildings and the environment by drawing on locally-specific elements of space and character that have historically enabled people to feel more connected to place and each other. New Urbanism recognizes the reciprocal relationship between the structure and spirit of design to build belonging in our cities and foster connection to people, place, power, and purpose.

In his book, Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World, Charles, Prince of Wales, writes, “It seems that communities work best when the principles that Nature depends upon in order that she is self-sustaining are applied to urban planning and architecture. These principles bring together patterns of complexity and a sense of overall unity that, in turn, creates an order and a harmony that reflects Nature’s own patterns of self-organization. Like Nature, communities thrive from the roots up, not the other way around.”46

I have known Prince Charles since 2003, when we were introduced to one another by Kathleen Raine in what turned out to be the last months of her life. Our short conversation was poignant, not only for that reason, but also because when he spoke of sacred geometry deriving from Nature’s ways of knowing, I saw community, and when he spoke of communities that “thrive from the roots up,” I saw belonging. In a life filled with thousands of public engagements, people often clamoring for Prince Charles in circles crushing inward on themselves, I’ve often thought about what it must be like for him to maintain a sense of personal harmony, let alone personal space. So I was struck in a subsequent conversation when he spoke with empathy about the person, “at the back of the room,” standing all alone. And it occurred to me that perhaps both of them feel isolated in their own way, one surrounded by many people, the other surrounded by none. And that perhaps the prince’s ethos derives from empathy, much more than convention. Over many decades, he has put this ethos into practice in countless ways, notably in his work with young people, providing opportunities for education, job training, and entrepreneurship, his enduring leadership in the global fight against climate change, and in reimagining the built environment. I have also come to know him as an inspiring teacher, who, like other inspiring teachers, maintains the intuition and inquisitive energy of a student. It’s a quality I’ve found in people who have inspired me throughout my life.

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