Coming from Turkey and studying urban design here I find myself in a situation where I question even my own existence as a designer. Public urban places in Istanbul are most of the time non-designed; they are either historically or mostly spontaneously emerged.
Delen
Although the maintenance and cleaning can sometimes be a problem, Istanbul’s urban places function just fine, they are very lively and dynamic. On the other hand, what you very soon realize here in the Netherlands is that every little tree, even in the polders, is planned, as are the urban parks, which are designed, re-designed and designed again, and still often suffer from a lack of visitors. A good example of this regulation culture is visible in these special stones targeted for dogs to crap on. Or, another example, are the automated male peeing cylinders, like the one on the Bestenmarkt, which comes up from underground during events of high beer consumption. An instant urinal, fine, but this is my question for Delft’s city officials: clearly, you’re very sensitive and concerned about serving male and dog deposit matters in public spaces, but how about us females then?
(Photo/caption: Ekim Tan, MSc, Turkey)
Coming from Turkey and studying urban design here I find myself in a situation where I question even my own existence as a designer. Public urban places in Istanbul are most of the time non-designed; they are either historically or mostly spontaneously emerged. Although the maintenance and cleaning can sometimes be a problem, Istanbul’s urban places function just fine, they are very lively and dynamic. On the other hand, what you very soon realize here in the Netherlands is that every little tree, even in the polders, is planned, as are the urban parks, which are designed, re-designed and designed again, and still often suffer from a lack of visitors. A good example of this regulation culture is visible in these special stones targeted for dogs to crap on. Or, another example, are the automated male peeing cylinders, like the one on the Bestenmarkt, which comes up from underground during events of high beer consumption. An instant urinal, fine, but this is my question for Delft’s city officials: clearly, you’re very sensitive and concerned about serving male and dog deposit matters in public spaces, but how about us females then?
(Photo/caption: Ekim Tan, MSc, Turkey)
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