I was lucky
enough to visit
Munich
and
Berlin
this summer, and although both are
large, energetic cultural centers, the way I felt was very different in each
city. In
Munich
,
even though the city contained several large parks, I was intensely aware that
we were in a large city. The buildings seemed to crowd out what little green
space there was. Walking back to our hostel, which was located on a busy street
with trams, cars and pedestrians funneled into the space between tall
buildings, I always felt overwhelmed. On the other hand, when we were in
Berlin, which has a population roughly three times the size of Munich, the city
felt smaller and I felt much more at ease in my surroundings. One of the first
things I noticed when we arrived was how many more trees the city had. There
was green everywhere, from streets lined with trees to expansive parks, and I
think this had much to do with why I felt more comfortable in this larger,
probably more dangerous, city.
Munich
Berlin
In many ways, I believe that landscape
architecture and green space is important, not simply because it beautifies a
place, but also because it helps us feel, perhaps even just subconsciously,
more comfortable and in tune with our environment. As Joseph Jones states,
"beauty is not a luxury; it is a necessity, a positive agency of survival...[and we should preserve it]...with the practical aim of
helping preserve ourselves" (746). I strongly agree with Jones in this
case. Beauty, in the form of both nature and art, is extremely valuable,
perhaps even vital, to human existence. As Liz mentioned, everyone can
appreciate the power of a few minutes by the turtle pond to relax and clear
your mind. I have a quartet of potted plants in my room which bring a bit of
life to the room and make it feel more like home. And in
Berlin
, the huge presence of nature
humanized the city, making it feel smaller and friendlier. Though these
examples don't seem exactly life-changing, consider what life would be like
without small instances like these.
The Turtle Pond
We should also
seek to make our universities beautiful, not only by being thoughtful in the
architecture of our buildings, but also of the context in which we place them
-- the landscape. Newman insists that one of the things "required to make
a University...[is] first, a good and pleasant
site" (316) and Dougill suggests that the
college quadrangle should be a "place where nature, beauty and
spirituality coincide" (633). As places of learning, universities especially
should incorporate nature into campus, as it is such a strong, intellectually
stimulating force. Who hasn't been, at one point or another, been inspired by a
sunset, intrigued by a towering oak, or, simply, delighted by an oddly shaped
cloud? We love and need it, so we should celebrate it in and around our
architecture.
Discussing outside in the garden, near the turtle pond
