an alternative to generica

07/06/2006 09:22:00 PM
Suburban sprawl, big boxes, freeways, concrete and generic starter homes is beginning to look like a global trend.

One unlikely opponent of this trend has been the Prince of Wales, who has the advantage of owning lots of land, that he can do pretty much what he likes with.

With one plot of land, he decided to create a town designed to be the antidote to homogeneity. He picked a plot outside of Dorchester in the South of England and enlisted architect Leon Krier to develop it for him.

Charles's vision was to create a community that valued diversity, character, respected history and individuality. The result is Poundury.

Poundbury, population 2,500, is not without its critics, many who believe it's an expression of Charles' naive and unrealistic desire to turn back the clock to the early C18th.

In a world where progress is often the only considered direction, could there be some things from the past that are worth saving and protecting?

Influx wrote recently about the term Icon Archaeology (the process where brands sift through their history to find building blocks from the present) or from their past, they can create their future.

Brand owners need to check their closets to see if there are any gems in there that could be re-contextualized for the present. There is value to be found in going backwards.

From the development perspective, there are a couple of things that can be learned from Poundbury; design your community around the pedestrian, not the car and think about making every building in your community sustainable.
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