The Natural City

 We've been waiting all our lives
for things we've always had but have no eyes to see.
Something new is going to happen,
The most natural thing but nothin' we'd expect.

All these buildings and mountains
slowly they'll arise
before our eyes.

How do cities understand?
We drink our wine and wonder why we're really here
What's the point of even asking?
You take the good and bad and make the best of it.

All these buildings and mountains
slowly they'll arise
before our eyes.

All these buildings and mountains
slowly they'll arise
before our eyes.
have you watched the cities move
does nature fall before this age of industry
for today I'll let it go
you've been good to me have I been good to you?
All these buildings and mountains
slowly they'll arise
before our eyes

All these buildings and mountains
slowly they'll arise
before our eyes

The song "Buildings and Mountains", by the Republic Tigers may seem like meaningless existentialism to some, but I want to explore an idea that they bring up: Is there a connection between the city and nature? In a black & white world, the answer is no, but when looking at the grey area they are in many ways connected in how they are defined. Just looking at the lyrics, in the chorus, they say that both buildings and mountains will arise; in the same way that nature grows and changes, sometimes shaped by humans, the cities develop in the same way. They ask "how do cities understand?" as though there is some connection between the city and its inhabitants, as though the city is made to be perfect and these flawed creatures live within it. It talks about cities moving and nature falling before it, but not in the form of a statement, but in a question. This brings up the question of is nature strong enough to resist the growth of this mechanized city, or does the city replace it all together. The Republic Tigers might be right that the city itself could be "the most natural thing, but nothin' we'd expect".


In many ways, the city does replace Nature. A passage in the nior novel, The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler, really brought my attention to this idea. The passage reads:

"It's beautiful." I pulled up beside a loading platform. We got out. I listened. The hum of traffic was a distant web of sound, like the buzzing of bees. The place was as lonely as a churchyard. Even after the rain, the tall eucalyptus trees still looked dusty. They always look dusty. A branch broken off by the wind had fallen over the edge of the sump and the flat leathery leaves dangled in the water.

Looking at this scene, it seems very desolate and that nature has been destroyed by the city that developed in novel, but I view it as more of a new kind of nature, what the Republic Tigers would say is the most natural thing, but nothing you would expect. The layer of dust that coats the trees acts like a haze that is spurs the evolution of the trees to last in the city, as though the layer of dust protects them from being destroyed by the city, but changes them so that they are now something less than a tree, and the leaves from it are now leathery as a means of adapting to the city. The bees that would be found in nature, carrying pollen for plants to grow and reproduce, are replaced by cars that carry cargo or people that allows for cities to grow and reproduce. The empty spaces that formerly belonged to nature are even now used for churches and people. The stereotypical view of the city is that it destroys nature to make room for the city, but this passage almost shows how the city doesn't destroy nature, but instead forces it to change with the city in order to survive. 

In more modern times, there have been efforts made in society to try and restore nature to its former glory before the city, within the city. This notion of making a city "green" simply by making it more energy efficient and using new forms of energy. The currently accepted "bad" non-sustainable energy sources are plants that use coal, nuclear, gas, or similar fuel sources; what is know as "good" sustainable energy sources are solar panels, wind turbines, or dams. So what society considers to be "green" energy sources are the sun, wind, and water. Ask any biologist what plants need to grow and survive and he'll most likely tell you, the sun, air, and water. So are these new buildings that claim to be "green" so far from plants themselves? If you think about the economic advantages of using sustainable energy sources, inside such large (non-residential) buildings, businesses develop and grow inside them, and not having to pay as much for energy over the long run can lead for more growth, maybe creating branches, spreading out. Just the phrase green energy makes people think of a city that can get all its energy through the same methods that energy is made in nature to in some ways make the city more like nature. City and nature are two contrasting things that are becoming more alike as they both try to grow and thus have to grow into the other.

Imperious Corporalis

Ok, I just wrote up an invisible city. Not the most original idea, but here it is anyway. The city ended up becoming really very morbid and creepy, so read on if your into that. Don't worry, I am not a closet murderer despite what the article might suggest.

Eventual doom inhabits the devouring freeze of the intergalactic void. Peace is not afforded to the stillness of this oblivion. Here, peace is the ancient luxury of saints and fools.

Implacably stalking the monolithic void field is the ether strider known by some as the Imperious Corporalis. The bio crafted, space borne city has hunted the ageless millenia in brooding silence. Its mysteries were long ago submerged beneath myth by the heretical Termafex Seers. Travelling at sub-light speeds, the vessel is currently a momentary detail above the splinter planets of Thraxia Prime.

The enfleshed city is a bleeding jewel in the unspeakable vastness of the void. Pillars of bone grown by flesh magics developed in the Dark Age of the Krieg Mechanicus form the exoskeleton of the vessel. Gnarled, fleshy tendons descend from these pillars like spider limbs to chain the dread guardians forged in their thousands in the catacombs of the flesh smiths. These tortured citizens can always be heard moaning their nightmare catechisms to the emperor-in-flesh. The psychic chorus of their pain nourishes the psi-plastics of the craft's growth nodes, swelling the bone gardens. Eons of bloody cacophony have bloated the vessel's grisly halls and flooded its sinewed blood gutters like a ripe, privileged mosquito. Prepared for its next meal, the Corporalis directs its gaze toward the blue morsel below...


...The sun has left behind it a horizon of brilliant pink hue. A man watches as a pair of fighter jets scythe the view like two naked women sprinting through a flock of fleeing flamingos. He'd seen that on a cable show once. Never forgot it. He wondered about the fighter jets. This was the first time he'd seen any fly over Manitou Springs. He looked straight above him and saw the faint outline of some sort of... bizarre experimental aircraft. As it drew closer, he began to make out bone and tendons and sinew. He vomited. A drop of blood landed on the pavement in front of him. It had begun to rain...

The Social Hub of Austin

“Sorry we’re open,” the warm and interesting welcome you receive as you enter Magnolia Café located on Lake Austin Boulevard. Surrounded by an Animal Hospital across the street, Deep Eddy’s, and apartment buildings with a gas station on the corner, Magnolia Café glows along with the night life and business in the city of Austin, inviting all to come and join the good food and dinosaurs that lie within. The restaurant is welcoming with its chaotic, yet comforting look and a uniqueness that other restaurants in the area cannot compete against. The structure lures in awkward couples sitting side by side in comfy booths, it grasps the eyes of ambitious students looking to get some work done on the decorated tables, and it brings in guys looking to strengthen their bromances enchanted like flies to the neon lights. That’s not all the bros are attracted to as groups of girls walk in the joint to have a good meal after a football game or simply dinner with friends. Tables range from small to large with people of all different ages. Open “twenty four hours, eight days a week”, Magnolia Café allows friends to gather at different times of day whether it is 3am or 1pm and the sound of excited, romantic, and whispering voices and chatter drown out the music playing in the background. It’s a place of gathering and expression. The diversity of the people that come to magnolias fits the diverse and random expressive décor of the café. The café brings in different people because; it to itself is weird and quirky. Flamingos, Pterodactyls, children’s imaginative drawings tacked to the wall, and flowers at the center of each table decorate the colored walls of the restaurant adding to the festive atmosphere. No table top is the same ranging from floral prints to artistic patterns to pink and black skulls. A large wooden pterodactyl hangs from the ceiling as if looking to pick off the plates of hungry people. A light up vine wrapped around a radiant pink flower on the far wall from the entrance lights up a chalkboard dessert and tea menu infested with drawings of dinosaurs. The restaurant is split into two with a kitchen in the center which connects the two sides of the cafe. Large windows in the building allow natural light during the day to shine through, but trap in the neon glow during the night. Tree’s around the restaurant keep it cool and gives the essence of a backyard in a city. The childlike atmosphere emits a sense of belonging as if being home. Waiters are nice and treat you as if family making service great. Casual attire adds to the feeling of being home and seeing the workers happily socialize in the kitchen adds to a friendly environment. Our waitress was kind enough to answer a few questions we had about magnolia’s, including why there was an infestation of flamingos, well kinda.…………Dog Friendly, Tasty food, good friends, and spunky décor makes magnolia’s a fun experience. But leaving magnolias always puts people down, so as the table of bros pulled out, they lit up a doobie, and will probably return so to satisfy their midnight munchies.

Artistic Rebels

     Graffiti is highly illegal. Yet, some say it is a nuisance while others say it is a form of art. But whether or not people like it, it is part of the city. It is part of our city.  Graffiti represents how urban space can be used in another way besides its obvious intended use. Walls are no longer used for just holding up structures, rather they transform into enormous canvases for artistic expression. Most of these pictures are a message board for local community issues. Most of them beautify urban space, and help express the artists’ inner emotions.  

     Graffiti originally dates back to about 30,000 BCE where it was used in historic sites such as and other ancient ruins. The earliest forms of it where found in caves painted on the cavern walls. Bones were used to mix natural paints that consisted of dirt, berries or whatever could create a desirable color and last for a substantial amount of time. Today a more modern method has been developed.  Artists use anything from markers and spray paint to stickers and posters to share their ideas with the world.

     New York City is one of the most prevalent places to discuss when talking about graffiti. There, it lines the tracks of subway stations, covers massive walls and consumes any public space. However, in Austin, a more diluted version of this artistic rebellion has etched its way onto our cities walls. In a city where weirdness is expected and the arts are embraced, graffiti is taking over and it is delivering its message.

     The infamous “I love you so much wall” is an example of graffiti that has had a positive impact on a community. Everybody knows where this wall is. Couples, friends and partners flock to it to take pictures with their loved ones. Because of these words, a green wall has been transformed into something that directly affects the community. It brings people together and allows them to express their love for others.

     Secondly, on a wall in Austin we are shown graffiti picture of an astronaut who wants to work. This cartoon figure states that “I wish I had a job” and someone has sprayed the words “not good enough” right beside it. In this instance, graffiti has been used to convey a political message. It states that just standing around looking for a job to fall in your lap is not good enough, one must actually go out and seek one.  With the economy about to plummet into a second recession the astronaut represents the desires of the many people who are unemployed. The figure’s hands are limp at its sides as if in full submission to the forces that hold it down. Also, the blacked out face depicts the hopelessness that the unemployed feel towards the job search.

    Lastly, in this picture, we are shown a billboard which announces the construction of a new hotel in the trailer park eatery on South Congress. The picture is covered with the words “We don’t want” protesting the development of a structure that will defile the street of SoCo. This piece of graffiti is significant because it represents a portion community’s viewpoint with three simple words. It sends a political message and revolts against the higher powers which are going to destroy what impacts many peoples’ lives.

Overall, graffiti is not desirable in all circumstances. Sometimes, it decreases the value of urban space rather than enhance it. Even though it is illegal, artists today still continue to risk punishment in order to get their message across. Whether it be some sort of political rebellion, a method of tackling social issues or just a desire to express themselves in a public space, the love of art drives artists back to public walls. I see it as an unconventional news paper, spreading the word for anyone to see.

Protest in Public and Private Space

I thought an article about the Occupy Wall Street movement by architecture critic Michael Kimmelman in this week's NYTimes "Review" was relevant to our class. It talks about the role of public space in protest. Visually, the accompanying images are a reminder of some iconic spaces in the history of protest, from public universities to public squares.

Kent State University

Tiananmen Square

Ironically, the park where the Occupy Wall Street protesters have been gathering is privately owned. This is perhaps symbolic of the fact that much public space in cities has become privatizes. But while the space is not technically public, it is being used as a public space for a certain group of citizens to express their opinions about the current state of affairs.

The article reminded me of a number of posts here: Julia's post on ancient Greek ideas of the polis; Payton and Connor's podcast on the public and private aspects of Chase Tower in Austin (within the context if a protest); and Noah and Michael's podcast on alternative, perhaps even resistant, uses of public space at Wooldridge Square.

The Pennybacker Bridge

"Pennybacker Bridge" is the official name of the structure we Austinites refer to as the "360 Bridge". The structure was named after Percy Pennybacker, a former designer for the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT). It was designed by Clearwater Constructers out of Colorado and opened to traffic on December 3, 1982. Although it spans 1,150 feet, the bridge does not touch the comfortable waters of Lake Austin. It was designed as such in order to allow boat traffic to move freely under it. The bridge is upheld by 72 steel cables, each of which is connected to the arched support beams grounded in either side. It was the second bridge of it's kind built in the world.

The Pennybacker Bridge serves as more than just as a medium for crossing this dammed section of the Colorado River. It additionally serves as a connector for two very different pieces of the city as well as a hub for recreation of all types. This bridge is truly host to a 'boatload' of activity. It sits perpendicular to the Austin Country Club Golf Course as well as the lake which runs under it. Each every warm day of the year, boats cruise just 100 feet below it. People visit the areas near this bridge in order to escape from the high entropy of the city they work in. The bridge is witness to a host of emotions from the dwellers of the city pass over it each and every day. By morning, parents are driving children to school and adults are hastily headed to work, most distracted by thoughts of the day ahead. By afternoon, people have lost the stress they carried by morning, their minds flow as freely as the boats which skim atop the water. People use the urban space in a variety of ways, utilizing each and every square inch of this urban oasis of grass and water. The bridge however, is a constant, always standing as a symbol of the versatility of the city of Austin as shown by those who pass over and under it each and every day. It's not in every city that you can go to work by morning and be on the lake in the afternoon.

Below is a neat 3-D Model of the Pennybacker Bridge:

Here is a link to a 360 degree panorama taken from a position adjacent to the bridge.