Blog

Sojourn through markets, near and far

Markets — whether selling produce or spices, antiques or souvenirs — have long been places for gathering and commerce, microcosms of exchange that embody local culture. While some markets now sell imported goods and reflect a more globalized economy with the rise of tourism and modernization, many still remain true to their roots. A neighborhood farm stand or a floating market in Thailand are often the best places to sample local flavor, to do as the locals do. Here are some tastes from near and far:

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Kartshok Village, Bhutan / Photo by Shun Kanda

In the village of Kartshok in the tiny mountainous country of Bhutan, the outdoor market is the primary source of ingredients for the community — all traveling from the farm to the table, before “farm to table” became trendy in the West. Here, farmers lay out their produce under the shelter of a permanent canopy, right in the center of the village. The focus here is local subsistence, since few foreigners venturing beyond the capital of Thimphu.

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Meat market in Salzburg, Austria / Photo by Shun Kanda

In a city like Salzburg, Austria, several daily and weekly markets draw locals and tourists alike. This mobile butcher satisfies those curious about homemade schnitzl, wursts (sausage), and other well-known Austrian delicacies. Even the very young have a chance to survey the scene and make decisions for their family’s dinner. When the market closes, the butcher shuts his doors and drives off, freeing the plaza for its nighttime role.

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Shek Kip Mei market, Hong Kong / Photo by Emily Lo Gibson

Open streets and town squares are common locations for markets, but markets can also be opportunistic, appearing in urban crannies where and when need arises. The Shek Kip Mei seafood market is one such example, set up in between towering public housing units on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. It is one of the oldest areas of a city undergoing continual renewal, with the market accompanying some of the few remaining dai pai dong, or street food vendors. These days, the market is facing a decline partially due to the area’s aging population and deteriorating infrastructure, similar to Venice’s historic Rialto Mercato. The city looks to gentrification and ideas for urban renewal for injecting new life into the area, but these strategies might come at the cost of Shek Kip Mei’s unique character.

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Eastern Market, Washington DC, USA / Photo by Emily Lo Gibson

Lines of farm-fresh produce march beneath shed-like canopies at Washington DC’s Eastern Market, while artists sell their wares on the periphery. The farmers market in the USA originated in 1730 and has continued to be an important part of urban life and tourist interest, especially with the renewed interest in local food. Eastern Market now has both indoor and outdoor spaces, with brick-and-mortar shops and a community center anchoring it throughout the day and night. Conscientious planning keeps the market evolving.

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Grand Central Market, Los Angeles, USA / Photo by Emily Lo Gibson

An older form of market is experiencing a revival in the USA: the food hall. While these types of indoor spaces, primarily focused on selling prepared foods, have had a long tradition elsewhere in the world — from the open kitchens of Jemaa El-Fnaa in Marrakesh to the glass cases of Harrods in London — they have now become tools for redeveloping faded industrial properties into hubs housing pop-ups and hip food vendors. Los Angeles’ Grand Central Market is one of the country’s oldest food halls. It lies at the foot of LA’s Bunker Hill business district and demarcates the boundary between “slick” LA and the historic — but less affluent — downhill side of downtown. Accessible by the funky Angels Flight funicular — the “economic link” between the two faces of LA — one can move right through an immense urban block and land at the threshold of Central Market. The market, housed in a Beaux Arts building that echoes Bologna’s portico-lined structures, has recently experienced a renaissance after many years of deterioration. Some have criticized these new or revived food halls as destinations for tourists and the wealthy,  but they do have the power to change their neighborhoods. Time will tell what kind of impact they will have on their local communities.

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Have another story about a market in your neighborhood or across the globe? How have you experienced markets as remaining the same or changing over time? Let us know through the contact form, or post on our Facebook page or on your platform of choice using the hashtag #market.

Read more about the Market here.

Considering public space

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What might the future Town Room look like? Nikken Sekkei (English / Japanese) recently published a booklet on public space in light of the upcoming 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. They have graciously allowed us to reprint a description of their piece, in both Japanese and English.

View an excerpt of their publication with illustrations, such as the one above, envisioning new user activities and experiences for the future of public space.

日本語

2020年をきっかけにパブリックスペースについて考える

大松 敦|日建設計 プロジェクト開発部門 統括 PPO推進担当役員
坂本隆之・安田啓紀|日建設計 NAD室
辻本 顕|日建設計 プロジェクト開発部門

日建設計PPO(Pre -post Olympic)推進チームとNAD室(Nikken Activity Design lab)では、2020年東京オリンピック・パラリンピック以降の都市や社会をユーザー思考で検討し、情報発信する活動を行っています。2020年以降の社会を考えるにあたり、私たちはパブリックスペースに焦点を当てました。なぜいまパブリックスペースなのか? それは、パブリックスペースの認識を刷新するには2020年がまたとない機会であること、また、パブリックスペースは暮らしや人と社会との関わり方と深く結びついており、社会にイノベーションをもたらすカギになるのではないかと考えたからです。

これまでの活動では、ワークショップや社外有識者へのインタビューなど、社内外・専門分野を問わずあらゆる方と連携してきました。パブリックスペースとはどこのことなのか、それは誰のためのものなのか、そしてこれからどうあるべきかについて考えてきました。

どこがパブリックスペースなのかを考える

はじめに、パブリックスペースとはどこなのかを考えました。公園、道路などの公共施設はさることながら、オフィスのエントランスや駅、電車の中など、いろいろな人が自由に出入りできるあらゆる場所がパブリックスペース。そんな風にあらゆる場所を捉え直していくことがとても大切です。

パブリックスペースは誰のためのものかを考える

私たちは、パブリックスペースは「ユーザー」と「社会」と「経済」のためのものであるとしました。そして、その3者がそれぞれの立場を超えて協力し、イノベーションのきっかけが生まれる場所がパブリックスペースのあるべき姿だと考えています。

パブリックスペースの意義について考える

「オリンピックをきっかけにパブリックスペースを考えることの意義」をロンドン・オリンピック・パークの設計に携わった白井宏昌氏に、「パブリックスペースはどのようにしてイノベーションのカギになり得るのか」をイノベーション研究分野の第一線で活躍されている紺野登氏に伺いました。オリンピックがパブリックスペース再生の起爆剤になり得ることや、経済が共有・協業型へシフトするなかで、私有地をパブリック化しシェアすることが価値を生むことなど、パブリックスペースの意義を考える上で欠くことのできない着眼点と気づきにつながるストーリーを伺いました。

パブリックスペースを考えるための視点をもつ

パブリックスペースをより良くしていくための4つの視点を提起しました。さまざまな人が「集まれる」こと、社会の実験場としていろいろな使い方を「試せる」こと、人と社会の接点を広げる寛容性が感じられるような「関われる」場所になっていること、そして、人と社会、経済を媒介する「メディアになる」こと。これらをもとに、ユーザー思考を通して着想したアクティビティのアイデアを描きました。

いずれもあらためて考えるととても難しい問いであり、完璧な答えはありません。それでも、この取り組みが普段何気なく使っている「パブリックスペース」について再考するきっかけになればと思い、活動の内容をブックレットにまとめ、発行しました。今後は身近なパブリックスペースでこれまで考えてきたことを実践しつつ、より良い答えを模索していきたいと思います。

 

English

 

Considering Public Space with 2020 as a Turning Point

Authors:

Atsushi Omatsu | Head of Project Development Department, Principal in Charge of Pre-post Olympic Strategic Planning, Nikken Sekkei
Takayuki Sakamoto / Hiraki Yasuda | Nikken Activity Design lab, Nikken Sekkei
Akira Tsujimoto | Project Development Department, Nikken Sekkei

The Nikken PPO (Pre-post Olympics) Strategic Planning Team and NAD (Nikken Activity Design lab) have been studying what might happen to our city and society after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics from the users’ perspective.

In considering our city and society after 2020, we focused on public space. Why public space now? We believe that 2020 presents us with a great opportunity to reconsider our perceptions of public space. We also believe that this exercise would lead us to ideas for innovation that could change and improve the quality of life in the urban environment.

With the collaboration of experts in various fields inside and outside our firm, we have reconsidered the definition of public space in the Japanese urban environment, who it is for and what it should be like in the future.

What Is Public Space?

We first thought about where we can find public space. Parks, roads, and public facilities are obvious answers, but other spaces where people are free to come and go, such as building entrances, train stations, and the inside of public transportation vehicles are all public spaces. It is important to reinterpret various spaces around us from the perspective of public space to find ideas for innovation.

Public Space Is for Whom?

Public spaces are for users, society, and the collaborative economy. We believe that public spaces are places that enable these three elements to transcend their constraints and collaborate together in order to create the seeds for innovation.

What Is the Significance of Public Space?

We interviewed Hiromasa Shirai, who participated in the design of London’s Olympic Park, about the significance of considering public spaces with the Olympics in mind. We also spoke with Noboru Konno, leading expert in the field of innovation research, about how public space could provide the keys to innovation.

From these interviews, we were able to gain insightful accounts focusing on the impact and significance of the Olympic games and their legacy for the rejuvenation of public space, and the new value created by sharing private spaces for public use in the sharing/collaborative economy.

Establishing Perspectives for Thinking about Public Space

We then proposed the following four perspectives for improving public space. Public spaces should be spaces that various users are able to: 1.gather and spend time; 2.experiment with new ideas; 3.find tolerance for involvement; 4.share lifestyle as a social media for the city. Based on these perspectives we designed exemplary user activities and experiences for better public spaces.

We compiled our conclusions into a booklet in the hope that it might trigger new ideas and approaches. In the future, we look forward to putting these ideas into practice in some public spaces while we continue to look for innovative ideas.

 

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Excerpted text and image copyright 2016 Nikken Sekkei
Reprinted with permission
Originally published in the firm’s Nikken Journal 26, the 2016 Spring edition

Have another story that transforms the street into a community theater? Let us know through the contact form, or post on our Facebook page or on your platform of choice using the hashtag #townroom.

Read more about the Town Room here.

Apply for Japan Design Workshop / International Advanced Design Workshop 2016

Participants and community members from the 2014 Japan Design Workshop

We have two upcoming opportunities for those interested in exploring the meaning of place while working with local communities. The first:

2016 Japan Design Workshop /
International Advanced Design Workshop

Continuity / Transformation in Architecture & Community Form
21 July – 08 August 2016

Continue reading Apply for Japan Design Workshop / International Advanced Design Workshop 2016