Over the top on Urban Geography

Today I heard that someone wanted to know how anyone could be so enthusiastic about urban geography. My first reaction was "Are you kidding?" But to be fair, not everybody shares my fascination with the city. On the other hand, maybe I can give a glimpse of what I see....

To begin with, there is the big picture. Imagine driving on a long road trip across a broad flat plain, or large valley in my case. Eventually the skyline of a city rises on the horizon like an island of cement and lights.
In my family we have a contest to see who can spot Sacramento first as we drive home from long trips. (This helps with the "are we almost home?" question.)
Each city has a unique skyline and it's own signature buildings. Sacramento's has grown quite a bit in the past two decades. It isn't very big, but it reaches up with its own unique shape that tells the driver, "You are almost to Sacramento." It is a landmark in an otherwise unending corridor of agriculture and small towns. At night viewers can identify it by a building with a blue light that extends all the way up one side, kind of like a giant light-saber.

Move in a little closer and find the shape of the streets. Each city grew according to it's own location. Sacramento has a small Business District made up mostly of government buildings and bank buildings. The high rises rapidly give way to smaller buildings and then residential semi-suburbs built mostly in the early 1900s. Recently two buildings were built on either side of Capital avenue that frame the capital nicely. Each one comes to a point at the top, framing the capital building and directing the viewers gaze toward it. Cities which grow up slowly have a fantastic mix of building ages and designs. I love streetscapes in San Francisco and Sacramento. When I walk from the edge of the city toward the Center I love watching each building come into view and noticing its shape and surroundings.

Go even closer and things get more interesting. That's when you see the people, the details and the little surprises. Last year I read a book called "The Spaces Between Buildings" by Larry Ford. He talked about everything but the inside of the building including facades, driveways, alleys staircases, windows etc. That's one of my favorite things about cities; those spaces, or nooks and crannies as one professor put it. Just this morning I noticed a new area near the capital. I walked up 10th street and at 10th and L there is a building with a garden plaza below the ground level. I noticed the tops of small trees sticking up next to the sidewalk and peeked down to find a small patio type space surrounding the building below the sidewalk. One of these days I'm going to figure out how to get down there and take a closer look. (I'll post a picture when I do.) There are so many interesting little places like that, I even hear that there is a whole building below a plaza, which I will definitely have to find.

The people are a wonderful part of the city as well. I tend to notice every person I walk by, and I try, quite intentionally to get people to smile as they walk past. You'd be amazed at how many people who look like they should be happy avoid eye contact or just won't smile, and how many apparently down and out people light up when someone says 'good morning' and smiles at them. All kinds of people come downtown for all kinds of reasons and I love seeing them. I think Jane Jacobs does a good job when she talks about the people on the city street, but this is a topic for another day.

Buildings from this close up perspective are pretty cool too, but that topic is also being saved for another day. I can't tell you how many buildings I want to share. Sometimes I drive around with my kids just to show them all of the cool buildings I've found. (OK, maybe I'm a little over the top, but I did warn you under the name of my blog.)

Go to a city and just start trying to notice things. Go when you have spare time. Look up, look down and look all around you. Look at people, look at architecture, look at streetscapes. Just enjoy it, soak it all in. Maybe even stroll down an alley or two. You might like it.

Just go to a city and notice things.

And, by the way, I am just as enthusiastic about other facets of geography. I am just starting with the city.