Pocket libraries in the city

I was thrilled last month when I learnt that the school library has reopened. On a Monday morning in August I went to the library to pick up the books I reserved; the librarian informed me that the library has reopened. I remember asking her, with my eyes wide open, “Does that mean I can come at anytime and check all the books I want from the shelf?” She gave me a big smile and said yes. She also said that it has been too long, “18 months,” she said.

The pandemic has brought changes to many things and in various aspects. One thing I missed a lot was the library visit. Contactless pick-up allowed us to have access to books but the whole library experience was no longer the same. I missed the access to the library environment. It was then I realised how the physicality of libraries mattered so much to me. I want access to books but I also long for access to libraries. I miss walking back and forth the library aisles, looking for books on the shelf, and occasionally, peeking at the books others picked up. Many of my library visits ended with more books than planned—though I always brought a ‘books to check out’ list the actual library visit often changed the game. In the act of looking for the books I had in mind, I also got attracted by books that were on the same (or near-by) shelf. I also enjoyed finding the library carts, scanning through books that had been checked out, returned, but hadn’t made their way back to the shelf. In searching for books I found more books and more nice surprises. This library experience is very different from contactless pick-up in which you only got what you asked for.

During this period of library closure, the little libraries in the public serve to alleviate my longing for the library experience. One can find this book-sharing box at various parts in the city. The take a book, leave a book movement has grown in popularity over the past years. Advocates believe that little free libraries improve access to books, help tackle low literacy rates and encourage community building and creativity.

Despite some critics facing these little free libraries (the main critique was on the issue of branding and trademarking the word ‘library’) , I enjoy spotting these pocket libraries in cities. I feel excitement at the first sight of the book-sharing box—look, there is a little library that I can visit—then I feel excitement by the fact that I am allowed to pick and hold a book and turn its pages. Pocket libraries are hidden treasures in the city; you don’t know when and where you’d spot them and you won’t know what books await until you visit the little library.

Figure 1. The free little library located outside Limestone Organic Creamery. Scones and books are the perfect pair for teatime. Image source: Judy Chen. Kingston, 2021.

Figure 2. An old backyard BBQ turned book-sharing box. I found this little library on a residential driveway while on my bike. Image source: Judy Chen. Pointe-Claire, 2021.  

Figure 3. The Free Books shelf located outside Phoenix Books on Sherbrooke. The time when I went for photos they only had one book left on the shelf. Image source: Judy Chen. Montréal, 2021.

The power of networking: building resilient neighborhoods

This past weekend, the Sustainable Favela Network (SFN) – a project led by Brazilian NGO Catalytic Communities (CatComm) – hosted its first international exchange online event. During the event grassroots leaders and activists shared their work and efforts to develop community-based initiatives that strengthen environmental sustainability and social resilience in informal settlements and underinvested communities worldwide. Most tackled some of the biggest challenges that our society faces, such as reducing poverty, providing accessible education, promoting gender equality and climate actions.

In a world where many communities have often been treated as illegitimate by their governments and excluded from discussions and debates about the plans for the future of their cities, this knowledge-sharing experience highlighted some of the innovative strategies that have been helping residents of informal settlements not only to imagine, plan and build their own future but also to claim a meaningful role in creating a city that embraces them and recognizes their rights.

Listed here are some of these astonishing projects. If you are as passionate as I am about participatory design processes, I am sure they will be a great source of inspiration. Check them out!

1.       The favela Museum – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

2.       The Human City Project / Chicoco Radio - Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

3.       The Point CDC  - Bronx, New York, USA.

Block X Block: Building Real Cities Using Minecraft Video Game

Block by Block is a foundation in collaboration with UN-Habitat and Mojang (Minecraft creator) to use video game Minecraft as an urban planning tool, making it accessible for all city residents. The joint program of Block by Block provides a visualization tool that is easy to handle for all people, ranging from kids and youth to women and refugees. Through setting up workshops available across the world, more than 30 countries have successfully implemented dozens of projects led by local communities. The first workshop was held in Nairobi in 2013, paving the way for many more other inclusive experiments globally. 

The approach considered in this program aims to empower unheard voices in our communities, letting them explore their potentials in improving their surroundings. Through a digital platform, local participants, usually left out of the conversation, are being consulted in the process of shaping the public spaces they occupy on a daily basis. The spaces that this program targets are shared spaces such as parks, waterfronts, squares, etc. Upon completion of the design proposals, participants present their projects to local stakeholders, who then choose what to utilize from each proposal. A final model is therefore assembled, based on the local community choices and preferences. The model is then sent to professionals and architects who advance the virtual work into reality. 

The result is a co-created shared space, engaging people interested from all backgrounds and parts of society. This participatory approach merging two seemingly incompatible ideas, a video game and city planning, proves effective and succeeds in promoting a better urban future. A future where a sense of neighborhood ownership is ingrained among all types of residents, including the normally hard-to-reach groups. 

Tactical Urbanism Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is a warning to our cities to be prepared for the next crisis. It teaches us lessons on the necessity of maintaining strong community bonds and the importance of spaces for developing and benefiting from such bonds. Due to lockdowns, people had more time to explore their own neighborhoods, which led to a greater recognition of the need for access to community hubs within walking distance. We also witnessed experiments in “Tactical Urbanism”, as streets in cities all around the world were given over to cyclists, pedestrians, and restaurants to meet the spatial requirements for physical distancing. Tactical Urbanism, also known as Guerrilla Urbanism, refers to an approach to modify urban built environment, using temporary, low-cost, and scalable interventions to improve local neighborhoods or city gathering places.

In response to the pandemic, cities had to quickly repurpose public spaces to facilitate outdoor gatherings. OpenNorfolk Program, in Norfolk, Virginia, applied tactical urbanism tools to benefit its residents. This program implemented three kinds of projects to address the problems caused by the public health crisis: 1) “Streateries” or outdoor dining in the street, which allowed small businesses to continue operating safely. 2) Prioritizing pedestrian mobility and providing safe outdoor activities through changing streetscape. This slowed down traffic and encouraged pedestrian activity. 3) “Neighborhood Spots” – pop-up community squares or hubs, which kept talented artists employed. Therefore, OpenNorfolk Program, as the result of a successful collaboration among designers, city staff, and other partners, helped Norfolk city back on its feet, and lifted the spirits of the residents in the time of pandemic.

Dreamy: resilient coffee culture

It is a nice feeling to have your own weekend-only secret spot. I have found mine ever since I first visited Dreamy in early March. Dreamy is often referred to as a coffee supermarket but I prefer calling it a coffee market. The term supermarket, to me, sounds a tad cold and lacking in human interaction. (Also, my research focuses on public markets; this may explain my sentiments toward supermarkets.)

But Dreamy is a warm place. The Canadian Roasting Society (CRS) is the force behind Dreamy. The CRS was founded by Andy Kyres, owner of Tunnel Espresso, and Scott Rao, who co-founded (and later departed) Café Myriad. As Dreamy frequent flyers, we got to know Andy and learn more about coffee as well as the coffee market. Andy is, just like the place, a warm and humble person. He shares his extensive, multi-faceted knowledge in coffee, takes time to answer our questions (whether it be about coffee or about the place itself), and makes us some of the best coffee I have ever had in all my years of coffee consuming.

Figure 1. Coffee roasting at the CRS factory. Aiming to help independent cafés and other smaller-scale coffee roasters, the CRS provided the space and equipment needed for roasting coffee. Image source: Judy Chen. Montreal, 2021.

Andy said the pandemic accelerated the birth of Dreamy. Andy’s coffee shop, Tunnel, was shut down due to the pandemic. But coffee runs in Andy; he wanted to keep making and sharing coffee with other coffee lovers. Then Andy turned his eyes to the CRS.  Located in a warehouse on St-Patrick Street in Sud-Ouest, Montreal, Andy thought the openness of the factory space combined with the large outdoor space made a great candidate for a pandemic coffee venue.

Figure 2. The selection of coffees. Andy is committed to having anywhere from 14 to 18 different roasters available on their shelves at one time. Image source: Judy Chen. Montreal, 2021.

The CRS started with the vision of creating a coffee coworking space. This coworking space brings together and supports the coffee community. Dreamy, on the other hand, supports the Covid-affected community. The head baker of Dreamy, Missy Hansen Murphy, told us that she was a flight attendant until Covid hit. Baking has always been her interest and Dreamy provided her a platform to continue her passion in baking. While making delicious Southern-style biscuits to pair with coffee Missy Hansen Murphy also eagerly awaits the day when she can return to the skies.

Figure 3. Dreamy. Being hit by Covid, Andy continues making coffee here while Missy Hansen Murphy takes over the baking station. Image source: Judy Chen. Montreal, 2021.

Figure 4. The outdoor terrace. With help from the city government, Dreamy now has an eye-catching and fun terrace with tables surrounding the tree trunks. Image source: Judy Chen. Montreal, 2021.

Dreamy is not just a weekend pop-up; it is a place demonstrating the resilience of coffee culture. The strategic use of the factory space, the engagement of the community and the enthusiasm of urban dwellers—both the team behind Dreamy and us coffee lovers—together show the strength and determination humans possess.

Adaptative public spaces: building safe places for people during the COVID-19 pandemic

Closed streets in Manhattan, NYC. The initiative to open streets to pedestrians allowed communities to use public spaces - mainly in high-density neighborhoods - and was crucial to support small businesses during the COVID-19 shutdown. Author: Bruno Ragi (2020).

The COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions have deeply changed the relationship of citizens to their streets, public spaces, and facilities. This crisis has shown the importance of public open spaces in combating the pandemic, either by directly limiting the spread of the virus, or providing ways for people to safely relax and carry out their livelihood. However, it has also demonstrated how public spaces are unevenly distributed throughout many cities - especially in low-income neighborhoods, where there are few shared open spaces such as parks, plazas, or playgrounds, highlighting the social and racial inequities that persist in our society. 

By revealing successful strategies and tactics, planners, designers, and community leaders have pointed the way towards more inclusive and adaptive methods in public spaces planning. From re-allocating road spaces to pedestrians and local businesses in NYC to adapting areas for food distribution or community food gardening in Rio de Janeiro, the shared use of streets and other open spaces has shown how public spaces have the power to be multi-functional and adaptable, helping our communities to address equitable access and envisage an end to the pandemic worldwide.