If one were to search for pictures of Huntsville, it is likely that one would find old colonial homes and vistas of Great Springs, a natural waterway that runs through the city. These pictures are beautiful despite the implications of their brutal past. They are also carefully shot to avoid the lower income areas of the community. Speaking from experience, one would have to search thoroughly to find any pictures of the true face of Huntsville: the projects. I spent a week in Huntsville, Alabama at the end of this summer, and no matter where I went I was always within sight of a project. By a “project” I mean a grouping of low-cost, government-built housing units (government housing projects). These are typically single-story dwellings made of red brick and economy building materials. They are usually two room homes or apartments, sharing a common green area with multiple other buildings.They are hideous from an aesthetic viewpoint and when considering the basic living standards of fellow human beings.

This is an official picture of Huntsville. It looks pretty:

It may seem suspicious to anyone googling pictures of Huntsville that there are no official panoramic views of the downtown core. It should; pictures of Huntsville are small boxes, capturing only one angle, because otherwise the constant ghetto would be visible. This is the view of downtown from the missing angle (sorry about the mist; it is extremely humid there). This is the reality of Huntsville. This is a picture I found outside the official register; the red circles were made by me, and they denote government housing projects:

The projects of Huntsville were designed and built under the guidance of the US government, and in this respect showcase a failing in urban and social planning. In terms of practical planning, Huntsville’s projects are spread out and visible throughout the city. Why are there projects and ghettos all over the city of Huntsville? The answer is complex, but briefly put, the rich people live outside of the city. NASA runs a rocket engineering facility and arsenal outside of town, which is a massive economic boon for Huntsville. But the middle and upper class people who work there don’t want to live in or near projects, so they built their homes in the hills around the city. The projects remain due to legislation and land prices, and Huntsville continues to be covered in ineffectual and unappealing housing. For someone doubting the necessity of proper urban planning, one trip to Huntsville will change his or her mind.

What is actually most strange about the layout of Huntsville is the juxtaposition of man-made monstrosities, and natural elegance and beauty. Tall old-growth trees make beautiful canopies across all but the widest of streets and freeways. The rolling hills erupt with yellow and red leaves as early as the first day of September. It is a tragic mash-up of town and country. Huntsville is the deformed child of Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City.

Also, this happened in Huntsville: famous on the internet.

Split, Croatia

I love European cities, big and small, famous and the “not so famous”.

European cities have a flair unlike any cities in North America. Not only do they have thousands of years of history, they have a certain class of “having been there” for a very long time, a certain maturity.

What is it about Split, Croatia that caught not only my eyes but my heart? And where is this place anyway?

Last June I spend three weeks traveling throughCroatiaandMontenegro. Everybody was talking about Dubrovnik, which is indeed a magnificent fortress town. Our self made itinerary meant a stop in the coastal town ofSplitlocated at the north end of the peninsula on the Dalmatian  Coast.Split is the largest city on the Adriatic Sea and the second largest in Croatia.

Split is also one of the oldest cities in the area, just over 1700 years old. Splitwas initially an ancient Greek town part of the Aspalathos colony. The beginning of Splitis almost always associated with the construction of Diocletian’s palace. Who is Diocletian? A Roman Emperor and a great reformer of the Late Roman Empire. He decided to retire to his hometown ofSplit and built this humongous palace and gardens.

OK, a lot of towns in Europe have Roman ruins, why is this Palace so special?

 Because the city of Split has incorporated the palace as part of their downtown and made it not only livable but accessible to all. 1500 people are permanent residents of the palace. These are not city officials or well-to-do jet setters, they are regular citizens who apply and rent a small apartment in the palace itself. The Old Town of Split and its palace is not only an extremely beautiful site, it is filled with small shops selling Croatian goods, no trinkets, it has lovely public plazas and squares filled with music, cafés and restaurants. Nothing in theOldTownis tacky; it thrives with businesses and people. The Palace sets the tone of downtown as well as the ocean.

A beautiful pedestrian promenade was built along the marina to accommodate both visitors and residents to stroll along the turquoise Adriatic, and enjoy both the sites and activities theOldTownhas to offer. Every aspects ofSplit’s downtown are pleasing. The new modern skyscrapers are located above theOldTownup on the mountains overlooking the sea and the OldTown.

The mix of the old and the new has made Split one of my favourite European cities. The site of the town is breathtaking; the ancient buildings are well preserved and are not considered  “closed museums”, they are simply part of the history of the town. The modern flair is also appealing and gives you this sense of being able to stroll by the sea, yet enjoy an active life just beyond the walls of the OldTown.Splitis not only pleasing to the eyes but it wants to bring you in and around. Another visit is a “must”.

The Early Hours of July 14, 1789 in Paris.

I think I first became fascinated with cities when I was 12, and it was the bicentennial of the French Revolution. The Revolution happened in Paris, and it couldn’t have happened anywhere else – all the ingredients were distinctly urban: the intellectual ferment of the cafés, the printing presses churning out inflammatory pamphlets, the public buildings that represented royal tyranny, the popular classes seething with frustration…  A year spent in Paris as an undergraduate confirmed to me that there was something special about that city that manifested itself in its cafés, street-scapes, public spaces, in the magical experience of taking the metro.

Quartier Latin, Paris
By Jordgubbe (Own work)

Since then I have lived in several European cities: Zagreb, Budapest, Belgrade, Stuttgart and Florence – and I’ve visited many more.  When I think of my favorite cities (Budapest, Belgrade, Berlin, Paris and Florence), I realize that each one is unique, and yet they all seem to possess one unifying characteristic: to borrow a term from the Soviet avant-garde, they are social condensers.  there’s something about that concentration of people that creates something extraordinary – a cultural and social effervescence that, in my opinion, is the stuff of civilization. It’s about the concerts, the festivals, the lecture series, the farmers’ markets, the art-house cinema, the obscure ethnic restaurants, the art galleries, and yes, the protest marches too.

Porto, Portugal, 2010

Kneza Mihailova, Belgrade, 2010.

Flea Market at Britanski Trg, Zagreb, 2009

Great cities also have something else in common: great spaces.  Some are no-brainers – think of the Piazza de la Signoria in Florence, the bridges over the Seine in Paris, or picturesque German old towns.

Passau, 2009

But others are less monumental, less orchestrated, more accidental: here I’m thinking of corners or fragments of residential neighborhoods that somehow coalesce into perfect three dimensional moments.  That street where the autumn afternoon light sets the rooftops aglow and trickles through the chestnut trees.  That little neighborhood square with its café terraces.

Café Ušće, Belgrade, 2009

Can you tell yet that I love European cafés?