Some utopian plans have shaped our citiesfrom England's New Towns and Garden Cities to the Haussmann plan for Paris and the L'Enfant plan for Washington, DC. But these grand plans are the exception, and seldom turn out as envisioned by the utopian planner. Inviting city neighborhoods are more often works of improvisation on a small scale. This type of bottom-up development gives cities both their character and the ability to respond to sudden change.
Hank Dittmar, urban planner, friend of artists and creatives, sometime rancher, high priest of town planning to the Prince of Wales, believed in letting small things happen. Dittmar concluded that big plans were often the problem. Looking at the global cities of the world, he saw a crisis of success, with gentrification and global capital driving up home prices in some cities, while others decayed for lack of investment.
In DIY City, Dittmar explains why individual initiative, small-scale business, and small development matter, using lively stories from his own experience and examples from recent history, such as the revival of Camden Lock in London and the nascent rebirth of Detroit. DIY City, Dittmar's last original work, captures the lessons he learned throughout the course of his varied career'from transit-oriented development to Lean Urbanism'that can be replicated to create cities where people can flourish.
DIY City is a timely response to the challenges many cities face today, with a short supply of affordable housing, continued gentrification, and offshore investment. Dittmar's answer to this crisis is to make Do-It-Yourself the norm rather than the exception by removing the barriers to small-scale building and local business. The message of DIY City can offer hope to anyone who cares about cities.
Front Cover
About Island Press
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Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1: Cities are Back
2: Sometimes the Small Stuff Sticks: Learning to Improvise
3: Do It Yourself: An Enduring Idea
4: Doubling Up: Lessons for Cities from Life during Wartime
5: Slack Is a Good Thing
6: When Meanwhile Becomes Permanent: Eric Reynolds and London's Revival
7: Making Spaces for the Arts
8: Filling in the Missing Pieces: Lean Urbanism
9: Too Small to Matter? The Persistence of the Informal
Notes
About the Author
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Island Press - Board of Directors
"Readers interested in learning how to get things done right now in their communities will find Hank's experience and insights engaging and empowering.
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, FAIA, CNU, Partner DPZ CoDESIGN
"Hank Dittmar was my mentor, my source of inspiration, my conscience. His superpower was seeing how to cut through the bull**** and get straight to the heart of what makes our communities tick. DIY City is an open-source guide to Hank's superpowers, giving each of us the tools to make communities places where we can all thrive.
"Hank Dittmar honed the craft of artisan urbanism long before such skills became fashionable and lucrative. This book captures what he learned along the way and offers inspiration and guidance to those who can carry his knowledge about building better places forward. DIY City represents a wonderful testament to the life of an innovative urbanist because it will help those who engage with its ideas to make more people feel at home in the cities of tomorrow.
Anthony Perl, Professor of Urban Studies and Political Science, Simon Fraser University
"Most planners care about places, maps, buildings, and codes. Hank cared about people first and foremost along with music, cultureand counterculture. DIY City is elegant and egalitarian and human as hell. It is as human as Hank was. It brings his legacy to a whole new generation.
