Just a little update to say that I've left Scandinavia behind and am now in Hannover, Germany. These last few days in Odense were a mix of bike riding and relaxation. Odense takes its claim to fame as a cycling city, so we put its moniker to the test and went on a 6 hour bike ride around the city. The verdict: excellent biking infrastructure, interesting cycling campaigns, and truly immaculate parking facilities. They have lighted, music-filled underground parking at the train station-- way cool! The connectivity between the park systems was also really admirable. We went around numerous parks, weaving in and out between zoos, bridges, lakes, fountains and these really cool boats that looked like swans. Being in Odense gave me a few days to catch up on some of my sleep, and was an excellent close to my time in Denmark.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
We're not in Denmark anymore, Toto!
Just a little update to say that I've left Scandinavia behind and am now in Hannover, Germany. These last few days in Odense were a mix of bike riding and relaxation. Odense takes its claim to fame as a cycling city, so we put its moniker to the test and went on a 6 hour bike ride around the city. The verdict: excellent biking infrastructure, interesting cycling campaigns, and truly immaculate parking facilities. They have lighted, music-filled underground parking at the train station-- way cool! The connectivity between the park systems was also really admirable. We went around numerous parks, weaving in and out between zoos, bridges, lakes, fountains and these really cool boats that looked like swans. Being in Odense gave me a few days to catch up on some of my sleep, and was an excellent close to my time in Denmark.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Great Danes.
The Danish are an interesting and wonderful group of people. I've spent the last 3 days in Copenhagen, and have just now arrived in the small town of Odense, the hometown of Hans Christen Anderson (author of fairy tales like Thumbelina and The Ugly Duckling). The SCONES group is pretty fried: we're clocking in at day 18, and really needing this time of relaxation and respite. Now that I have internet again, I wanted to share my thoughts about Copenhagen and the first parts of my Danish experience.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Making eco-"logical" sense.
This morning we visited the eco-city of Augustenborg, which was built in the 1950's by the municipal housing company MKB. By the 1970's, much of the wealth in the neighborhood had been lost, the area became crime ridden, and was seriously needing some work.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Malmö on my mind.
The SCONES group headed south on a 4.5 hour train ride, arriving to our new destination: Malmö, Sweden. We've relocated, and as a result, we're saying goodbye to our sea legs, and hello to a hostel on steady land. Currently, we’re staying in an old home in the middle of an apartment complex area. The house has about 7 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms: but the 30 of us are doing fine. We’ve got a spacious backyard, a BBQ pit, and an adorable bull terrier dog living with us named Axle. So far, life is good.
Even already, Malmö is quite different from Stockholm. Geographically, it’s located a lot closer to Copenhagen (Denmark), and being a bit more south has been somewhat startling. Last night was the first night it got actually “dark”. Going to bed at 1 AM devoid of bright sunlight was a weird feeling having become used to Stockholm’s light patterns. The city is home to about 300,000 people, and while its roots lie in the shipping industry, Malmö has sort of redefined itself as a more educated city with a university and countless trade schools. It has also become really involved in the sustainable movement, and is working hard to establish itself as a keystone city.
So far, we’ve hit the streets walking, noting the plethora of parks and green spaces in the city. We stumbled upon a big park with over a hundred people with portable, mini BBQs at some informal gathering, eating and playing sports. These “street picnics” are not really a rare occurrence here—in fact, they’re everywhere. There’s something comforting in the simplicity of people coming together and enjoying good company and their natural surroundings. We’re taking a cue from the Swedes and having our own backyard BBQ tonight. The whole group is pitching in with tasks, from crafting the grocery list, to shopping, to cooking, to cleaning up. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
After “class”, many of us went to the beach. It’s a lot hotter and more humid here, so jumping into the cold water was much needed. We got some fruit and cheese for a snack, and met a Swedish woman that helped us get home. She biked with us most of the way home, which was a really kind thing to do. As I was talking to her, she got a flat tire. She wasn’t upset at all, saying that sometimes you have days like this, but it’s nothing to get upset about: she was having a good day, and that the weather was great. Of course, I’m drawing too much symbolism from it, but it definitely made me think. Back in the states, we’re so focused on the future, that we try to just get through everything so we can get to whatever is just off reach and in the distance. We ‘re so narrow-minded, that when things don’t go according to plan, we get frustrated or upset, failing to see the good things around us. I don’t know: just some thoughts I’ve had. But I think it perfectly sums up my first impression of Malmö: a city that is not only sustainable in its building and design, but also sustainable in its mentality and perspective of the people.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Stockholm Syndrome
Today is our last day in Stockholm, and then we're heading off to Malmö, Sweden. I can't believe how quickly this trip is going by, and how much there has been to do and see here. The last few days have been incredibly fun-filled- class picnics, the Fotografiska Museet (which featured an exhibit of Annie Leibovitz's work), a visits to a waste water treatment/ biogas plant, Architecture and Modern Art museums, a trip to Kaknas Communications tower (the tallest building in Scandinavia), a guest lecture by the manager of the Waste Management program, and a look at the early stages of the new ecovillage The Royal Seaport.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
4th of July in Stockholm?
Despite being abroad, 4th of July was quite a success. The day was filled with all sorts of fun.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
and then I was a student.
Yesterday marked the our first official day of class. We've set up camp at the
Konsthögskolan Royal University College of Fine Arts, where Jeff (how cool is that... I get to call my Professor by his first name!) lectures us and we do group work. Our first lecture was an overview of Sustainability. We looked at the history of environmentalism, and the indicators of sustainability. Jeff also revealed to us the main points for successful sustainable communities. Some of my favorite points included:
- involved and engaged citizenry
- compact, high density, mixed use
- transit compatible
- walkable, bikable
- balance of jobs and housing
- local food systems
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The sandwich thief
My trip wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t start off my morning with a mix of pure Debs bad luck/ American ignorance. At breakfast, a lot of people were packing sandwiches to enjoy later on in the day. I made myself a tomato and cheese sandwich, and my friend Bryan and I put our sandwiches in a Ziploc bag. Just as I began to place it into my backpack, one of the women that works at the hostel swooped in out of nowhere and began to chastise me for making a sandwich. I was so embarrassed and apologized profusely. Indeed, sandwiches to-go are frowned upon by the Swedes.
But this wasn’t enough. I figured I’d just take my sandwich and leave, having learned my lesson, and would never continue with my terrible ways of sandwich pilfering. On the way out, the woman chased me down from the other side of the room and grabbed hold of my arm. Shaking it up and down she kept asking me with a panicked frenzy “WHERE IS ZE SANDVICHES!!!?” I took the bag out of my backpack, explaining that I didn’t know what to do with the sandwich. She looked at me absolutely horrified, and told me I could throw out the sandwich now at the dish return or she’d fine me. I returned the “goods”, but I’ve become dubbed the Sandwich Caper by my friend Erik, and now I’m afraid to set foot in the breakfast lounge. And while the rest of my class enjoyed sandwiches, I was reminded of the old adage that there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
After my breakfast adventures, we visited the neighborhood of Hammarby. Originally an old industrial area, it was reconverted into an eco-village in the late 1990’s in attempt to win the bid for the 2004 Olympics. This project is funded by a mix of private and public interests and designed by over 30 developers. The 26,000 residents live in the most incredible and environmentally efficient homes. Within the grounds it has schools, offices, shops, restaurants, community centers, day cares, a church, library, and even a ski slope. Hammarby also has public transit to and from the other areas of Stockholm, buses, ferries, bikes, and plenty of pedestrians. Cars are allowed, but it’s honestly stupid to have one. There’s so many alternative methods of transportation available to everyone for free, so why even bother? Easily, the most incredible part of Hammarby was how it deals with waste. Each housing complex has a 3 trash bins (organic waste/ combustible waste/solid waste) that connect to an underground vacuum system that relieves the residents of its waste. After placing the waste in its respective receptacle, the tube takes the waste to a central area where it waits for a main trash truck that takes it where it needs to go: composting, incineration plant, etc. As a result, trash trucks don’t have to drive nearly as much to pick up everyone’s waste. Similarly, the waste is all broken down and converted into energy to be used for future use. It’s absolutely awesome how even waste is viewed as a resource and is part of the equation of fueling the city.
P.S. Photo cred to Peter!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat.
My first glimpse of Stockholm came just moments before landing in the Arlanda Airport. Having slept for the majority of the flight, I woke up to endless patches of green. Trees. Trees. Trees. I felt like I was flying over an infinite Christmas tree lot, except they were bigger and better than anything I’ve ever seen before. So THIS is what greenspace is. When I fly into Los Angeles or Orange County, I’m greeted by other colors. I see the grey of cement that has paved over all of the land, or black tar of roads. Random splotches of turquoise and blue are easy to detect, as I see the swimming pools of the suburban families living in their single-detached house with their pool, backyard, dog, and 2.5 children. And if I’m lucky, I see some orange as I look around the cabin of my airplane, picking up on the orange fake tans of some of the women on my flight. (just kidding, sort of). So this verdant green- it was a very welcome color to my palate.
Stockholm is still very new to me, so there’s not much to report. I met another girl on the SCONES program, and we enjoyed the transit to downtown Stockholm and then a taxi to our waterfront boat/hostel, the Rygerfjord. So yes, I’m on a boat. I’m spending night 1 in a 12-person dormitory. It’s a learning experience. I arrived around 10 PM, so some of the people were trying to go to sleep. All I could think about was showering, so I probably made too much noise trying to wrestle things out of my backpack. Did I mention that I stupidly showered in the men’s shower? Well, I did. I survived, but boy do I feel foolish.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I'm thinking breakfast then exploring the city before orientation is in order. Here's to new friendships, new places, and new adventures!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Off to the land of all things great: the Vikings, IKEA, Swedish fish, and a population known for its love of coffee.
Well, it’s official. To keep my somewhat nervous (hi mom! hi dad!) parents at bay, to give my roommates a way to keep tabs on me as I leave them to melt in Davis (hi pentagon girls!) and to be able to keep in touch with assorted family and friends (hi everyone else!), I’ve created this blog to document my travels for the summer.
Hopefully my urban planning buddies chucked at my blog title (that means you, Sam). If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a play on the planning concept Transit Oriented Developments (TOD), which try to create communities with a mixture of housing, office spaces, shops, and restaurant all within walking distance to public transit.
TODs are just one of the many things I’ll be looking at on my travels this summer. I’ve signed up for a UC Davis summer abroad program called “Sustainable Cities of Northern Europe”, but because I love a good acronym, I’ll probably refer to it as SCONES. I’ll be spending the next month backpacking around Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, and Switzerland learning about all the really great ways these countries are trying to become more sustainable.
Sustainability – Sure, it is a buzzword, but a very timely one. As the world spins madly on, long-term and comprehensive planning that addresses environmental quality, social equity and economic development will need to become a global priority. What the future brings is uncertain, but an increased population is inevitable. To accommodate all these people, we will have to say goodbye to the suburbs and return to our old friend, the city.
But cities have come a long ways since their early days. From places like Stockholm, Sweden or Copenhagen, Denmark, we see successful examples of reduced consumption of natural resources, increased reliance on alternative energy sources, ecologically minded land-use and architectural design, and innovative transportation strategies. Their efforts stand as a testament to the world that efficient city planning and design IS possible, and that sustainable cities are the answer to ensuring a good quality of life for the citizens of today and the future.
So here’s to the progressivism of the cities I’m about to explore! I’m heading out to LAX for my flight, just me and my backpack (how everything fit is miracle #1 of this trip). And so, off to the land of all things great: the Vikings, IKEA, Swedish fish, and a population known for its love of coffee. Stockholm, Sweden, here I come!