Author Archives: mcgoughg

Pedestrian Zones in the US: Gabe M

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Pedestrian zones, referred to as Fußgängerzone in German, are popular and significant elements of sustainable urban planning in many German cities. Fußgängerzone are sections of a town or city where vehicles are prohibited from driving so that pedestrians may use the space. Having areas of a city cut off from vehicle traffic has been linked to reductions in urban carbon emissions. It is thus becoming more popular for city governments that are concerned with sustainability to implement. While they are popular in many of the large urban centers in Germany, such as Marienplatz in Munich, pedestrian zones are yet to make a large-scale appearance in the United States outside of small towns.

City governments should consider many benefits of Pedestrian zones when undergoing new urban development programs. Not only do they reduce carbon emissions from traffic, but they also greatly benefit the residents of cities in other ways. According to the National League of Cities, “Large-scale implementation of pedestrian zones has the potential to reduce chronic air pollution, noise pollution, and the urban heat island effect” (NLC 2020, 14). While we are yet to see these effects at their full potential in the United States, several other nations have implemented pedestrian zones in their cities with great success.

Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, is a prime example of a non-German city that has seen the benefits of pedestrian zones. Since their implementation, the pedestrian zones in the city have led to a significant decrease in the previously discussed pollutants as well as in general injury from cars (TOHE 2021). These benefits ought to be enough to convince city planners in the United States to at least consider the implementation of pedestrian zones; however, the benefits come with a cost. 

The most significant costs that pedestrian zones impose on cities are the fact that it cuts off a portion of the road for drivers to use, which might frustrate some residents, and that they can be relatively large urban projects for a city government to undertake. While these issues can be large though, like cutting off an important part of someone’s commute, they can be overcome. The issues can be overcome if the city governments also create a policy that improves public transport around the pedestrian zone and do what they can with the budget allotted for the project. A fantastic example of creating an efficient pedestrian zone on a small budget can be found in Cape May, New Jersey. Even though it is relatively small, it has become a staple of the community and a large tourist attraction.

Overall, pedestrian zones are a great project for cities in the United States to undertake. Not only do they increase the sustainability of urban areas, they also improve the quality of life for the majority of residents. In conclusion, the US ought to follow in the footsteps of Germany and implement more Fußgängerzone. 

 

Works Cited

Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J. (2021, December). New Urban Models for more sustainable, liveable and healthier cities post Covid19; reducing air pollution, noise and heat island effects and increasing green space and physical activity. Environment international. Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8457623/ 

Zetland, A. D. (2022, March 1). Amsterdam’s people-friendly streets. The onehanded economist. Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://one-handed-economist.com/?p=3115#:~:text=Lower%20air%20pollution,risk%20of%20injury%20from%20cars

Auto-destructive Art: Gustav Metzger

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Metzger (1961) painting three nylon curtains, causing them to be permanently destroyed.

While this is less of a single art piece and more of a small movement, Auto Destructive Art (ADA) was an important aspect of German Art Culture in the early 1960s. Gustav Metzger, the founder of the movement, sought to exemplify the destructive capabilities of “modern” technology through his work, often in rather radical ways.
Metzger, who was often associated with multiple environmentalist, antifascist, and anarchist groups in Germany, used his self-created movement to protest nuclear proliferation during the Cold War. His medium, along with the “Group of 100” ,as the other ADA painters were known, was to paint using acid and other corrosive materials on nylon canvases that altered the pieces while they were being created (Tate Gallery).
Auto-destructive art is inherently political. According to Metzger’s thought, the world was too highly fixated on a morbid love of destruction. Along with that, he believed that humans rely too heavily on technology, which has untold consequences on human existence.
After a few years of working with other ADA artists, Metzger decided that a manifesto detailing the requirements of what a piece needs to do in order to be considered true ADA was in order. To be considered true ADA, a piece must “return to its original state of nothingness” within 20 years, the piece must continue to develop after the artist is finished (this was to avoid any sense of ownership being attached to the piece), and each work must be completed in a public space to allow public participation with each individual piece (Tate Gallery).
These requirements were tantamount to the movement’s effectiveness. The whole point of the movement was to inspire the public to embrace natural growth, development, and movement towards the future (Radical Art).
While the movement in its original form struggled to maintain relevance for long, several aspects of it have managed to influence contemporary artists, some being rather notable. The most relevant modern piece with ADA influences was Banksy’s 2006 work, Girl With A Balloon, which was shredded before an audience in 2018. In this case, the influence was the impermanence of art (Oxford Student). The piece was put through a paper shredder before an unknowing audience, many of whom had placed bids on the piece during the auction of it directly before its shredding.
To conclude, Auto-destructive Art falls into the broader category of counterculture art. It is art that not only displays the creative prowess of the artist, but also displays a message that challenges the traditional beliefs of society.

 

Works Cited:

2019, Culture·13th January, and Pratibha Rai. “The Curious Case of Auto-Destructive Art.” The Oxford Student, January 13, 2019. https://www.oxfordstudent.com/2019/01/13/the-curious-case-of-auto-destructive-art/.

“Auto-Destructive Art.” Auto-destructive art. Accessed April 24, 2023. http://radicalart.info/destruction/metzger.html.

Tate. “Auto-Destructive Art.” Tate. Accessed April 24, 2023. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/auto-destructive-art.