Driving on the streets of North Little Rock, Arkansas, I could feel my heart was sinking - I was quickly bored or even terrified, by the familiarity of street view: Office Depot, McDonald's, Best Buy, Dillard's, Walmart, you name it. I was also terrified by the big parking lots, the streets, and even the "neat" office buildings of law firms, banks, dentists, which I call cold and inpersonable. I feel like a helpless child, getting lost in the familiarity.
I know I do have a fear of unfamiliarity and uncertainty. Where is this fear of familiarity coming from?
The franchised big box stores created standard images for American cities - their wide spreading across the states, supposedly, should help people when relocate to a new place. You always know what you can get in an Target store, no matter you are in Texas or Arkansas or New York City. The well recognized logo of Chili's make you associate the smell of its food with the sight of the logo, no matter you are in your car driving down a city street or in an airport trying to find your terminal gate in an airport. Predictability creates familiarity. I was told familiarity brings peace, comfort and joy. However, what I am experiencing now are the exact opposite, as driving first time on the streets of North Little Rock - anxiety, discomfort and sadness.
I grew up in cities. I lived and worked in cities - some of the biggest cities in China. In my memory, cities are burst with the energy of life: street foods, people walking around, little stores, big stores, bicycles, buses, motorcycle, cars - you never know what the weird logo on the next sign is all about. The sidewalk was where people social: men and women bringing out chairs and hangout, kids chasing around and playing hike-and-seek - people felt safe, because they know whatever they do, cars don't get to not like it. It was pedestrian dominated city life. Maybe it has changed, since I have not lived in China for almost 5 years. Regardless, for me, the energy of life in the city streets is unforgettable.
The big box franchised stores, as bringing familiarity, they kill the energy of life. The predictability kills my very human needs for exploring a new place- because I know what is going on behind the big logos. The big parking lots of these stores make lifeless streets - it does not matter how fancy the inside of the store is. The standardized stores suffocates the needs of creativity, both for the residents and the city itself. They also kill the diversity of culture - people use the same vocabulary "honey, could you pick up a gallon of milk in Walmart on your way home?", people say things like this in English in the US, Spanish in Mexico and Mandarin in China, wherever Walmart takes over. As cities are filled with these big box franchised stores, they become generic, unlikable, boring - even more, it is the biggest killer to the "energy of life" in the streets: it is unsafe for people to walk or bike - only those who can not afford a car walk or bike. From a sociology point of view, the reduced chance of social interaction among people diminishes the solidarity of a society, and therefore leads to people feeling less of the sense of belonging and even instability of a community.
Maybe it is because I am in the profession of urban planning, I am more aware and sensitive towards the environment I am in. For the general people, they may feel a lack of excitement and attraction when they wander around a faceless city. In my opinion, a successful placemaking project is one that promotes the energy of life and supports human needs - exploration, creativity, social interaction, safety, culture diversity and mixture. The big box stores are very counterproductive in this sense.
How long does it take a person to get to know a new place? I do not like instant familiarity - I want to take my time to wander down that street.
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| Author's sketch in Barns and Noble, North Little Rock, AR |
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| Author doing sketch in Barns and Noble, North Little Rock, AR |
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