Mind the Plants
Curb plants galore in front of a residence
Curb Plants
When walking around the winding alleys of Seoul, oftentimes you wonder where the sidewalk is while you dodge delivery motorcycles and constantly look over your shoulder to check for cars passing by. You end up squeezing by parked cars (most of them covering the sliver of a sidewalk) on the side of the one-way street with your body up against someone’s door.
The narrow streets of Seoul are a tough environment not only for pedestrians, but also for residents and business owners. It’s a constant competition for street space—the space between buildings and streets is limited, which makes people inside and outside vulnerable to traffic, parking, and lack of privacy. It’s not the most pleasant space to stroll.
Enter: “curb plants.” I started to notice these plants on streets surrounding low-density housing, placed in a line in front of shop windows, bunched up by the steps of apartment building entrances, spaced out between two close buildings, etc. They’re not planters that the city or developers put in as landscaping, as in, they’re not planted into the ground. They’re not coordinated with each other either. They’re just a hodgepodge of potted plants sitting on the edge of buildings. Curb plants help slow down traffic, send a message to drivers to not park in front of cafe windows, create a fence between ground units and the street, or simply add flair to bland bushes.
I think of curb plants as tactical urbanism projects without the branding.
Tactical urbanism is “short-term, low-cost, and scalable interventions to catalyze long-term change.” Think residents painting streets to make way for bicycles and converting parking spaces into temporary parks. The term refers to projects that are an alternative to top-down planning that is slow and expensive. Synonymous terms are Do-It-Yourself Urbanism, Guerilla Urbanism, and Pop-up Urbanism.
With famous projects, such as NYC Times Square’s transformation into a pedestrian plaza, representing it, “tactical urbanism” became a brand that stands for creative, grassroots initiatives that engender simple, much-needed changes (or changes you never knew you needed) in urban spaces. It’s become a widespread movement with guides on material usage, Facebook groups to share ideas, and an annual event to turn parking spaces into parklets (which started with the founders making their idea open source—very on brand).
Curb plants indeed fit into the above definition in that they take matters into their own hands and solve problems without the bureaucracy and cost. But they’re not exactly part of the tactical urbanism movement because these plants are not put out by an organization or with long-term policy goals. I see them as nonchalant acts from the community for quick fixes to everyday issues. Curb plants are almost a representation and remnant of original tactical urbanism before it became a trendy brand.
What’s in a Brand?
So, what does it mean when I say that tactical urbanism is a brand?
When a planner wants to communicate to the public what their project is, they inevitably tell a story: what problem are they trying to solve, what is the goal, for whom is the project for? For tactical urbanism projects, when labeled so, people understand the narrative behind it without too much elaboration. And that’s the role of a brand. It helps people recognize what a project is trying to do at a glance just like when you see a Nike swoosh, you know the product empowers you to “Just Do It” and when you shop at Trader Joe’s, you know you’re buying quality products for cheaper with an added whimsical experience.
Using a bit of imagination, I break down the tactical urbanism story as if it were a real brand—perhaps it’s a quirky start-up that sells starter kits for DIY park benches.
Value proposition [1]: We demonstrate light, quick, cheap (LQC) ways to solve complicated urban problems.
Vision: To build cities where we all have the right to vibrant public spaces.
Messaging pillars [2]:
Right here in your backyard with your hands
Sharing is caring; together with your community
Small change for a better tomorrow
Target audience: public space advocates, participatory planners, residents who are involved in their communities, etc.
Why Do You Need a Brand?
Having a brand helps communicate the intentions of a project in an efficient way. When you frame a project as a tactical urbanism one, people understand that it’s a temporary (emphasis here) experiment to better the neighborhood, helping to get even the skeptics on board. This past fall, I helped organize a tactical urbanism event in Gunsan, Korea that kicked off the revitalization for Gunsan Community Culture Hall, which has been abandoned and empty since 2012. During the 5-day camp-like Grand DIT (Do It Together) Festa, over 30 participants came together to transform the never-used rooftop into a skateboard park. By branding it as a tactical urbanism project, we were able to attract diverse, but like-minded people who genuinely enjoy building things (with a bonus marketing push that came with hosting an event). Most of all, we were able to demonstrate the message, “We’re doing things differently (so let’s try it out first)” and ultimately push residents and the municipality out of their comfort zone. With a touch of tactical urbanism, the building has proven itself to be not-your-average community center.
Second benefit of having a brand is that a clear story can elevate a cause and help gain momentum to drive long-term change. Covid-19 has brought about an unprecedented (yes, we’re still using this word) amount of tactical urbanism to the streets. Cities all over the world created similar initiatives, many with different names, to share the street for better social distancing and outdoor activities. So, in NYC, as soon as weather and the city permitted outdoor dining, restaurant owners got creative and used sidewalks and parking spots to host patrons. Some built wooden fences and painted them to match their indoor decor and some got planters to block the sight of vehicles whooshing by. And now that people have gotten a taste of a different streetscape, they want to keep it. Responding to the demands and success, Mayor de Blasio announced to make NYC’s Open Streets program a permanent initiative. While the need for public space and outdoor dining was clear, I believe the collective narrative around hacking the city together helped catalyze conversations and brought tactical urbanism to the general public’s attention.
Potentially permanent brunch views in Soho, NYC summer 2020
Unbranded Tactical Urbanism
Plants on loan
This is a picture taken in front of my apartment building in Seoul, summer 2020. This specific entrance is the only one adorned with over 30 curb plants. There’s a watering can next to the door that the security guard uses to tend to them. Friends and family that visit us compliment the colorful outdoor lobby. Turns out: the old lady who lives on the 2nd floor carries all her plants outside during warm months to help them grow and then takes them back indoors, sometimes offering a few to her neighbors, once it gets cold. She’s not the only one in our neighborhood who lends her plants to the public. There’s a lady a few buildings down who bought plants for a bald corner and another lady who grows grapes outside her first floor apartment, like a mini parking lot vineyard. I found these acts of tactical urbanism fascinating and very endearing at the same time because it’s tactical urbanism without even realizing it is so.
So, I want to conclude by appreciating the unorganized, unintentional tactical urbanism projects that may not have a fancy brand story but nevertheless help us experience streets a bit more pleasantly. Because it’s not just the big actions that transform a space.
Small plant, big message
[1] A value proposition is a clear statement of the benefits a company(brand) provides its customers. I usually ask questions like “What is your purpose?” and “What problem does your company solve?” to get to a value proposition. This is used to 1) set the brand apart from competitors and 2) inform marketing material to tell a cohesive story. You don’t want your brand to say one thing on Twitter and another on TV ads.
[2] Patagonia’s Core Values provide a good example of messaging pillars.