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Now that the days are getting shorter and there’s an autumn breeze in the air, it’s time to look back on a field trip with students in Oslo at the end of May. Together with our master’s students in Urbanism: life and planning, we explored place-sensitive and immersive methods in urban planning. We were also joined by two students from the University of California, Berkeley, Alice Bruno and Suraya Akhenaton, whose reflections are shared below:

Suraya Akhenaton

My first morning in Oslo was spent on the rooftop of our hostel, listening to the birds. I felt a strong instinct to wander towards the water. I chose to be a part of the flaneur team for this urban field course. Out of the many options provided for sensing a place, being a flaneur felt most aligned with how I move through the world. A flaneur is an archetype. With its origins in 20th century French literature, this archetype rose to prominence during a time when the city was fragmented by industrialization and capitalism. The flaneur served as a way to provide commentary about changing surroundings and evolving modernity through intelligent observation (Rizk og Birioukov, 2017). The goal of the flaneur is to stroll with intention, to find details in surroundings, and draw upon senses beyond the eyes. Focusing on internal sensorial experiences along with deeper reflection upon historical and social connections of space can ignite deeper realizations and understandings. I feel drawn to this process in my daily life (Kothe, 2018).

My first morning in Oslo was filled with gentle wandering through the still streets. I was captivated by the “newness” of the city: abundant reflective glass storefronts and charming waterfront activities catered to young adults. As it was a Sunday, most of the shops were closed, and all I could find for coffee was a 7-11. I took my 7-11 oat cappuccino to the waterfront, sitting on a bench and journaling. I wrote: “Body and land/Senses and space/In Oslo looking at the Fjord /It will be a beautiful day/I want to see it, as much as I can.”

Long before this trip, I had become enamored by the concept of the Flaneur. I had spent a year studying in Austria during undergrad and wanted words to explain the joy I received in hopefully wandering and making observations in a new city, one of my favorite things to do. I learned about the Flaneur from a close friend and felt like it was the exact archetype I was looking for to explain the process of meeting a place that can not always be translated into words.

I now find myself looking for ways to expand the concept of a Flaneur. A grounded, embodied iteration of this archetype could encourage a dimensional understanding of how everyday people and planners interact with the city. As a Californian, we have many conversations about intersectionality. Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how social and political identities result in a unique combination of privilege, discrimination, and world view (Deckha, 2008). An intersectional flaneur is rooted in a deep understanding of one’s unique positionality while navigating spaces and cities. While the historical flaneur looks at a city from an outside-in perspective – perhaps with a position of otherness and judgment– the vision of the intersectional flaneur reflects deeply upon one’s own place within their surroundings, and uses one’s intersectional identities as a point of reference when making observations of the city and their surroundings. Through a deep analysis of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and the unquantifiable quality of “spirit” the intersectional flaneur uses a deep knowing of place to create well informed and contextual observations.

As I walked through the empty Sunday streets of Oslo, I was immediately captivated by certain elements. I was drawn to the roof of the opera house, the beautiful Italian marble, and the expansive vantage points of the fjord and nearby skyline. I was drawn to the pier-like constructions full of creative food and drink locations, and a very intriguing floating sauna. I was drawn to the many sculptures scattered throughout the parks and streets. I wondered about their origins and their stories. Meandering through Oslo with little previous knowledge of the city on my first morning allowed me to truly be guided by my senses. The slight smell of salt from the water. The bright morning light through the leaves of the trees. The sounds of bikers riding past me on cobblestone and pavement. The sparkle on the surface of the fjord, and the mysterious islands in the distance. The intangible feelings of new and old. Of parks that held the memory of picnics. Of benches that held the memory of many conversations. Of plazas that held the memory of footsteps.

Through this unintentional first morning of flaneuring I was drawn to reflect on how my intersectionality impacts how I move through the world. I am captivated by sweeping views of nature, reflective areas to journal, delightful coffee shops, places to people watch, areas where I can gain creative inspiration.

My positionality includes many facets. I am a Masters student in City Planning and Landscape Architecture at UC Berkeley. My mother is Indian and my father is Black. I am a woman. I am an artist, a designer, I come from a large family, I am a part of many communities. I have lived in many places that have influenced my worldview. I love to travel and I love spending time outside. I am trusting, exploratory, and open minded. I bring this with me wherever I go. These elements of my identity shape every experience I have, and create my reality. There are no ways to completely translate the nuances of my identity into words. And there are no ways to fully translate the identity of a space in totality. But there are ways to reflect on the feelings that are evoked when moving through a space. As a flaneur, I bring this as my lens to the observations I make of the world around me.

I have learned through my masters program that the field of urban planning has historically been very detached from the true pulse of a city. Planners have often used their power to serve as disembodied decision makers, making sweeping decisions that take little to no account into how a space feels. In the name of efficiency and progress, planners have often orchestrated projects that replaced lively spaces with sterile structures void of identity. We had the chance to meet John Pløger and Johnny Aspen, writers of Den Vitale Byen (The Vital City) who explained the importance of activating city spaces. Understanding strategies for activating urban spaces that serve residents by creating resilient, just, sustainable, and inclusive spaces is a key aspect of building successful cities long term. We must think beyond the surface of our places, to truly understand the ethos of the people who utilize these places.

It is crucial to create opportunities for planners to understand the embodied feeling of a place to reflect on how it makes them feel to inform holistic choices in short and long term development plans. Participating in field work from the perspective of the flaneur is a wonderful way for planners to recognize tangible ways that people use spaces. How do we engage with the uncertainty of our evolving cities, and how is that uncertainty reflected in our feelings as we move through space? Recognizing elements of belonging, hostility, comfortability, and boundaries through field research is essential in being an intentional planner. The process of observing the contrast between two neighborhoods, the elements that allow an individual to spend a longer time in one park instead of another, the dominant senses that are activated in a space can only be captured by on-site visits. Patterns in different areas can only be captured through intentional wandering and curious wayfinding. Recognizing these patterns can allow the planner to understand successful elements for an activated and vital space, neighborhood, or city.

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Our fieldwork task was to use the method of Flaneuring to understand the Hovinbyen area of Oslo. Hovinbyen is the current largest development project in Northern Europe. It serves as an extension of Oslo’s urban nucleus and has many different areas of new developments and more established communities. It feels new, and many parts of it lack identity, with many tall apartment buildings and industrial areas. I thoroughly enjoyed the field work I had the opportunity to do. I was in a group with three other Norwegian students and we decided to focus on the elements of a place that encouraged a visitor to feel comfortable and welcome, from a Flaneur’s perspective. We chose two areas, Lille Tøyen and Ensjø. Lille Tøyen is a charming garden city neighborhood, full of lovely 20th century cottage-like buildings, wonderful park-like squares, and a school. Ensjø is a newer developed area full of apartment buildings, automobile related shops, a metro stop, and a grocery store.

Our primary methodology was taking pictures and gathering soundscape samples through intentional wandering within and between our selected areas. We reflected on what we gravitated towards, what made us feel welcome, colors, materials, our memories, and our stories. Throughout this process, I felt a deep camaraderie with my group in how we came together and used our individual perspectives to guide our flaneur process. I felt much more connected to the city and the nuances of our journey with the help of my wonderful team. One of my group members, Anne, had previously lived in the area, and we were able to gain a deeper level of understanding because of her stories and memories. Another, Synne, had an old friend who lived in the area and recounted her stories of moving through the space. We had wonderful conversations about the differences between Norway and America, the field of planning as a whole, and our favorite spaces to be in. We all gravitated towards lush greenery and charming cafes. We spent much of our time in Lille Tøyen filled with excitement and wonder at the beautiful buildings and quaint public spaces. The Ensjø area was much less inviting, with large car dealerships, loud cars, and minimal crosswalks. There were many examples of boundaries where the neighborhood was not made to accommodate pedestrians. We felt the hostility of the space and reflected about how the stark gray colors of the neighborhood made us feel unwelcomed.

Utilizing this method opened our eyes to the subtle indicators of invitation that are only visible to those who notice them. We started noticing how warmer colored brick buildings felt more inviting than gray buildings, even if they were the same height and size. We talked about how in some areas the presence of fountains and water elements felt relaxing, but in more industrial areas, these same features felt dirty and overstimulating. Recognizing specific elements of the built environment that evoked strong feelings within us was a fascinating exercise, and I will definitely be applying it to the future projects that I work on.

The next day, I decided to walk our flaneuring route alone to record soundscapes of different areas. I felt myself noticing different things while I moved through the space on my own compared to when I was with my group. While I was alone, I felt myself drawn to features of the built environment that were unfamiliar to me as an American. I was completely charmed by the creative outdoor children’s playscapes of the area. The way that people interacted with the built environment felt more personal than in the States. People sunbathed in their swimsuits in regular parks, there was a sense of ease and safety in public greenspaces. My wandering took me through apartment squares with plant stands, over bridges, through expansive parks with panoramic views of the city, and on quaint residential side streets. I felt myself gravitate towards outdoor spaces with benches, places with views of the city, and opportunities for exploration or play.

With my senses open I was able to truly feel the city, and find inspiration for my future personal projects in planning and design. I took countless pictures and was compelled to stop for soundscape recordings in many different areas. As an intersectional flaneur I became present with the spaces I moved throughout. I noticed patterns of stewardship and abandonment. I noticed patterns of gathering. I noticed patterns of hostility. This process was a fascinating and wonderful way to truly understand the neighborhoods I walked through. In this exploration I was able to gain a greater understanding of how my positionality influenced what I gravitate towards.

As the trip came to an end, I found myself reflecting on my first Sunday morning of flaneuring once again. It was fascinating to see how the spaces I first saw completely empty activated in different ways throughout the day and throughout the week. I had a lovely afternoon with friends at the floating sauna I was so intrigued by before. I saw how people used greenspaces and parks to lie in the sun. I got a greater context of the meandering river during our guided historical tour. There were many moments when I felt unsure, especially with the amount of Norwegian that was spoken, but I used it as an opportunity to focus on how tone and body language are key elements of communication. The students on the field trip were truly welcoming and supportive and they made it a fantastic experience. I truly had the most wonderful time in Oslo and I am so grateful that I got to reflect on the concept of the flaneur in such a wonderful way.

References:

Deckha, M. (November 2008). «Intersectionality and posthumanist visions of equality». Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society. XXIII (2).

Kothe, E. L. (2018). Inquiry While Being in Relation: Flâneurial Walking as a Creative Research Method. In A. Lasczik Cutcher & R. L. Irwin (Eds.), The Flâneur and Education Research (pp. 29–57). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72838-4_2.

Rizk, J., & Birioukov, A. (2017). Following the Flâneur: The Methodological Possibilities and Applications of Flânerie in New Urban Spaces. The Qualitative Report, 22(12), 3268–3285. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2017.2913.

av Jørn Cruickshank

Digitale verktøy egner seg stadig bedre til å samle og presentere informasjon og til å analysere og simulere effekten av ulike plantiltak, også interaktivt og visuelt. Digitale geospatiale beslutningsstøttesystemer (GDPSS) inkluderer også nå digitale tvillinger av byer og steder, hvor planleggerne kan prøve seg fram med ulike alternative tiltak. Til tross for mulighetene er slike verktøy lite anvendt i norsk planlegging, og forskerne klør seg i hodet over hvorfor. I denne artikkelen pekes det på at årsaken kan være å finne i uavklarte spenninger i plansystemet. Planleggere er naturlig nok opptatt av å være ansvarlige, etterrettelige og nøyaktige, men har vansker med også å bidra til kollektiv utprøving av ulike alternative utviklingsbaner, med andre ord å agere strategisk. Det er særlig som et verktøy for dette siste vi ser et stort potensiale for digitale tvillinger.

Les hele artikkelen her:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00291951.2024.2351080