Critics of African cities often like to complain that theyre dysfunctional. I ask: by whose standards of function? No city I know reminds me of the presence of nature like Nairobi. The absence of asphalt roads means, when it rains, the whole landscape fills with the smell of wet earth, rich as the scent of humus in a damp forest. Today, after a quick lash of a downpour, silver-winged termites fluttered out of the rotting wood of old road-signs, swirling like a sparkle of magic-dust cast out of a cartoon wizards hand. The pavement that covers over every trace of unwanted mud in Western cities, all those unshakable buildings and weather-proofed steel -- well, you can depend on it, and thats good. But that dependability comes at a cost of distancing us from nature. I wish more cities *saw* one of their primary functions as keeping Mother Nature present for us, even as we pretend weve outgrown her.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 15:22:08 +0000
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