Wednesday, July 05, 2006

HOW SLOWER CAN WE GO?

Contrary to contemporary economic trends, slow cities arise as an alternative project for future societies. How viable are they and how serious can we consider this retro life style?
In fact, a slow city is a place which strives to maintain a high-quality living environment. This is achieved in a variety of ways, including maintaining and expanding parks and ‘green’ areas, protecting historic buildings, removing eyesores such as advertising posters, neon signs or ugly TV/phone aerials, and prohibiting car alarms and other noise pollution. Other priorities include recycling and the use of alternative energy sources. The most central aspect of being a slow city, however, is the promotion of healthy eating through locally grown and prepared foods. In an attempt to counter the modern obsession with fast food, slow cities are places which don’t have a McDonald’s™ restaurant or chip shop on every corner, but favour restaurants, cafés, markets and shops with fresh local produce and traditional cooking methods.

Background
Contrary to what it suggests, the term slow city does not refer to larger cities in the conventional sense, but usually applies to towns and smaller cities (in fact membership of the slow city movement is usually restricted to places with a population of under 50,000). The term emerged in English as a direct translation of the name of the Italian movement Cittaslow, where città means ‘town’ as well as ‘city’. Cittaslow was inspired by the slow food movement, founded in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, an Italian food and wine journalist who objected to the encroachment of fast food chains in towns and cities across the world. Petrini promoted the concept of slow food, carefully prepared food cooked according to traditional methods and using organic ingredients.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

No way!
After all progress society has achieved this project goes on the opposing way...
Not to mention that the new slow cities would have to adjust themselves by canging their mindsets and attitudes. Sounds more like a lying junkie delusion of grandeur.

Anonymous said...

I meant changing their mindsets and attitudes

Anonymous said...

more than once in history people realized their old habits and tradition were relevant.
if we don't control the technology and the freak beat we've created, then we should turn around indeed.

Daniel de Aguirres said...

This slow city stuff could work out in some regions of the world, not in the US or Japan for example.
Can anyone imagine a slow move in NY or Tokyo?