Compared to an entertainment district, the
local pub is in every neighbourhood. This has been a social space for
centuries, like the public square or market. It is a gathering place. That is
one thing I love about cities, they are essentially the same city in every
country across the world. They all have to provide the same services to its
residents requiring them to have similar spatial orientation. There is
something familiar about a city that you visit for the first time: It’s
structured the same way as your home city to provide the same services to its
residents. You need schools, hospitals, government centres, worshipping space,
areas to exchange good/services, living areas, recreational space, transportation
networks to these places and public spaces. The local watering- hole is along a
main road (or multiple watering-holes located along multiple main roads in a
neighbourhood), and there are always people in it.
Though a traditional aspect of our culture,
it remains current. As our society becomes less and less social through the use
of technology and social media our cultural establishments adapt to stay
current. For example, supermarkets now allow you to place orders online and
they deliver to your home. One can complete all of their Christmas shopping
online and have it shipped to their door. One doesn’t need to set foot on a
university campus to earn a degree. The list goes on and on. Yet, the simple
act of having a beer at your local place has not been replaced. That can also
be extended to non-alcohol related daytime coffees at your favourite coffee
shop.
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| Mercer Tavern and Roast coffee shop |
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| Located in an old warehouse building in downtown Edmonton |
Coincidently both my favorite local tavern
and coffee shop were right next door to each other in a 100-year-old warehouse
building. I remember snowy, cold winter evenings when friends and I stood
outside the building saying, “which one will it be tonight? Fancy coffee or
fancy cocktail?” With the advent of online dating, one does not even need to go
to the pub to meet their partner anymore! Nevertheless, no matter what people
say, an iMessage chat with your best girlfriend never will replace a candid
chat over a vodka water or chai latte. As long as there are cities, and there
are people living in cities, there will be the local pub or coffee shop. Good
urban design makes these spaces more attractive or more accessible. Even the
seediest pubs (and I’ve been to a few) attract their patrons. I remember
sitting in the oldest building in Ireland, a pub in Dublin built in 1146; it
was originally a pub and is still a pub! Just off the river street in the
entertainment district. If there is any one business that embodies sense of
place, the local pub is it. It’s an establishment as old as the oldest city.
Some links for your viewing:
Images:
http://mercertavern.com/
http://www.startupedmonton.com/images/space/large-mercer.jpg
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