7 august - The Reykjavik Grapevine
7 august - The Reykjavik Grapevine
7 august - The Reykjavik Grapevine
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Reykjavík is teetering between turning<br />
into the suburbs and becoming a city. On<br />
the one hand, a leading conservative on<br />
City Council is proposing the construction<br />
of island communities of predominantly<br />
single-family homes in the west, and the<br />
building of a freeway through the middle<br />
of the city to connect them to the mainland<br />
– an idea charming to some but ultimately<br />
unsustainable. On the other hand, opposition<br />
alliance R-list (which holds a slim majority<br />
of seats on City Council), is taking a more<br />
integrated, mixed-use approach for residents<br />
and businesses alike – an idea that while not<br />
exactly headline-grabbing would transform<br />
Reykjavík from a town to a thriving,<br />
sustainable city. In essence, the fight over<br />
Reykjavík’s future is a fight between nostalgia<br />
for a past that never existed, and common<br />
sense regarding what Reykjavík could be.<br />
INTO THE SUBURBS<br />
THE FUTURE OF REYKJAVÍK<br />
TEXT BY PAUL F. NIKOLOV<br />
“For most of us, design is invisible.<br />
Until it fails.”<br />
- Massive Change, Bruce Mau and the Institute<br />
Without Boundaries<br />
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