Some people want to live in a Slow City because they feel their own lives are too fast-paced. Yet a person living in a Slow City still has business deadlines, commute times, family  pressures and work schedules. If our own hectic lives are our creation, then we may not necessarily escape them by living in a Slow City. Living the ’slow’ life means being in charge of our own schedules and making decisions which help us to slow down and breathe a bit easier on a daily basis.

However, not everything about ’slow’ happens on an individual basis. While we must recognize our own responsibility in helping to create our own ’slow’ lives, I am convinced that our context also plays a large role. If the cities in which we live are inherently ’slow’ in their philosophy and policy, then this will permeate our lives as residents of these cities. In fact, the very basis of the Slow Cities philosophy was to help improve the quality of life for the citizens of Slow Cities.

I personally find that I am drawn to the very idea of living in a city that is slow. The shared philosophy draws upon a desire to sustain the local sense of place – the very identity of a city – and also to make changes in ways which will improve the quality of life for its citizens. For example, a Slow City seeks to improve and promote infrastructure for pedestrian and alternative transportation use. If my city is more accessible to me as a pedestrian, I can automatically interact with the local space on a ‘slower’ level.  Of course, this is only one small example, but it is a relevant example which can help to change how slow our lives are on a daily basis.

A Slow City makes it easier for me to live a slow life. Not everything about a Slow City will always be slow, but the city policy enables slow choices. A person’s own lifestyle is still going to be about personal choices. Some of these choices may still result in decisions which encourage stress and hectic times. But if my city helps me to make a few slow decisions each day, my quality of life improves and every moment becomes richer.

Slow Cities. What are we searching for in our cities? What do we hope to achieve? What is it about the term ’slow cities’ which attracts us, makes us yearn for a different place, or pushes us to wish that our own cities were different. I suspect that most of us feel that our own lives are too fast-paced. Perhaps this is why we are visitors to the Slow Planet website in the first place. Do we believe that our lives would be a little slower, more balanced and more manageable if only we lived in a ’slow city’?

As a city planner, I am constantly thinking of the future of our urban environments. I consider the hopes and dreams of the people who live in cities, and then I think about how to plan (or design) these hopes and dreams into a reality. I’ve had many people tell me that they love the idea of a slow city. They would move there immediately, they tell me, if only such a place truly existed.

In fact, slow cities do exist, and they are even called ‘Slow Cities’ or ‘Citta Slow.’ The question is whether or not the official definition of a Slow City truly fulfills our own individual dreams of a slow city. Slow Cities are governed by rules, definitions, a charter and a philosophy. There is a reason that Slow Cities formed in the first place — a reason that is akin to Slow Food’s own existance. Initially, the ’slow’ of Slow Cities seems to exist on a policy level; a policy which borders on philosophy. To truly understand what a Slow City is, we must look at these policies and then translate them into tangible realities that will (or perhaps will not) convince us that slow cities exist in the way that we want them to exist.

Many of us long for cities that are different, that are slow. To understand Slow Cities is the first step before understanding what we are actually hoping for.  I invite you to follow this blog as we explain the policies and philosophies of Slow Cities, and work to understand where we live and where we want to live. Cities are complex, but they are not impossible. We can work towards making our cities the places in which we do want to live.

The Slow Cities movement has been growing, but seems to have had a difficult time crossing the Atlantic Ocean. During my original research on the Slow Cities movement, I interviewed many people in North America who felt that the movement could never work here. They cited the North American lack of history and area-specific roots, lack of localized culture, and love of independence as some of the reasons why Slow Cities would never be successful on this side of the ocean. These people were largely politicians, city planners and other officials. However, when I explained the Slow Cities movement to many of my own friends and others who would be considered “residents” and not “officials” of urban areas, they were intrigued. They asked me questions like: “How can we make our city a Slow City?” and “I want to live in a Slow City. Why isn’t my city like that?”  There seems to be a growing grassroots demand for such cities and spaces — a demand which is increasing the more people learn about the slow movement and the possibilities of Slow Cities. I, for one, felt convinced that a Slow City could indeed exist in North America.

And now I may not be alone. It seems that the Slow Cities movement will be starting in British Columbia, the Canadian province bordering the Pacific Ocean. Specifically, it is Cowichan Bay, B.C., which is planning to be the first Slow City in Canada, and also in North America. I applaud Cowichan Bay for taking the initiative and for not listening to the naysayers (of which there are many).

The Slow Cities movement has much to teach North America. While Slow Food has taken root here already, many people continue to feel that the urban areas should be progressive and not “stuck in the past” (as many interpret Slow Cities to be). Many North American cities choose quantity over quality. They do not understand that quality can coexist with progress, and that quality of life can indeed be stronger if the slow movement philosophies were considered and incorporated.

My hope is that Cowichan Bay will emerge as a model. Not every location will choose to be a Slow City, but at least some of the philosophy could be adopted by more and more North American places. Cities, towns and neighbourhoods could benefit by understanding the positive effects of living more slowly.

After preaching for years about the joys of slow, I now find I’m not living what I’m preaching. I recently got a new job. Yes, this is good news. Nothing to complain about – especially in this economy! Except that this is the most pressure and busyness I have experienced in years. I have allowed the stress of life to overwhelm and overcome the joys of slow. So, how do I regain the balance I used to enjoy?  I must admit that I love this job. It is more meaningful and purposeful than any work I have done in a long time. I look forward to going to work each morning. I feel that I have made a difference in someone’s life each day. But it is a lot of work crammed into a day. It is too easy to work overtime, work during lunch, and bring my work home with me. I feel that there is always more to be done. More to learn. More people to help. But I miss that balance, that focus on slow, no matter the speed of life. I realize I will have to be strict and force myself to take breaks. Hopefully these will be breaks outside of my office. I will also return to Slow Planet and allow myself to enjoy time spent on this site once again. Slow Planet feels like an unaffordable luxury amidst my busyness, but I miss it, and find it is more necessary than I once thought.

It feels like Spring must almost be here in the middle of Canada. It has been a long winter. I still have a lot of snow in my yard. But the weather is warming up and the sun is shining brightly. It won’t be long until we can enjoy the sight of flowers and green grass, and the sound of birds singing in the trees.  Here in Winnipeg, we have long, cold winters and a long, hot summers. Spring and Autumn are short. Blink and you miss them. This creates sudden transitions between extremes.

From a Slow Urbanist perspective, the extreme weather influences how people use the urban environment. Many people balk at the thought of giving up their cars in favour of walking. They enjoy the comfort of heated transportation in the winter, and air-conditioned in the summer. They drive out of their attached garage at home, and into their interior parking space at work. They go from climate-controlled environment at home, to climate-controlled environment at work, using climate-controlled transportation along the way. No need to feel cold in the winter or hot in the summer. Perfect comfort all year long.

I worry that we are missing something when we live entirely in these false environments. The Slow Urbanist experience involves being a part of your environment, experiencing the sense of place, and truly living in your city. I have nothing against living and working in comfortable environments. When it is -40 Celsius outside, you can only be outside for so long. And some people can handle the summer heat better than others. But what are we missing when we remove ourselves from the realities of our local context? 

We can become an integral part of our city environments by participating in them.  If we spend some time outside, using outdoor spaces – no matter the temperature – we become a part of the urban environment. We can interact with our context on visual and physical levels, and invite the beauty of place to influence our lives.  Seasons are important in cities.  They help to define our context. We lose much of our own quality of life if we ignore this passage of time and the visual changes around us.

“Today’s urban surroundings are a prefabricated environment. In them, people are observers, not participants. They exist disconnected from space and time.”

This sentence comes from the Time Foundation’s website www.timefoundation.com
When I was first introduced to the Time Foundation, I was intrigued to learn about it – including Ecokathedral. I would encourage you to take a look as well.

We can participate in our environment to varying degrees. In many situations, there are restrictions on the level of participation. But I believe we can help to shape our own environment by purposefully living our lives in a slow manner. And we can go further by advocating to make our urban environments reflect a slow philosophy.

The context in which we live our lives does have an impact on how our lives our lived.  However, it is ultimately ourselves who define how our own lives are lived. Much of this is due to personal or individual philosophy. We can chose how we are going to interact with the world on an emotional or intellectual level. It also works on a physical level. When we interact with the world on a daily basis, are we rushing through as an observer or are we taking meaningful steps towards participation? In many of our cities, this seems to be an individual choice. And it all comes down to time. When we chose to engage in our world and become connected in space and time we are also living a life that is more slow.

The complexity of our environment demands that stop rushing around as mere observers – although in many cases I think people aren’t even giving themselves the luxury of being observers!  We have the opportunity to foster relationships with other people, with the natural environment and the built environment … and with the cultures, traditions, hopes and dreams that we see each day.

We can take a page out of the Time Foundation’s theory and chose to participate fully in space and time, however that might be manifest in your own world.  Most of us do not have direct influence to actually change what our larger urban built environment – as well as our urban “natural” environment – looks like. However, we can chose to participate in that environment in a more meaningful way.

Take the slow approach and actually live in your city.

Living a slow life is really about taking the time for quality. The Slow Cities movement is attempting to translate this notion into a day-to-day reality for people living in urban environments.

Creating a city with slow infrastructural polices is key to the overall quality of life for its residents. The Slow Cities movement includes the following in its infrastructural polices:
- sustaining historical and culturally significant buildings
- promoting and building safe transportation
- a focus on alternative transportation options (including bicycle paths and a pedestrian focus)
- Accessibility for all
- Green Space
- Public lavatories

These goals work together to create a better experience for the city residents and tourists alike. When infrastructure is put in place to promote alternative transportation, it is more likely that this alternative transportation will be utilized. These infrastructure goals incorporate pedestrian walkways and greenspace.  Overall, it is a higher quality urban environment that is attained. And because of the pedestrian focus, it is more likely that each person will have a more intimate relationship and a greater awareness of their higher quality urban environment.

It is not always possible to take a slow transportation option everyone you go. Sometimes we are more rushed and need to hurry along to fit more into our day. Therefore, it is important to have a variety of well-designed transportation options available in an urban area. But if our cities give us the option of using beautifully designed and safe pedestrian routes there is a greater possibility that more and more people will take those routes. If more people are out walking, there is a higher degree of human interaction.  And these people are also more likely to lead healthy, active lifestyles.  Promoting pedestrian transportation options in a city will give the residents a chance to take a few steps in a slow lifestyle.  Even if they have no concept of what slow really represents, they can begin to interact with life at a different pace, and begin to enjoy the quality of that moment in time.

I have recently been knocked out by the flu. I am back on my feet again, but was forced (reluctantly) to take a break - to stop and rest for a bit. I find that these breaks in life, even if you do happen to be when you’re ill, can help to be times of re-focusing and remembering what is important.  I’ve been reminded of a song that has recently been played a lot in my hometown of Winnipeg, Canada.  The song is “Fast Paced World” by a great local band called The Duhks. Here are some of the lyrics, which I think work just as well as a poem as they do accompanied by the music:

————————

We’ve forgotten what is sacred
In this fast-paced world,
We take and keep taking,
Without thinking of what we’re giving

Oh, nothing is sacred in this fast-paced world
Not love, not culture, not family or nature

Suburbia land, where everything is made easy
Don’t worry, we’ll wipe you clean of your identity
Supermarkets and box malls for your convenience
All the Ma and Pop stores, no longer have your allegiance

With cookie cutter houses, cars and jobs
We’ll all be the same, we won’t have to think anymore
About our neighbors gossiping, about our freaky differences
We won’t have to worry, won’t have to take any chances

We’ve forgotten what is sacred
In this fast-paced world,
We take and keep taking,
Without thinking of what we’re giving

Oh, nothing is sacred in this fast-paced world
Not love, not culture, not family or nature

————————

The irony is that in the search for convenience and ease, we have complicated life and the ways in which we live. Searching for the slow in everyday life helps us to regain something important.  Perhaps it is even this searching that is the significant part. As the saying goes, it is the journey that is important. All of us may have a slightly different interpretation of how to live a “slow” life.  But if we can each find a higher quality of life for ourselves through this search, then perhaps we have succeeded.  If I can take life a little more slowly and try to remember what is sacred in this fast-paced world, then I believe that my own little world will be better for it.

The Slow Cities movement works on the basis of a shared philosophy and a list of goals. Cities which are members of the movement agree to work toward these goals, with the expectation that each local city plan will favour these goals as priorities. These goals are referred to as “Excellences” (or “Requirements for Excellence”), and are divided into the following categories: (1) Environmental Policies, (2) Infrastructure Policies, (3) Technology and Facilities for Urban Quality, (4) Safeguarding autochthonous production, (5) Hospitality, and (6) Awareness. These goals help to define the future of each city, with goals being translated into city priorities. 

Now, to start answering the question “What makes a Slow City slow?” …

The Environmental Policies play a huge role in this definition. The movement is committed to creating healthy living environments for its residents, as well as visitors. The environment is viewed as integral to the overall health (and future) of the urban area and its regional context. The Slow Cities movement has recognized that the future of the city (as well as its local region) is inherently linked to its environmental health.  These environmental policies are focused on clean water and air, composting, use of alternative and renewable energy sources, and the reduction of pollution (including visual, noise, air, water, etc.). 

Some of these environmental policies may not seem ground-breaking.  Some may simply appear to be common sense. However, this in turn may be part of what makes Slow Cities a successful and sustainable movement.  Changes towards environmental health are actually quite difficult in an urban setting.  Industrialization, fast-paced growth, dependency on the automobile and other similar factors have made it difficult for cities to make environmentally-conscious policy decisions.

The Environmental Policies can also be seen as a cultural shift in City Planning. Living in a healthier environment translates into a higher quality of life for the residents and visitors alike.  Environmental policy does not only benefit the future. The effects are beneficial immediately. The point is that cities can be better places to live. We do not need to sacrifice health and environmental well-being simply because we live in a place where other people also live and work. Choosing to place the environment as a priority is an example of what makes a Slow City slow.  It is about taking the time to make better decisions, to make changes which will improve quality of life and give us better cities to live in.

The most obvious example of Slow Urbanism is Cittaslow (Slow Cities or Slow Towns). Founded in Italy, this network of small cities is now represented in several countries. Cittaslow was inspired by Slow Food (also based in Italy).  Many of the Cittaslow policies and goals have obvious roots in the Slow Food philosophy and policies.  And Cittaslow now promotes Slow Food in its representative locales.  This mutually-dependent relationship only makes sense due to the intricate relationships of food, production, consumption and the places in which people live.

However, when I try to think through the connections between Cittaslow and other incarnations/examples of slow, I find that – at times – the only common denominator is the word slow.  And even with this, slow can be used to mean different things.

Slow has come to refer to quality (quality of life, of food, of urban environment …) in very philosophical terms.  This philosophy (first evident in Slow Food) has been translated into goals and policies.  These policies have come to be the framework of entire cities (albeit small cities).

Slow also refers to a frame of mind, a way of approaching and living one’s life.  This can be an extremely individualistic and introspective definition of slow.  People talk about slowing down, enjoying life, spending time with family and friends.  Certainly these qualities have a strong connection to the Slow-Food-philosophy side of slow, but the individualistic interpretation of leading a slow life is a huge leap from establishing city policy.

It can be very easy to decide for oneself to lead a slower life. It can also be fairly easy (depending on where you live) to adhere to the Slow Food principles. But how does one go about creating policy that will steer an entire town in the direction of slow?  This is applying slow to the corporate level – the opposite end of the spectrum from an individual person’s own decision to lead a slower life.

The reality is that slow indeed can be a policy applied at a corporate level.  Some of the romanticism of the slow philosophy may not be as strongly evident within the policy jargon.  However, it is there nonetheless and cities are choosing to change how they move forward.  Cittaslow has created policies and goals which achieve the community-wide application of slow.  Due to the vast difference in scale, Cittaslow’s policies can seem a world away from  what could have been only an individual lifestyle choice.  And yet – with all of their differences – both are true representations of slow.