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:

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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

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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.

I recently discovered that there is a Slow Bicycle Movement. Are you cycling too fast?

While I an not a doctor, I could swear by the healing abilities of slow cycling.  Insolvable problems, mental road blocks, stress - they all seem to disappear while cycling.  You become so absorbed in the new environment that your insecurities quickly dissolve.

Try cycling to get lost.  That’s right: cycle with no plan, no destination, and no expectations.  Cruise and let curiosity abound.

A good time to get lost on your bike is after work.  Take the other route home next time.  After a while, you may find yourself in a new part of town.  Let the streets hypnotize you.  Let the tall trees overwhelm you.  Smell dinner cooking from homes.  On some occasions, you may meet a friendly cat.   On other occasions,  may meet interesting people.

Weekends are also an excellent time to explore on bike.  I recommend Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon.  Just ask yourself: north, east, west, or south?  Why not ask a friend to join you too.

Cycling slowly can renew a sense of appreciation.  Somehow meaning always finds you on the unmapped adventure.  And while you are rejuvenating on the ride, you may even solve that one problem.

For more slow cycling tips, see the Slow Bicycle Movement website.

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.

Over the holiday I spent quality time with Sebastian, my dog. He’s an explosive blond Pomeranian with a zest for life that most people would envy.

A couple of times a day, we walk through the ghostly suburban landscape.  Rarely do motor vehicles even come out from their homes.  Still, together, Sebastian and I discover the land from different view points.

I notice that when we walk on the wide concrete road, Sebastian fervently drags me forward.  He’s on a quest.  I imagine a dog biscuit dangling over his head.

On the other hand, when we walk on the side path with plants, he slows down.   He sniffs, explores, and learns dog things.   He is more aware, more alive.

It makes me wonder about my own paths when I explore the world: how often am I on bleak concrete marching forward?   I want to be content with here and now.

Maybe if we slow down to take diverse, unique paths, we might learn more about the world, our neighbors, and our selves.

LOHAS are Yeti’s! Everything seems to confirm that: They are addicted to nature, extremly focused on themselves. Ideally they live in LOHAS-groups but they still remain being loner, trying to be as unique as possible.

The LOHAS-people’s lifestyle is green and sustainable. They are supposed to be radical but they turn out to be traditionalists with no needs for real change. Their traces in snow, forests and the society are hard to find, imprecise. They provoke to ask: Do they really exist, the LOHAS?

Recently I was part of a study-presentation about LOHAS in Germany. It’s a work of Hamburg based brand-company &Equity on behalf of stratum, a consulting-company from Berlin, mainly involved in NPO-projects. The event, named “The brand sustainability”, transformed in a (interesting) discussion about the LOHAS community. Who are they? Is it a target group? And: If they exist, how would they think behave act buy live travel eat drink educate love die?

Just as a reminder: Sustainability did already exist before Paul H. Ray wrote his book Cultural Creatives.

I believe LOHAS are a secret society as well. Having their own beer. Leaded by Reinhold “Yeti” Messner.

The change in global mobility in the last 100 years has been astounding and historically significant.  The use of automobiles, ships, trains, trucks and airplanes for the distribution of people, goods, and services is unlike no other time in history.
For most people, spending even a limited amount of time in Southern California is enough to credit it as the center for car culture.  Having grown up in Southern California, my reaction to the car-centric environment and culture was standard: I celebrated getting my drivers license and owning a car.  That changed, however, once I moved to Davis, California, a town that actively promotes alternatives modes of transportation.  Along with many other college students attending UC Davis, I bought a bicycle.  Very slowly, I came to value walking, cycling, and public transportation.  After four car-lite years, I became convinced that the dominant car-culture should and can be changed.
Jane Jacobs and Lewis Mumford reminded me that Americans have been mesmerized with the automobile for the past 50 years.  The tenets of the car-culture are high speed and convenience.  It is a form of movement that promotes a high consumption of space and time.  It is a lifestyle choice that values quantity over quality.
Other modes of movement may provide a higher quality of life.  For example, one gains a unique perspective from walking and cycling.  Its fuel is human power and offers a solution to the sedentary lifestyle that is too often seen in many automobile dependent cities and countries.  Furthermore, I have often heard walkers and cyclists say they experience stimulating sensations of natural light, color and smell.
I have rediscovered my environment and realized that urban environments with walkable and bikeable streets improve the quality of life.  Walking and cycling are the best forms of transport because they are low cost, have little impact on the environment, and promote community.

Is it possible to have a Slow Christmas season in a busy urban place? As I write this, it is only 3 days until Christmas. The holidays have already begun.  People are busy – shopping for last-minute gifts, trying to find time to do the holiday baking and squeeze in the office parties and holiday concerts.  This season tends to become hectic no matter what.  Even if you are only an onlooker, it is difficult to not get caught up in the frenzy as you watch everyone else running between shops.  This morning, I sat in a downtown café and savoured a hot cup of strong tea.  But everyone was rushing around me – so much to do – so little time!
As I reflected on the busyness of it all, I realized that actually this holiday season could be what the Slow philosophy is all about.  Slow Food was created in reaction to Fast Food.  Slow Food was designed to be a proactive force in sustaining traditional foods, recipes, and most importantly, the culture that has been built around food and meals.  This culture is really about relationships.  A slow, lingering meal shared with family and friends is at the heart of the slow philosophy.  It is about taking the time to enjoy what is really important in our lives. 
Christmas holidays are filled with food – traditional recipes, hours spent baking and eating.  It has become a time to celebrate what is important in our lives – our relationships with family and friends.  This holiday should be about taking the time for quality – or, in this case, taking the time to increase the quality of our lives, spending time with family and friends and celebrating what is important to us.  This Christmas, even in the midst of a busy urban downtown, it is possible to celebrate a slow Christmas. It is about choices – how do we choose to spend our time? Slow Urbanism is about how we live within our urban setting. It is all too easy to get caught up in a “Fast Christmas.”  That’s why, this December, I’m wishing for a Slow Christmas.