Panama, Casco Antiguo

Some months ago I went to a charade organized by a developer friend who wanted to gather not only ideas but the best concepts on urban living in order to develop an island in the Pacific archipelago of Las Perlas. I only got to a couple of sessions but it was very, very, very interesting. It was coordinated by a very smart and experienced urbanist from the States ( I think he might have some Cuban origins) but really the ones who did all the work where the audience. And note, not everyone was an architect! but it didn´t matter, as what was in discussion was human lifestyle, happiness and common sense.

It was profoundly interesting, almost a zen meditation on how we carry on our every human movement. They talked about the city as this living thing that was born and made to the image of humans. But of course, once we were smart enough to create the wheel and therefore cars, we felt comfortable getting to "no other man has gone before" and spread our cement around. What was born as a vertical living in a very small but higher populated center where everything was walking distance turned into a horizontal lifestyle where nothing could be walked to, only driven to.

So the entire scale changed, and then we did.

Studies exposed during this conference (and later throughout my reading) point out that the happiest people on Earth today are the ones who actually don´t need to take a car to go through their week. They walk from home to work, stopping by their favorite café site in the middle. On their way back home, they stop at the neighborhood deli and shop for fresh fruits, vegetables, etc. or simply go out to have dinner with friends around the corner. Their favorite bar, art gallery, theatre, gym, etc is probably 4 or 5 blocks away, walking distance is the key. The other one is content.

And stop to think about it. Humans love to be with other humans (well, in general). That is the entire point of people going to the opera or the theatre, there is a "skin to skin" communication, even if you don´t talk to the guy next to you. People tend to be more relaxed in those environments. They don´t rush rush, or if they do, it is just different.

But where are these places? mostly in Europe and mostly in old cities. Being able to enjoy life by not loosing it in traffic is priceless.  But price is also precisely the point!

Studying different towns and dynamics it is shown that people are open to pay higher prices for real estate on these places than anywhere else. Name your reason: because it is convenient, because it is close to home, because.... because they like it. And if you manage to put a price to your time and health, I can probably make an argument where it is also cheaper on the longrun.

"Downtown" on well planned cities just ends up being not only more expensive but more valuable on the long term. It is not expensive "per se", it is expensive because there is a fundamental value in them brought by a deep human reality which will never go away.

And the best of these cities are the historic ones, which not only have a super regulated environment in terms of development (to avoid overdevelopement), but they also have the aggregated value of things that can´t be copied. The one and only originals.

I look back and think when I visited Barcelona in 1998, I met an architect who lived in a 20 mt2 apartment on the top level. I guess originally it was an athic, but it was converted somehow in a "studio". It was located in Barrio Gotico.  I couldn´t believe it! (I mean, 20 meters! even I have my limits...). But the guy was happy as a clam. And everyone in his class envied him. Go and try to buy a flat now in Barrio Gotico!

Today, I feel so lucky to be in Casco Antiguo. I really do. When I was growing up, I loved it but didn´t understand why. I just felt so comfortable, it made me smile. I thought it was because I love the National Theatre, and that too is true. But now I can identify other things, and the strongest one is a beautiful sense of being on the right scale.

How many times I use the car in my week? maybe two. And only because we don´t have a gym here.... yet!