In the Footsteps of Kings

Author's Note: Several years ago a  friend asked me to write this for a project that never took off and it has never seen the light of day until now, which is as good a time as any I suppose.

On a recent trip to Melbourne, the first thing I did after checking into the hotel was something that has become a ritual upon arriving in a new city, I went for a long walk. There's no better way to get one's bearing in a new place then losing oneself in it on foot, letting impulse be the guide.

Skyscrapers beckoned me to the heart of Melbourne officially known as the Central Business District. The CBD of Australia's second city is best known for its system of passageways and arcades, the grandest of which, The Block, dating from the 1890s was inspired by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. In recent years, new passageways were created from old alleys into whose graffiti covered walls were carved coffee houses, galleries and shops, some chic, some anything but. Stylistically, the new passageways could not be more different from the grand old arcades, yet they flow together effortlessly. The mixture of the tony and the tawdry gives Melbourne's CBD its distinct charm and vitality.

I had a revelation of sorts ten years ago while walking down Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles. Finishing touches to Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall were being made while steps away, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the work of Spanish architect Rafael Moneo had just opened. Down the block was the Museum of Contemporary Art designed by Arata Izosaki. All were impressive, designed by significant architects. Even so I couldn't help but think how those structures sitting there like ducks in a row, reminded me of paintings hung on the wall of a museum rather than buildings woven into the fabric of a city. It dawned on me what I find frustrating with much of contemporary architecture. Buildings today are first and foremost built to be works of art. Form no longer follows function, it's now the other way around.

Being in the camp of urbanologist Jane Jacobs, to me the essence of a great city is a vibrant street life. It's not surprising why much of contemporary Los Angeles lacks that asset as hardly anyone there walks anymore. The buildings mentioned above reflect that fact; there is little attempt to interact with the surroundings, even the simple act of gaining access is confusing as most folks enter underground, through subterranean parking lots. These buildings exist on a higher plain, removed from life on the street as if they were preserved in amber.

Just blocks away along Broadway, built before the automobile revolution is the heart of old Downtown LA. Despite, or perhaps because of being long past its heyday, that neighborhood still ebbs and flows with life in marked contrast to its more upscale cousin. Small wonder, it's one of the few places in town where one does not feel out of place on foot.

There is a famous walking tour in Prague known as the Royal Route. It follows the traditional path Czech monarchs took to their coronation, from the old city gates to the Cathedral of St. Vitus. Along the route, one walks through not only a glorious city, but eleven centuries worth of history and architecture. Like Melbourne, Prague's architecture is an unapologetic clash of styles. Certainly Prague is one of the most enchanting places imaginable with its fairy tale vistas featuring Medieval towers and bridges spanning the Vltava, the river that plays such an important role in Czech culture. Yet its physical beauty barely scratches the surface of the experience. Prague is the perfect walking city, as each few steps lead to a new discovery. You walk not only in the footsteps of kings, but also the likes of Kepler, Mozart, and Kafka. That's not to say its history is set in stone; like any vibrant place, its story is written daily by the people who walk its streets, from saints to sinners, and everyone in between.

Great cities are about life, past, present and future. Any city that invites people to explore by walking around its streets and alleys, discovering secrets hidden in its underbelly, is a treasure to behold. After all, the art of the city resides not in its buildings, monuments or civic plans, but in the way people interact with them. Take people away from the equation, and all that's left is a beautiful architectural rendering, or a dead city.