Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.08.2005, Page 23

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