Iceland review - 2016, Page 59

ICELAND REVIEW 57
or 15 years we had a new master plan,
and a new vision for how we wanted
the city to develop. Thankfully, some of
the old wooden buildings survived and
were renovated, but think of any style
of architecture from the 1930s onwards
and we have an example of that style in
the center of our town. And it is about
time that instead of trying to create a
beautiful, unified whole out of the city,
we embrace the diversity. Of course we
should agree on some general rules and
restrictions, but the point about a city is
that we will never agree on exactly how
we want it to develop.
We have fallen into the trap of try-
ing to find the perfect building and the
perfect location for every single need.
This is holding us back. In 2008 we had
a competition for a new building for
the Iceland Academy of the Arts, which
has been scattered around the city in
inadequate housing since its inception.
The chosen location on Laugavegur
faced fierce opposition and the won-
derful architecture of the winning entry
was derided. Vocal opponents tried hard
to convince the authorities that other
locations and other styles of architec-
ture would be more fitting. The result
was that the Academy is still scattered
around the city in inadequate housing.
Another example is the new Landspítali
National University Hospital, which has
been on the drawing board for more than
a decade. When at last there are signs
that money can be found to start con-
struction, loud voices start doubting the
location near the city center. They have
suggested two or three other possible
locations that might be marginally better.
And they may yet succeed in lobbying
for a new location, which would set the
project back years. Instead of trying to
find the perfect place, we should just get
on with things and accept the inevitable
compromise that a city demands. It is
surely better to have an Arts Academy
and a University Hospital than struggle
along, trying in vain to always find per-
fection. Life is messy, and that is why
perfection is rare in cities and totally
unnecessary.
OPINION
The new Skuggahverfi neighborhood, downtown Reykjavík.