Dreaming of Faraway Places Nearby

Apart from not being a town planner, I am an internet user, something which Planum does not exactly take for granted.

Planum.net was launched in 1997 in Rome, on occasion of the Second Bienniale of European Cities and Town Planners organized by INU (the National Institute of Town Planning) in collaboration with the Ministry for Public Works and the commune of Rome.

Planum.net set out to be a definitive on-line planning journal, and got underway in January 2002, thanks to the co-funding from the European Commission in the context of the Ten Telecom programme. As for other facts and figures, in 2002 it was one of the best sites of the year, and it boasts 10,000 members, 500 visits a day and 80 countries involved. On a descriptive level it is based on an utopian dream, but in reality this translates into more concrete visions of utopia.

What Planum actually does is give those in a non-elitist role, not town planners but members of the public, the chance to get involved in a constructive, creative process: to handle real data, the concrete make up of a city

The first of these is a ‘piazza’, or, as Greek terminology is also acceptable in the world of technology, a ‘virtual agora’. This idea ranges from Mcluhan with roots in Lyotard, shaping up in the cyberspace of Gibson. In terms of the virtual reality experience this takes the form of a chat room, or forum, but in general takes its name from entities parallel to the web which convey the idea of a labyrinthine inlay, something which probably has an exit, but has no pressing desire to find it. The important thing is to stay at the centre, in the piazza.

You could be forgiven for thinking that this is not exactly a brand new concept but Planum also has another section, which most other sites remains behind the scenes, pretty much hidden from view. Planum sets out to make construction interactive. It offers answers and forums which deal with projects that will actually become reality, and this is when the feel of genuine utopia comes to play. Of course perception on the web implies interactivity, without which it would be little more than a library-like archive of information. What Planum actually does is give those in a non-elitist role, not town planners but members of the public, the chance to get involved in a constructive, creative process: to handle real data, the concrete make up of a city. Of course the science of town planning tends to be based on an analysis of the land, including the inhabitants, taking ethnic minorities and majorities into account, with an eye to tradition and envisaging future or feasible approaches, but it hardly ever elicits a global opinion.

This is where the other interlock snaps into place. While town planning is based on study, and location-based predictions, the internet is information without location, in the sense of a local space or place. Taken to a logical conclusion this translates into utilising the non-spatially limited nature of the internet to get involved in spatially-based projects. Basically what this means is that I, user but not town planner, get to take part in projects on the other side of the world, and be aware of what is going on. I can see them take shape from the start, I know that others like me have had a hand in them in some way, and I can get an idea of the context and an image of the finished project. And all I have to do is move my mouse.

The portal consists in different sections which in turn refer to specific services. The topics you can look for information about are by no means based around single themes. Alongside Landscape planning is information about City and Immigration; Urban projects and Urban regeneration policies. But the categories are not always so restrictive. Web compass, the internal search engine, lets you search (and here your curiosity will get the better of you) between those reckoned to be the best sites. A tour of the web’s finest offerings. Examples include sites dedicated to the stadiums of Europe or sustainable energy, and city walks, one of the areas inevitably dedicated to city living. In the archive of the best sites you will find hydrogen-powered cars, important people, renovation projects and city centre redevelopments. There are European and non-European areas, you just choose the country, click on it and you can get an idea of what is going on. In the section dedicated to the best sites of the month there are design centres, museums and galleries.

What brings all the different parts of Planum together is its mission statement: getting global. The projects aim to open cities up to the world. Take the Waterfront project in Rotterdam for example, destined to redevelop the industrial port. As well as the illustrations, designs, maps and observations about the area, there is a statement of intent: “From world port city to a fully connected European city as part of the developing Delta Metropolis”.

Apart from the Pandora’s box that globalisation is opening up, it is also a form of moderated restoration. And you can’t help thinking of the dreams that get left behind in the morning, as you flip between radio stations in the car on the way to work: plans which are very much a real part of daily life, and anything but local.