When was the last time your city knocked you to the ground and rolled you in the dirt? And you loved it?
I went to the beach the day after Labor Day (pro tip). If you know me, I don’t have to specify this, but for everyone else, it was the nude beach at Playalinda. (NOTE: Beach not pictured.) Once you’ve been in the sun and ocean naked, the idea of wearing something to trap sand in your butt loses all appeal.
Very few environments invite you to immerse yourself completely the way the beach does, beyond just running into the sea and letting waves lift and throw you. Sand and water and wind and direct sunlight are all tactile, a cauldron of sensations. And this does not even address the smell and taste of the salt air or the humbling beauty of the ocean.
For me, the greatest power is in the sound. And since I did not have foresight to bring my phone, I’m going to give you someone else’s recording of my favorite music on Earth:
No, no, that’s terrible. (No, it isn’t, YouTube user kiyokiyo; you’re in a bit and you’re doing great!) Try this one:
As someone who grew up with that as his lullaby, it is always odd to me that people can hear that and will still build right on the beach.
“I’m going to put a house right in front of this eternal, tireless drill that has pounded every rock into grains of sand. Oh, it’s alright. Most of the time, it stops a few feet from my walls.”
But this is not a screed against private beaches (though there is much to screed about there) nor an eighth grade report on Why I Love Boogie Boarding.
I’m talking about the beach to get you to think about the city.
Beyond views, think of the things you love about the beach or any other environment. Where is your favorite breeze? What field has the sweetest smell in bloom? What trees capture the most perfect sunbeams?
When we think of placemaking, we have to consider factors other than sights and utility. The art of cities can be to create every sensory experience. We should hear, feel, smell and taste our cities as much as we see them. We should ride and surf in our cities, relax and play in our cities.
And then finally, we can get naked in them.