Underpasses are just one of many types of wasted space in San Antonio, along with rooftops, abandoned buildings, and empty lots, but one thing that distinguishes highways is that they already exist to connect vast areas. Many options require little to no capital investment, and there is no significant safety risk because they are under the speeding cars. These are just a few of the ways that unused space like highway underpasses can be repurposed to benefit the public. Smellscapes could do just that.”Ī sign pointing towards Broadway Street off an exit ramp under Interstate 35. We need spaces that are memorable, inviting and useful. As companies get more comfortable with manipulating consumers’ noses, cities should respond by actively constructing smellscapes for the public benefit.Ī landscape designer from Houston, Andre Boudreaux, convinced me when he said, “Highways slice and dice neighborhoods into small, fragmented pods, and it’s important that we make an effort to connect our neighborhoods to form a cohesive urban fabric. Casinos already surround gamblers with the scent of vanilla to make them more comfortable, and movie theaters blast warm buttery popcorn aromas as soon as customers enter the door. Spaces can be scented through flowers or artificial smell blasters (there’s even an app for it). Imagining highway underpasses as fragrant havens would be the ultimate transformation from the dingy and disgusting spaces they’re framed as now. Some cities have taken note and are creating scent maps to identify different pungent spaces. Smells affect our experiences even if we’re not always thinking about them. Every space has a smellscape some are faint, others terrible. This one is the hardest smell – er – sell, of the bunch. Underpass Park also contains a mirror installation to make the space seem larger next to the playground. Designating a couple of underpasses as sanctioned graffiti havens would instantly create new public art installations. Legal graffiti events like Clogged Caps have demonstrated serious talent by painting unique murals around the city, theming their works together to construct a holistic motif in each location. Some graffiti is inevitable, so why not allow it in certain places? District 1 Councilmember Diego Bernal has found that commissioning custom murals discourages would-be taggers because they don’t want to destroy great art. Graffiti is a staple of highway underpasses, presenting a blank canvas for rebellious youth and wannabe gangsters. One recent study found that “Careful placement of grass, climbing ivy and other plants in urban canyons can reduce street-level concentrations of nitrogen dioxide by up to 40 percent and particulate matter by 60 percent.” As San Antonio struggles with air quality standards, localized vegetation under and next to the source of vehicle emissions could make a big difference. Plants can also help residents breathe easier by filtering air.
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