Brite Winter's come and gone, and it was amazing to see how a community can come out -- never MIND the -10 degree weather -- and party like it don't mean a thang.
This is more than simple "mid-west make-do necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention" –type thinking. This is about creating the city we want to see and claiming the will and the right to make it happen. Sure, cities around the country are busy with pop-up programming and farmers markets and the like -- in summer. But what do we do when winter hits?
In many places around the world, winter's actually a perfectly acceptable time to go out into the public realm. When we had a stronger urban core here in Cleveland, it was quite an occasion: getting all dressed up and heading downtown to Higbee's or one of the other department stores, bundled in wool, ready for a day of shopping and a hot chocolate at the Silver Grille.
Holiday Shoppers at Higbee's enjoy the holiday tree and good company . . .
Now holiday shopping has devolved into that self-parodying rush of crazed asphalt-bound battles for the last slush-covered parking spot; headaches and home as quick as can be managed. Gone is the glitter and excitement, the sense of community and of seeing and being seen.
In other countries, night markets are one of the most popular ways to enjoy a winter out and about. Traditional markets in Scandinavia, London and elsewhere are places to stroll under the lights, sip soup and cocoa, and of course stock up on winter-time necessities.
A London Market, and many more around the world.
In China, Japan, and to a lesser degree in states like Minnesota and New York, traditional Ice Castles are places of holiday celebration.
Ice palaces are seen all over the world as otherworldly winter amusements . . . see more examples here!
But in Cleveland, we've employed -- for the most part -- the mid-country suburban approach of hunkering down -- until recently. Not only has Brite become a huge (20,000 person!) excuse to get out in winter, but a number of other events, like the NorthCoast Harbor's IceFest, have cropped up. More importantly, activating spaces in winter has been identified as an ongoing area of inquiry by Kent's Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, with the initiation of their Center for Outdoor Living Design and their COLDSCAPES Competition; Not only did the CUDC show up in fine form for Brite 2015, but they've created their own laboratory for exploring activation in the off-season . . . check out a past winner:
The book was available for purchase at Brite and can be found here.
