the portfol io of Suzanne Ernst BLA, MLA

Post-communist Budapest may be understood as a c i tyscape in t rans i t ion, a conste l lat ion of endur ing re l ics f rom the golden days of urban renewal at the turn of the twent ie th century, to the co l lect iv is t arch i tecture and urban s p a c e s o f m o d e r n c o m m u n i s t d e s i g n , a n d f i n a l l y, t h e p ro l i f e r a t i o n o f p i lgr image s i tes, consumer ist meccas, as the c i ty has establ ished notor iety as the shopping mall capital of Europe.

One common l ink between these var iegated layers of the c i ty are the street bo l l a rds tha t connect and de f ine the en t i re u rban cente r. Look ing a t the copious presence of these bol lards with in the c i ty of Budapest, I propose a succession of interpretive strategies and interventions in an attempt to uncover the ambiguous nature of post-communist urban space whi le unfo ld ing new potent ia ls and approaches to re- invigorat ing the publ ic sphere with play and vibrancy.

The 'Demszky posts' spaced roughly a meter apart can be seen row upon row throughout Budapest. They are named after the current mayor, the f i rst and only mayor of post-communist Budapest, Gabor Demszky. Within the City’s area of 525 square kilometers there are over 30,500 posts concentrated mostly within the city centre. Marking the boundary between vehicular and pedestrian space, the i r overwhelming numbers go a lmost un-not iced due to the i r monotonous character and ubiquitous presence throughout the streets. The mayor’s intension when implement ing the insta l lat ion of these posts into the c i ty fabr ic was to prevent the intrusion of vehicular parking on pedestr ian space. Instead, these posts themselves act as vertical intrusions into the pedestrian realm creating a f ee l i ng o f enc losu re , i f no t encagement , h inde r ing pedes t r i an movement throughout thecity. The repetit ive and mundane characters of these landscape elements and their paternalistic quality recalls the tendency for the homogenization and de-indiv idual izat ion of space dur ing the era of socia l ist architecture and urban design.

Following the Second World War, “the [social ist] city was imagined as a highly controlled organizational structure that provided l itt le space for unsanctioned memories and pasts… it disregard[ed] ordinary people’s relationship[s] with place” (Sezneva, 49)

Recall ing the memory of the city’s social ist past, and the history of secret agents, the posts stand si lently guarding and governing the actions of the pedestrian.

In keeping with the idea of invisible surveil lance and while maintaining the existing bollards, the fol lowing interventions wil l draw on three principles, stimulation, security and identity. In this attempt to re-invigorate and infuse the existing public sphere with energy and vital ity, it is the ground plane that is altered, denoting space, redefining the character of the place and diffusing the obtrusive nature of the posts. The posts are given new meaning and importance through strategies of both concealment and exposure.

“If city streets look interesting, the city looks interesting; if they look dull, the city looks dull.” Jane Jacobs.

Camouflage - Invisibi l ity Looking to camouflage as a technique to achieve invisibi l ity, in hopes of minimizing the overwhelming presence of these posts and in particular, Razzle Dazzle, the complex patterning used on ships during the First World War, the ground plane rather than the posts, suddenly becomes the defining element in the landscape. Concentric circles and irregular patterning drawn on the paving surfaces help to break up the vertical of the posts. Color can also be used as both a camouflage technique and as a way to give these elements new meaning and function within the city. Through the use of color, the bollards can become objects of reference, their l inear expanse becoming a tool to aid pedestrians with orientation and navigation through the city, and its various districts, and landmarks.

Definit ion - Creating Space and stimulation Public squares and plazas in Budapest are surrounded, their edges defined by endless rows of posts. The spaces within these squares are often spirit less and bland, and as a result suffer from neglect and vandalism. By dressing the ground plane using floral patterning reminiscent of embroidery, an important craft and tradition throughout Hungary’s long history, the square is re-defined and given a sense of importance as it is delineated from the sidewalk edge. The reflective si lver posts meld into the landscape becoming vertical extensions of the floral patterning, ever present but invisible.

Safety – Security Currently the posts do have a function within the city, to provide safety and security to pedestrians, but the numbers of these objects leave them ineffective and even dangerous. T ime and time again, people are seen accidentally walking into the bollards that are placed in the center of the sidewalks to denote vehicular entrances and service areas. By accentuating posts crit ical to the safety of pedestrians, at crosswalks, and at the various car entrance and delivery areas found throughout the city, pedestrians are able to distinguish these spaces where additional attention should be given to vehicular traff ic. Both the ground plane where pedestrian and vehicular traff ic meet and the posts that are meant to define those areas wil l be colored providing a clear delineation between pedestrian and vehicular space and the points at which they meet.

A++ Publication: The Post in Post-Communist Budapest

Following the Second World War, “the [social ist] city was imagined as a highly control led organizat ional structure that provided l i t t le space for unsanctioned memories and pasts… i t d isregard[ed] ordinary people’s re lat ionship[s] wi th place” (Sezneva, 49)

Recalling the memory of the city’s socialist past, and the history of secret agents, the posts stand si lently guarding and governing the actions of the pedestr ian.

In keeping with the idea of invisible surveillance and while maintaining the existing bol lards, the fol lowing interventions wi l l draw on three principles, st imulat ion, security and identity. In this attempt to re-invigorate and infuse the existing public sphere with energy and vital i ty, i t is the ground plane that is altered, denoting space, redefining the character of the place and diffusing the obtrusive nature of the posts. The posts are given new meaning and importance through strategies of both concealment and exposure.

“If city streets look interesting, the city looks interesting; if they look dull, the city looks dull.” Jane Jacobs.

Camouflage - Invisibi l ity Looking to camouflage as a technique to achieve invisibility, in hopes of minimizing the overwhelming presence of these posts and in particular, Razzle Dazzle, the complex patterning used on ships during the First World War, the ground plane rather than the posts, suddenly becomes the defining element in the landscape. Concentric circles and irregular patterning drawn on the paving surfaces help to break up the vertical of the posts. Color can also be used as both a camouflage technique and as a way to give these elements new meaning and function within the city. Through the use of color, the bollards can become objects of reference, their l inear expanse becoming a tool to a id pedestr ians with or ientat ion and navigation through the city, and its various districts, and landmarks.

Definit ion - Creating Space and stimulation Public squares and plazas in Budapest are surrounded, their edges defined by endless rows of posts. The spaces within these squares are often spirit less and bland, and as a result suffer from neglect and vandalism. By dressing the ground plane using floral patterning reminiscent of embroidery, an important craft and tradition throughout Hungary’s long history, the square is re-defined and given a sense of importance as it is delineated from the sidewalk edge. The reflective si lver posts meld into the landscape becoming vertical extensions of the floral patterning, ever present but invisible.

Safety – Security Currently the posts do have a function within the city, to provide safety and security to pedestrians, but the numbers of these objects leave them ineffective and even dangerous. T ime and time again, people are seen accidentally walking into the bollards that are placed in the center of the sidewalks to denote vehicular entrances and service areas. By accentuating posts crit ical to the safety of pedestrians, at crosswalks, and at the various car entrance and delivery areas found throughout the city, pedestrians are able to distinguish these spaces where additional attention should be given to vehicular traff ic. Both the ground plane where pedestrian and vehicular traff ic meet and the posts that are meant to define those areas wil l be colored providing a clear delineation between pedestrian and vehicular space and the points at which they meet.

Definit ion - Creating Space and stimulation Public squares and plazas in Budapest are surrounded, their edges defined by endless rows of posts. The spaces within these squares are often spiritless and bland, and as a result suffer from neglect and vandalism. By dressing the ground plane using f loral patterning reminiscent of embroidery, an important craft and tradit ion throughout Hungary’s long history, the square is re-defined and given a sense of importance as it is delineated from the sidewalk edge. The reflective si lver posts meld into the landscape becoming vert ical extensions of the f loral patterning, ever present but invisible.

Safety – Security Currently the posts do have a function within the city, to provide safety and security to pedestrians, but the numbers of these objects leave them ineffective and even dangerous. T ime and time again, people are seen accidentally walking into the bollards that are placed in the center of the sidewalks to denote vehicular entrances and service areas. By accentuating posts crit ical to the safety of pedestr ians, at crosswalks, and at the various car entrance and delivery areas found throughout the city, pedestrians are able to distinguish these spaces where additional attention should be given to vehicular traffic. Both the ground plane where pedestrian and vehicular traffic meet and the posts that are meant to define those areas wil l be colored providing a clear del ineation between pedestr ian and vehicular space and the points at which they meet.