Looking Down and Out

Every street in old Lisbon--except the new ones, paved--looks like this (detail from center of street):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And every sidewalk like this:

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The design principle, in either case, is rows of square-headed stones on a 45 degree bias from the edge, 5-20 mm between any two stones. Time does the rest, creating contours and settlings--let's call them textures, rhythms--depending on degree of foot, car, tram, bus traffic.

The diagonal orientation is design genius, I'd say. Let's try it in Regina. Climate heaves? With the stones kept small enough, we could avoid the seasonal wreckage we see in our pavement and concrete. Hard on cars? Too bad!

So went my thinking on my way to the Graca viewpoint south toward the castle:

 

 

 

And the castle viewpoint back toward Graca (the treed area near the top):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few random figures at the castle:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



PS: I realize I've been talking about my own body--broken here, worn there, but still bearing the traffic.