lørdag 12. mars 2011

every city got a beat


With over 50% of the population beeing catagorized as immigrants, Grønland is a truly heterogenous place. Every country and city in the world has its own pace and beat and the speed of walking is correlated to this pace. What happens when people from so many different places meet up and construct new societies, does the pace change the rhythm of the city or its users? My first impression is that Grønland has a slower walking pace than the rest of the city, the so-called flaneur is alive in this area; walking as an act of socializing seems to be cherised by the people here and the interaction and sudden encounter it creates is embraced. The urban wanderer with his aimless strolling may be looked upon as a means of reclaiming the streets for the pedestrian.
A study done by psychologist Richard Wiseman shows the difference in walking speed across the globe. People from 32 countries were timed walking over an 18 metre stretch of un-crowded pavement, resulting in these numbers;

1) Singapore (Singapore); 10.55
2) Copenhagen (Denmark); 10.82
3) Madrid (Spain); 10.89
4) Guangzhou (China): 10.94
5) Dublin (Ireland); 11.03
6) Curitiba (Brazil); 11.13
7) Berlin (Germany); 11.16
8) New York (United States of America); 12.00
9) Utrecht (Netherlands); 12.04
10) Vienna (Austria); 12.06
11) Warsaw (Poland); 12.07
12) London (United Kingdom); 12.17
13) Zagreb (Croatia); 12.20
14) Prague (Czech Republic); 12.35
15) Wellington (New Zealand); 12.62
16) Paris (France); 12.65
17) Stockholm (Sweden); 12.75
18) Ljubljana (Slovenia); 12.76
19) Tokyo (Japan); 12.83
20) Ottawa (Canada); 13.72
21) Harare (Zimbabwe); 13.92
22) Sofia (Bulgaria); 13.96
23) Taipei (Taiwan): 14.00
24) Cairo (Egypt); 14.18
25) Sana'a (Yemen); 14.29
26) Bucharest (Romania); 14.36
27) Dubai (United Arab Emirates); 14.64
28) Damascus (Syria); 14.94
29) Amman (Jordan); 15.95
30) Bern (Switzerland); 17.37
31) Manama (Bahrain); 17.69
32) Blantyre (Malawi); 31.60

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