Can cities prosper ‘slowly’ in a fast world?

First of all, what would a slow city be? Primarily, it’s one that prioritizes slow food rather than fast food, and there’s an international movement behind it, CittaSlow. It’s wikipedia definition: “Cittaslow’s goals include improving quality of life in towns while resisting the homogenization and “Americanization” of cities, where standardized franchise stores dominate.

The official website also defines the slow city movement in terms of day-day life: ‘Living slow’ means being slowly hasty ; ‘festina lente’ latins used to say, seeking everyday the ‘modern times counterpart’ in other words looking for the best of the knowledge of the past and enjoying it thanks to the best possibilities of the present and of the future. That means having technology enhance your life invisibly*, not control it. In other words, it’s about enabling an environment where people go out and enjoy a leisurely, gourmet dinner with friends in a piazza under the stars, listening to music, and dancing the night away – leaving the pda, laptop, tv, and even the cell phone at home.

*There’s a whole website category for invisible technology.

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neilkt