“There's nothing to do here,” one said. “The adults don't want to admit it, but all the kids in school here drink. It's a huge problem that no one wants to admit because it would upset their perfect world. So they get out of school, and they can't get a job, and they can't afford a place to live, so what to they do? They drink more. You hate staying here, but you can't get out.”
Perhaps many of you won't necessarily feel sympathy for the inhabitants of a place like Vail and the surrounding valley-- but we should consider that Vail represents a very unique, very specialized and somewhat isolated physical environment.
Vail is suffering from one of the highest rates of youth suicide in the United States.
Because Vail doesn't suffer from 'the usual' problems-- extreme poverty, lack of an economy, racial tensions-- in an urban environment, the consideration and selection of Vail as a project makes a great case for depression, sadness and suicide in associated environments.
There are many factors to think about here:
1. High rates of youth alcoholism
2. Complaints of no youth-oriented environments
3. Lack of social safety nets-- no social programs outside of high school
4. Lack of comparable income-- that is there is no bridge between childhood and adulthood
5. A perceived lack of ignorance-- young people believe that older people refuse to believe their environment is making them sick
I think what makes Vail unique is that it can be perceived to be the perfect small town or suburb. The other thing that makes it unique is unlike many other places, Vail is particularly active both in winter and summer.
But the relation to suburb is important as this documents a growing suspicion that wealthy suburbs and towns can have a predisposition to suicide.
Finding a treatment or 'cure'
Because so much of the problems can be correlated to place-- and not other confounding factors-- I think this would make a perfect case study and project for the Archinect and Architect-- don't forget planners, urban designers, interior designs, too-- to undertake.
Ultimately, I'd like to propose that many of us, either working together or independently, compile a group of proposals, projects and hypotheticals to send to Vail, Co.
What the result would hope to achieve is that some of these ideas can be implemented and we can curb suicide rates. In addition, if any of the problems with Vail can be successfully targeted... it opens up a possibility to create a referential case study that similar environments (highly affluent towns and suburbs) will also have tools at their disposal to combat environmentally-related depression and suicide.
Very very interesting. The children of indulgence are floundering and nobody knows why. Id say it starts with the gated community of exclusivity mentality.
I think your topic is valid and pertinent, and while I also think its more of a question for urban planners than for architects, I'll try to respond.
The reason youths are disenfranchised is because they're bored. If you need a car to go anywhere other than your back yard, for a youth who is underage to drive and yet is trying to assert his or her independence, this is can be very frustrating. Having to rely on your parents to pick you up from the mall or the movies every weekend doesn't just get old, it can be demeaning. If everything of social or cultural interest is only reachable by car, then that's incredibly limiting to one who is under 16 years of age.
Likewise, those who live in dense urban areas are able to assert their independence at a far younger age. For example in Boston or Chicago or New York children often start taking public transport to school, unsupervised, at around the age of 12 [with a friend or two or several].
Taking into account the fact that the number one reason for death in someone under 18 in the US is car accidents, it's logical that a caring home in Brooklyn NY is far far safer than a caring home in Greenwich CT.
Even taking into account social and cultural aspects: if an adolescent is allowed to go to school on his or her own, to meet up with friends, to attend social and cultural events, to have a sense of independence, then that stimulus will largely negate the need to find stimulus elsewhere. It negates the need to 'lets raid our parent's liquor closet when they aren't around.'
Therefore it's an issue of city planning, really. Determining setbacks, and horizontally stratifying different uses to the nth degree. [IE cultural buildings need to have a 'discrict, dwellings need to be apart' etc] creates a plethora of issues. Overreliance on car infrastructure, social separation, economic demotivators etc etc.
I think Vail is a good case study in a theme which is largely epidemic in the States. Children should be able to go to the corner store for a quart of milk for their mums, not have to be driven for 12 minutes for it.
This is not an architectural problem, as much as some architects would want to believe it is. Maybe only Coors Light is available to these kids. That's grounds for suicide IMO. Maybe thin air is not the healthiest ingredient for proper brain development.
I like how fragmented the city is. It can be described in a single chart
Lol, of course it's not solely an architect's problem. But we overlap with urban planners, landscape architects, municipalities and civil engineers, do we not? [Not to mention GCs, clients, and constituency, all of which affect urban planning.]
So while we alone cannot provide the answer, we can do our best to inform it, no? From the city to the spoon, my friend.
And yes, that chart sums up what exactly is the problem we're talking about.
I prefer Brooklyn Lager or Three Philosphers or Lone Star to Coors, thanks.
Well, architects are enablers to public policy. If you've had it with AA and their dry ways, call your architect friend. He'll get you properly drunk.
Likewise, if a city wants an intelligent urban plan or a suburban hellhole, they will call the architect which will make either of the schemes possible. I am yet to see a project type declined by architectural community on grounds of it being damaging to society as a whole.
Colorado has Fat Tire and a bunch of other awesome microbrews. These kids need to stop being such cheapskates and drink better booze. I'm already picturing a T-shirt "IPA saved my life".
perhaps you struck, inadvertently, on exactly the point though. most often the city doesnt know what it wants, and the planners, rather than saying 'i dont know' just perscribe on the safe side of things. this is why why don't have any clear data or logic as to how many parking spaces should be built per building type or per building occupancy.
Well, one family desires a huge ass backyard, a large, useless front yard, and 3 bedrooms too many. That's fine. Now, entire nation of people wanting those things creates inadvertent logistical nightmare. Your 'casa' comes complete with a 2 hour daily commute to work. All your neighbors are in the same social bracket as you, and you begin losing any perspective on important political issues. Your daily human interactions become limited to a handful of co-workers, family, neighbor, and the gas attendant (or some other random poor sap). And gasp! Your children start committing suicides.
What's an architect supposed to do here? Yell at the homeowners for being too greedy? The moment you try to help someone out by pointing at all the mistakes they've made is the moment they start blaming you for all their problems. Heck, yesterday I kicked my mailman for bringing me more bills. Stupid fuck...
One of the contributing reasons for the real estate bubble is the rediscovery of urbanism by an entire generation. Living in Brooklyn becomes a de facto model of a healthy, happy, fulfilling existence. Now at 3 times the price!
Things will slowly sort themselves out. Forcing a change would be counterproductive though.
Speaking of beer: US has never had this many awesome types of beer before! Selection is top notch in both quality and variety. Yet, 90% of beer sales in this country still go to Anheuser–Busch InBev and MillerCoors.
If people want bland, people will get bland. Be that beer or architecture.
Well, this doesn't seem to be purely an under 18 problem.
The suicide rate is highest amongst 20-25 year olds -- range purposes and grouping purposes 16-30.
The biggest complaints or struggles -- depending on whose side of the coin you're looking at-- is lack of jobs, lack of income, lack of diversity and lack of affordable housing.
But one problem cited is this-- once these children turn 18, there's no longer any nagging guidance counselor, no sympathetic teacher, no youth sports program, nothing.
“It is the 20-, 22-year-old age group I fear for the most,” Strakbein said. “What we have available for them in the school system all of a sudden is not there for them anymore, or they don't know where to seek out those resources out in the world. Suddenly they are living on their own, they don't have a job, maybe they already have a family. Who is looking out for that kid when he's 20? If a student here showed signs of turmoil, I could name you six things right now that we could do instantly to intervene and help them. But if you asked me what is there for a 21-year-old, I'm not sure I could come up with more than one or two things that are out there for them.”
At the same time, one of the only options they have is to either leave or home... or do what is said in the article:
“If you spend any time in Vail, you see all this money and all these beautiful houses and all these rich people, and it makes you feel like a failure when you live downvalley and you can't even afford a trailer to live in when you get out of school.”
Currently, the only program they have for trouble adults is locking them in jail.
And that's where architecture becomes involved:
1) What does public housing look like in a world-class ski resort? Do we make hybrids of Therm Vals and Vitrahous at a price point that can be made affordable?
2) How do we incorporate public housing into the already mixed-use areas or residential areaas where people have access to jobs (ie, town center and resort) and to transportation (bus) by foot?
3) How does one spin the idea of rental assistance / public housing / affordable housing for "spoiled brats" in "Happy Valley?"
Do you embrace the alcoholism? Do you build beergardens (exclusionary zones where public consumption/intoxication laws do not apply)?
How do we get the monied class of Vail to realize their perfect life is killing their loved ones?
Look, obviously what effects one certain class or age or group of indiviuals effects another. I don't think that only under 18 years olds die from car accidents. [The real stat is under 25 - The primary killer of 25 and under is car accidents].
We could go into all sorts of new urbanism here. What effects Vail is actually prevalent in the rest of the country as well. Now, what are we actually saying? Is this a larger moral issue than architects can handle [SS, or myself]? Or who is the issue addressed to?
Isn't this post really about facilitating communication between different [and seen as disparate] disciplines?
Look, I understand the idea, and I do think the ramifications are horrific. But architecture can't engage everyone at all times in all locales. If this post is about facilitating communication between urban designers and architects, I'm all for it. If it's a soap box. Well, there are a lot of soapboxes.
You can't just highlight a problem. You have to also hint at a solution. Otherwise you wont get anyone to buy in.
"Isn't this post really about facilitating communication between different [and seen as disparate] disciplines?"
Yes, but it was also a post about using your skillset to present a solution to the problem.
Outside of some local newspapers and a few obscure public policy publications, the troubles in Vail are relatively unknown.
Obviously, the city (and other people) are increasingly aware of the issue, the "at risk" group have already stated what the perceived problems are.
The case and even part of the focus group has already been done. I was suggesting that people who aren't OMA, Morphosis or even Architecture for Humanity have a perfect opportunity to get their work pushed to the forefront of an issue and present ideas that can be useful for many towns and suburbs across the country.
This is a possibility to get an idea out before it becomes Hadid'd or Gehry'd. And the more individuals (or groups of individuals) who contribute, the more likely it is to get noticed and receive recognition.
And furthermore, if a town with national recognition like Vail could feasibly admit that generation planning (which also includes architecture) is actually important to the health and well-being of a community, then many of the solutions in Vail could also be used a study points for other communities facing similar problems.
This is not solely an architectural issue, I live in about as close a similar community as you could find in North America. Its a social planning issue that involves politicians, community groups, planners, architects and people who know how to create an authentic complete community. I would argue that Vail is a community skewed to be about providing a resort experience for its visitors than looking after its own community. How many other towns talk about "those who live down valley", why not take care of the situation in one's own back yard. Providing housing is a good starting point, and providing strategies to keeping families, seniors and workers in a community provides a good starting point for efforts establish a pride in one's community. Its a very human response to shrug and not look after your own lifestyle, needs, shelter entertainment etc. if you don't even live in the community. Its about those social ties that make people give a shit about "what johnny is doing after school" and keeping people of a community engaged in the activities that affects their own lives.
Sep 14, 10 6:32 pm ·
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Project Archinect: A treatment for "Happy Valley syndrome"
“There's nothing to do here,” one said. “The adults don't want to admit it, but all the kids in school here drink. It's a huge problem that no one wants to admit because it would upset their perfect world. So they get out of school, and they can't get a job, and they can't afford a place to live, so what to they do? They drink more. You hate staying here, but you can't get out.”
Perhaps many of you won't necessarily feel sympathy for the inhabitants of a place like Vail and the surrounding valley-- but we should consider that Vail represents a very unique, very specialized and somewhat isolated physical environment.
Vail is suffering from one of the highest rates of youth suicide in the United States.
Because Vail doesn't suffer from 'the usual' problems-- extreme poverty, lack of an economy, racial tensions-- in an urban environment, the consideration and selection of Vail as a project makes a great case for depression, sadness and suicide in associated environments.
There are many factors to think about here:
1. High rates of youth alcoholism
2. Complaints of no youth-oriented environments
3. Lack of social safety nets-- no social programs outside of high school
4. Lack of comparable income-- that is there is no bridge between childhood and adulthood
5. A perceived lack of ignorance-- young people believe that older people refuse to believe their environment is making them sick
I think what makes Vail unique is that it can be perceived to be the perfect small town or suburb. The other thing that makes it unique is unlike many other places, Vail is particularly active both in winter and summer.
But the relation to suburb is important as this documents a growing suspicion that wealthy suburbs and towns can have a predisposition to suicide.
Finding a treatment or 'cure'
Because so much of the problems can be correlated to place-- and not other confounding factors-- I think this would make a perfect case study and project for the Archinect and Architect-- don't forget planners, urban designers, interior designs, too-- to undertake.
Ultimately, I'd like to propose that many of us, either working together or independently, compile a group of proposals, projects and hypotheticals to send to Vail, Co.
What the result would hope to achieve is that some of these ideas can be implemented and we can curb suicide rates. In addition, if any of the problems with Vail can be successfully targeted... it opens up a possibility to create a referential case study that similar environments (highly affluent towns and suburbs) will also have tools at their disposal to combat environmentally-related depression and suicide.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Very very interesting. The children of indulgence are floundering and nobody knows why. Id say it starts with the gated community of exclusivity mentality.
I think your topic is valid and pertinent, and while I also think its more of a question for urban planners than for architects, I'll try to respond.
The reason youths are disenfranchised is because they're bored. If you need a car to go anywhere other than your back yard, for a youth who is underage to drive and yet is trying to assert his or her independence, this is can be very frustrating. Having to rely on your parents to pick you up from the mall or the movies every weekend doesn't just get old, it can be demeaning. If everything of social or cultural interest is only reachable by car, then that's incredibly limiting to one who is under 16 years of age.
Likewise, those who live in dense urban areas are able to assert their independence at a far younger age. For example in Boston or Chicago or New York children often start taking public transport to school, unsupervised, at around the age of 12 [with a friend or two or several].
Taking into account the fact that the number one reason for death in someone under 18 in the US is car accidents, it's logical that a caring home in Brooklyn NY is far far safer than a caring home in Greenwich CT.
Even taking into account social and cultural aspects: if an adolescent is allowed to go to school on his or her own, to meet up with friends, to attend social and cultural events, to have a sense of independence, then that stimulus will largely negate the need to find stimulus elsewhere. It negates the need to 'lets raid our parent's liquor closet when they aren't around.'
Therefore it's an issue of city planning, really. Determining setbacks, and horizontally stratifying different uses to the nth degree. [IE cultural buildings need to have a 'discrict, dwellings need to be apart' etc] creates a plethora of issues. Overreliance on car infrastructure, social separation, economic demotivators etc etc.
I think Vail is a good case study in a theme which is largely epidemic in the States. Children should be able to go to the corner store for a quart of milk for their mums, not have to be driven for 12 minutes for it.
This is not an architectural problem, as much as some architects would want to believe it is. Maybe only Coors Light is available to these kids. That's grounds for suicide IMO. Maybe thin air is not the healthiest ingredient for proper brain development.
I like how fragmented the city is. It can be described in a single chart
Lol, of course it's not solely an architect's problem. But we overlap with urban planners, landscape architects, municipalities and civil engineers, do we not? [Not to mention GCs, clients, and constituency, all of which affect urban planning.]
So while we alone cannot provide the answer, we can do our best to inform it, no? From the city to the spoon, my friend.
And yes, that chart sums up what exactly is the problem we're talking about.
I prefer Brooklyn Lager or Three Philosphers or Lone Star to Coors, thanks.
Well, architects are enablers to public policy. If you've had it with AA and their dry ways, call your architect friend. He'll get you properly drunk.
Likewise, if a city wants an intelligent urban plan or a suburban hellhole, they will call the architect which will make either of the schemes possible. I am yet to see a project type declined by architectural community on grounds of it being damaging to society as a whole.
Colorado has Fat Tire and a bunch of other awesome microbrews. These kids need to stop being such cheapskates and drink better booze. I'm already picturing a T-shirt "IPA saved my life".
perhaps you struck, inadvertently, on exactly the point though. most often the city doesnt know what it wants, and the planners, rather than saying 'i dont know' just perscribe on the safe side of things. this is why why don't have any clear data or logic as to how many parking spaces should be built per building type or per building occupancy.
fat tire is awesome.
Well, one family desires a huge ass backyard, a large, useless front yard, and 3 bedrooms too many. That's fine. Now, entire nation of people wanting those things creates inadvertent logistical nightmare. Your 'casa' comes complete with a 2 hour daily commute to work. All your neighbors are in the same social bracket as you, and you begin losing any perspective on important political issues. Your daily human interactions become limited to a handful of co-workers, family, neighbor, and the gas attendant (or some other random poor sap). And gasp! Your children start committing suicides.
What's an architect supposed to do here? Yell at the homeowners for being too greedy? The moment you try to help someone out by pointing at all the mistakes they've made is the moment they start blaming you for all their problems. Heck, yesterday I kicked my mailman for bringing me more bills. Stupid fuck...
One of the contributing reasons for the real estate bubble is the rediscovery of urbanism by an entire generation. Living in Brooklyn becomes a de facto model of a healthy, happy, fulfilling existence. Now at 3 times the price!
Things will slowly sort themselves out. Forcing a change would be counterproductive though.
Speaking of beer: US has never had this many awesome types of beer before! Selection is top notch in both quality and variety. Yet, 90% of beer sales in this country still go to Anheuser–Busch InBev and MillerCoors.
If people want bland, people will get bland. Be that beer or architecture.
Well, this doesn't seem to be purely an under 18 problem.
“It is the 20-, 22-year-old age group I fear for the most,” Strakbein said. “What we have available for them in the school system all of a sudden is not there for them anymore, or they don't know where to seek out those resources out in the world. Suddenly they are living on their own, they don't have a job, maybe they already have a family. Who is looking out for that kid when he's 20? If a student here showed signs of turmoil, I could name you six things right now that we could do instantly to intervene and help them. But if you asked me what is there for a 21-year-old, I'm not sure I could come up with more than one or two things that are out there for them.”The suicide rate is highest amongst 20-25 year olds -- range purposes and grouping purposes 16-30.
The biggest complaints or struggles -- depending on whose side of the coin you're looking at-- is lack of jobs, lack of income, lack of diversity and lack of affordable housing.
But one problem cited is this-- once these children turn 18, there's no longer any nagging guidance counselor, no sympathetic teacher, no youth sports program, nothing.
At the same time, one of the only options they have is to either leave or home... or do what is said in the article:
“If you spend any time in Vail, you see all this money and all these beautiful houses and all these rich people, and it makes you feel like a failure when you live downvalley and you can't even afford a trailer to live in when you get out of school.”
Currently, the only program they have for trouble adults is locking them in jail.
And that's where architecture becomes involved:
1) What does public housing look like in a world-class ski resort? Do we make hybrids of Therm Vals and Vitrahous at a price point that can be made affordable?
2) How do we incorporate public housing into the already mixed-use areas or residential areaas where people have access to jobs (ie, town center and resort) and to transportation (bus) by foot?
3) How does one spin the idea of rental assistance / public housing / affordable housing for "spoiled brats" in "Happy Valley?"
Do you embrace the alcoholism? Do you build beergardens (exclusionary zones where public consumption/intoxication laws do not apply)?
How do we get the monied class of Vail to realize their perfect life is killing their loved ones?
Look, obviously what effects one certain class or age or group of indiviuals effects another. I don't think that only under 18 years olds die from car accidents. [The real stat is under 25 - The primary killer of 25 and under is car accidents].
We could go into all sorts of new urbanism here. What effects Vail is actually prevalent in the rest of the country as well. Now, what are we actually saying? Is this a larger moral issue than architects can handle [SS, or myself]? Or who is the issue addressed to?
Isn't this post really about facilitating communication between different [and seen as disparate] disciplines?
Look, I understand the idea, and I do think the ramifications are horrific. But architecture can't engage everyone at all times in all locales. If this post is about facilitating communication between urban designers and architects, I'm all for it. If it's a soap box. Well, there are a lot of soapboxes.
You can't just highlight a problem. You have to also hint at a solution. Otherwise you wont get anyone to buy in.
"Isn't this post really about facilitating communication between different [and seen as disparate] disciplines?"
Yes, but it was also a post about using your skillset to present a solution to the problem.
Outside of some local newspapers and a few obscure public policy publications, the troubles in Vail are relatively unknown.
Obviously, the city (and other people) are increasingly aware of the issue, the "at risk" group have already stated what the perceived problems are.
The case and even part of the focus group has already been done. I was suggesting that people who aren't OMA, Morphosis or even Architecture for Humanity have a perfect opportunity to get their work pushed to the forefront of an issue and present ideas that can be useful for many towns and suburbs across the country.
This is a possibility to get an idea out before it becomes Hadid'd or Gehry'd. And the more individuals (or groups of individuals) who contribute, the more likely it is to get noticed and receive recognition.
And furthermore, if a town with national recognition like Vail could feasibly admit that generation planning (which also includes architecture) is actually important to the health and well-being of a community, then many of the solutions in Vail could also be used a study points for other communities facing similar problems.
This is not solely an architectural issue, I live in about as close a similar community as you could find in North America. Its a social planning issue that involves politicians, community groups, planners, architects and people who know how to create an authentic complete community. I would argue that Vail is a community skewed to be about providing a resort experience for its visitors than looking after its own community. How many other towns talk about "those who live down valley", why not take care of the situation in one's own back yard. Providing housing is a good starting point, and providing strategies to keeping families, seniors and workers in a community provides a good starting point for efforts establish a pride in one's community. Its a very human response to shrug and not look after your own lifestyle, needs, shelter entertainment etc. if you don't even live in the community. Its about those social ties that make people give a shit about "what johnny is doing after school" and keeping people of a community engaged in the activities that affects their own lives.
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