For the 2nd edition of Theory Thursday we focus on the small stuff.

What started as an ideas competition for a small sign sponsored by the City of Fresno’s Downtown and Community Revitalization department has ballooned in to a hot debate involving community leaders, downtown advocates, graphic designers, and city leaders. So how and why did such a small sign create such a big conversation?

There is a book called A Pattern Language, that is basically standard issue at the College of Environmental Design, UC Berkeley, where I got my education. That is partly because CED faculty such as Christopher Alexander wrote the book. But a larger part due to its great success at dissecting planning, architecture and design theories in to small manageable parts. Those managable part can be discussed individually and as an integrated part of the whole. The premise being that a pattern language emerges.

The book is meant more as reference guide than a read it cover to cover kind of book. It begins with large sweeping topics like: Independent Regions, Distribution of Towns, City Country Fingers, Agricultural Valleys, etc. But as the book progresses its focus narrows to smaller more manageable theories like: Pools of light, warm colors, ornament, paving with cracks between the stones, climbing plants, raised flower beds, canvas roofs, seat spot, etc.

These small things are important and sparked a huge discussion about one little sign because they are tangible. We can much more easily grasp the idea of a sign or a bench because we have intimate experience with them. And it is the details that make a world of difference in design and our experience of the built environment.

Please share some of the small things that have caught or your eye or intrigued you in Fresno or other cities.