Tequesta Notes
notes for a village
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
The Small Village Priority
The vast majority of residents in the village of Tequesta would like for Tequesta to be a small village. The village administration recognizes this and frequently references this priority. Everyone also recognizes that it will be a challenge for village leadership to prevent this village from becoming yet another victim of the ugly, short-sighted, massive development projects that are replacing small coastal communities with alienating glass and concrete towers all across Florida. This regrettable yet trendy development destroys the communities in place, destroys the natural environment (the most valuable aspect of life in our region), creates locally unsustainable municipalities, and grievously degrades daily life for everyone with traffic congestion and the alienating harshness of concrete and glass in over-sized buildings everywhere. This trending development is exactly what most people in places like Tequesta do not want. And yet it continues to move across the coast like a blight. For years, the village Council has put a lot of time, effort, and taxpayer dollars into working on the problem of finding a way to better development proposals.
This little collection of photos below is intended as a contribution to that on-going discussion to make the point that it is absolutely possible to create in Tequesta a spectacularly beautiful small village. Not only that, but this priority is a worthy goal. It would create a healthier, more beautiful village. This would enhance the value of all properties including properties owned by developers and future developers.
There are a few simple principles easy to see from photos like these to achieve the vision of a lively and healthy small village community. Prominent public and commercial buildings (the gathering points of the community) ought to be at a human-scale. In this way they may create spaces that are fun and engaging for people to spend time in outside. And beautiful spaces benefit local businesses by attracting people.
Second, the natural environment must be present and healthy within the community. This improves both the health and the aesthetics of the spaces in the community.
Third, the more harmoniously buildings reflect the natural beauty of our region, the more beautiful they will be and the more beautiful our community will be. This means materials that are not alienating and devoid of local personality (for example, no massive sheets of glass or concrete which bespeak nothing but contempt for local aesthetics anywhere actually). A thoughtful interest in detail and authenticity, especially detail that evokes the richness of natural Florida, is helpful in bringing a space to life.
Finally, we must protect authentically local business, for example by ensuring that there is a commercial space in the village where local businesses can start up. We cannot let the commercial and mixed-use zones gradually be transformed into residential and otherwise be systematically overrun by multi-national franchises. And also we must ensure that the village is a space where small local businesses have a fighting chance of surviving without being crushed out of the gate by multi-national franchises. This is an eminently reasonable priority so that children growing up in the village will be able in the future to start businesses in their home town. And this is a necessary priority for a meaningfully healthy and diverse local economy.
1. A beautiful and tranquil commercial courtyard space featuring interesting design details and an abundance of trees and plants.
2. Passageways between building spaces are inviting for people and for walking.
3. Arcades with arches provide spectacular outdoor spaces that are pleasant to walk in and they bring people close to shops.
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5. A variety of passageway shapes as well as simple variety in the sidewalk surfaces add interest. Notice also the elegant yet simple sign in blue and white on the left and also notice the scale of the buildings and the profusion of plants and the height of the trees in relation to the buildings. The sign is noticeable but not overwhelming. They picked blue on a yellow background so the sign stands out simply based on color—no need for garish backlit plastic signs.
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7. Beautiful pots and flowers transform what would be otherwise a banal sidewalk front. The value of beautiful plants cannot be overstated.
8. A beautiful concrete bench. Stone is also a good material for Florida. It won't rust like the typical powder-coated steel benches.
9. Notice the shade and filtered-light created by the trees that are taller than the buildings. Also the uneven wall creates a separation of spaces but remains inviting and interesting.
10. Details like the twisted banister and the tiled risers evidence thoughtful aesthetic additions to utility.
11. Interesting hand-painted sign and wall texture.
12. Superabundance of plants and tall trees and a little statue on the balcony.
13. Details that harmonize with natural organic patterns. These turn a locked gate into a visual feature.
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15. Detailed balcony and natural textures and lamp.
16. Plants and stone.
17. A decorative grate transforms a utility vent.
18. Archways evoke the tree canopies. Interesting details.
19. Archway and wood ceiling. Plus ferns along the covered passageway so it is more natural and less sterile.
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22. A bent window. Imperfections often are far superior to perfectly smooth glass or concrete. The textures here evoke natural beauty. And the design is memorable.
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