Vibrancy goes Viral
“Writing at its worst does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning and inventing images in order to make the meaning clearer. It consists in gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else, and making the results presentable by sheer humbug. The attraction of this way of writing is that it is easy”
“A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?”
George Orwell
I’ve been looking at the new plans proposed for the Waterfront area, and there are 11 cases of vibrant or vibrancy lurking in it. That’s a serious degradation of the English language which has been going on for some time. Thomas Frank put it very well when he said
“Vibrant” joins a long list of empty planning jargon that includes “vitality,” “sustainabiltiy,” “best practices,” and (my doggerel champion) “stakeholder.” Gertrude Stein demonstrated long ago any word repeated enough times reduces to noise, and vibrancy is no exception. The world itself seems specially dumbing — vibrant, vibrant, vibrant — the dull notes of ‘v’ and ‘b’ thudding on the ears like a rubber drainplug.
Frank considers that “urban economic planning is particularly prone to snake oil”. I am also distrustful of anything which smacks of empty phrases, After all, is anything describable as unvibrant?
This is the verbal equivalent of the "Not the Nine O Clock News" send up of vacuous pop songs - "Nice Video, Shame About The Song". What really shows the empty nature of the term is when two synonyms are placed together - "vibrancy and vitality" - which carry the same meaning.
The trouble with overuse of the term "vibrant" is that it communicates little more than "this is desirable and good" without troubling to really explain why it would be so.
For example
Good physical access for the mobility or visually impaired, parents with toddlers, shoppers and visitors is paramount to encouraging a vibrant environment.
Could be replaced with:
Ivan Hewett noted that:
"Mostly 'vibrant' is laden with ideological weight. Instead of functioning as a straightforward adjective, it’s now a marker of things which are held to be desirable by those in authority. You get a clue as to what those desirable things are by perusing such things as urban regeneration plans, or policy documents of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport."
The examples of vibrant/vibrancy are listed below separately.
Good physical access for the mobility or visually impaired, parents with toddlers, shoppers and visitors is paramount to encouraging an environment which a diverse population could all easily meet to enjoy, and which meets government guidelines against discrimination on the grounds of disability.
Then we have some idea why such an environment is a good thing rather than just saying it is "vibrant" which tells us nothing.
Ivan Hewett noted that:
"Mostly 'vibrant' is laden with ideological weight. Instead of functioning as a straightforward adjective, it’s now a marker of things which are held to be desirable by those in authority. You get a clue as to what those desirable things are by perusing such things as urban regeneration plans, or policy documents of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport."
The examples of vibrant/vibrancy are listed below separately.
Not so Iconic
I notice that “iconic” has however fallen by the wayside, with only one reported instance. It’s this little gem, in which the sunken road of previous plans has been transformed into “vertical alignment”. It’s a masterpiece of prose which could be submitted to "Private Eye"’s Pseud’s Corner.
The provision of an iconic bridge to cross La Route de la Liberation will be considered and may be the subject of an international architectural competition.
In the longer term, the future of La Route de la Liberation will be explored in greater detail as the expectations of the planning framework come to fruition. Consideration should be given to the transformation of this arterial road into a place in its own right – through changes to its vertical and lateral alignment, the reduction of traffic volumes and speeds and the relationship of buildings to it – to create more of a street.
Vibrant / Vibrancy in the Consultation
We need to plan for people and I am determined to facilitate a new and exciting phase of development with improved connections, a mix of uses which will strengthen the sense of community and vibrancy in this quarter of St Helier.
They include advice on improving connectivity; creating a sense of place through the use of linked open spaces; appropriate uses to help facilitate a vibrant community; maintaining or creating key views and vistas; and seeking excellence in building design
Good physical access for the mobility or visually impaired, parents with toddlers, shoppers and visitors is paramount to encouraging a vibrant environment.
The spaces and linkages add positively to the character and vibrancy of town and an extension of this network into the Southwest St Helier Framework area will be encouraged, as will the provision of inspiring artwork within and between spaces.
To enjoy a vibrant and colourful district with community facilities, shops, cafés and restaurants which remain lively during the evenings and at weekends, all year round.
Of equal importance is the need to ensure that uses at street level add to the vibrancy of the area throughout the day and into the evening wherever possible.
The provision of new homes will be encouraged as an increased resident population within the framework area will help support and encourage small businesses and will add a greater sense of vibrancy to the area.
Sites and their development will be instrumental in creating, or contributing to, a distinct sense of place for southwest St Helier and in helping build the area as a vibrant hub for the community.
Ground floor uses, particularly on office buildings, should contribute to the vibrancy of the area.
The buildings fronting the quayside are mainly listed because of their heritage value and, in the event of the site being released for redevelopment, could be suitable for a sensitive conversion with residential accommodation on upper floors and a vibrant mix of retail, food and drink and marina-related uses on the ground floor.
Encouragement will also be given to the use of Fort Regent and its grounds for ‘meanwhile’ uses – short-term uses or events that take an under-used or potential problem area and turns it into an opportunity to bring vibrancy and vitality to an area.
References
https://people.sc.fsu.edu/~jburkardt/fun/wordplay/junk_phrases.html
https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/politics-and-the-english-language/
I notice that “iconic” has however fallen by the wayside, with only one reported instance. It’s this little gem, in which the sunken road of previous plans has been transformed into “vertical alignment”. It’s a masterpiece of prose which could be submitted to "Private Eye"’s Pseud’s Corner.
The provision of an iconic bridge to cross La Route de la Liberation will be considered and may be the subject of an international architectural competition.
In the longer term, the future of La Route de la Liberation will be explored in greater detail as the expectations of the planning framework come to fruition. Consideration should be given to the transformation of this arterial road into a place in its own right – through changes to its vertical and lateral alignment, the reduction of traffic volumes and speeds and the relationship of buildings to it – to create more of a street.
Vibrant / Vibrancy in the Consultation
We need to plan for people and I am determined to facilitate a new and exciting phase of development with improved connections, a mix of uses which will strengthen the sense of community and vibrancy in this quarter of St Helier.
They include advice on improving connectivity; creating a sense of place through the use of linked open spaces; appropriate uses to help facilitate a vibrant community; maintaining or creating key views and vistas; and seeking excellence in building design
Good physical access for the mobility or visually impaired, parents with toddlers, shoppers and visitors is paramount to encouraging a vibrant environment.
The spaces and linkages add positively to the character and vibrancy of town and an extension of this network into the Southwest St Helier Framework area will be encouraged, as will the provision of inspiring artwork within and between spaces.
To enjoy a vibrant and colourful district with community facilities, shops, cafés and restaurants which remain lively during the evenings and at weekends, all year round.
Of equal importance is the need to ensure that uses at street level add to the vibrancy of the area throughout the day and into the evening wherever possible.
The provision of new homes will be encouraged as an increased resident population within the framework area will help support and encourage small businesses and will add a greater sense of vibrancy to the area.
Sites and their development will be instrumental in creating, or contributing to, a distinct sense of place for southwest St Helier and in helping build the area as a vibrant hub for the community.
Ground floor uses, particularly on office buildings, should contribute to the vibrancy of the area.
The buildings fronting the quayside are mainly listed because of their heritage value and, in the event of the site being released for redevelopment, could be suitable for a sensitive conversion with residential accommodation on upper floors and a vibrant mix of retail, food and drink and marina-related uses on the ground floor.
Encouragement will also be given to the use of Fort Regent and its grounds for ‘meanwhile’ uses – short-term uses or events that take an under-used or potential problem area and turns it into an opportunity to bring vibrancy and vitality to an area.
References
https://people.sc.fsu.edu/~jburkardt/fun/wordplay/junk_phrases.html
https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/politics-and-the-english-language/
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/09/beware-the-vibrant-emerging-misleading-language-of-gentrification
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