"Flana" is an Old Norse word meaning "to wander with no purpose." This year I learned about poet Charles Baudelaire's concept of "flânerie" which is the act of strolling, experiencing, and observing public urban life; for Baudelaire, the perfect place for that was 19th century Paris.
I want to take the joy of flanerie and commemorate in a v small way the public spaces I found myself in, this summer, in LA. I know many people do this publicly via social media (Snapchat or Instagram stories, tweets), but I wanted to make this piece of personal software to track where I've been and what I experienced, for only myself.
Currently the prototype is made in React Native, and the data is stored in Firebase.
The main feature is geolocated notes and posts.
- write a small note or save a photo to yourself while you are in the process of wandering around a new place
- you are only able to view the note / photo if you are within .5 mile of that location (the thoughts you have are tied to the place you had them in. for now... radius might change later)
- get a random notification / prompt?
- save music / audio recordings?
- drop notes to others
Flanerie has always been coded as a white and male pastime and I think it will continue to be so until public spaces are fully safe and enjoyable for people of all identities. However, I was first introduced to the concept of flanerie by friends and mentors who champion inclusive urban spaces, and I hope to draw from Jan Gehl's people-centered urban design, the practice of urban space observation, and NUMTOT memes as much as I do from Baudelaire.
If I were to track where the idea came from, it'd be from:
- conversations with ashwin, jacob, kylie, adit, and lauren
- 🌀NYT: The Death of the Cyberflaneur
- 🌀Quora: What are some good location-based reminder apps that will send me push notifications when I get to certain places?
- 🌀Guardian: Why cities emptied by Covid-19 are perfect for modern flâneurs
- 🌀Strolling with a Question: Is it Possible to Be a Black Flâneur?
- 🌀Creative Tools for Urban Spaces by Deland Chan
- the offline collective's placemaking event
- 🌀Psychogeography