Saturday, November 6, 2010

Every city should have a Ferris wheel...

I firmly believe this.

A well-placed Ferris wheel can add a romantic flair to the city, no? By the river... in a large, open space... like the London Eye or the Singapore Flyer. It can really be a classy addition to the city skyline.

The effects of one can be enormous. Pritzker winner, Sir Richard Rogers, says it more eloquently in an essay about the London Eye:
"The Eye has done for London what the Eiffel Tower did for Paris, which is to give it a symbol and to let people climb above the city and look back down on it. Not just specialists or rich people, but everybody. That's the beauty of it: it is public and accessible, and it is in a great position at the heart of London."
It is a simple yet beautiful structure with a simple yet beautiful purpose.

Many mayors of Chinese cities have agreed with me; five of the ten biggest Ferris wheels can be found in China.

Of course, the wheel should be strategically placed, to maximize its effects.

A street intersection just around the corner from Yali, later in the evening, with the Ferris wheel in view.

Unfortunately, Changsha did not seem to worry much about the exact location of its Ferris wheel. Currently, it is in a section of the city crowded with tall but dim buildings, including one that is right next to the Ferris wheel, essentially blocking 70% of the view. The overall experience is quite underwhelming. Quite a dud really, the way it is tucked away in the back. Why didn't they put it somewhere alongside the major river running right through the center of the city, where one can see much of the city's skyline, where the riverbanks are lit up with mesmerizing (though admittedly, somewhat tacky) lights?

Anyway, who's on board my campaign to get every major city around the world to build a Ferris wheel?

P.S. Who else didn't know that the F in Ferris is supposed to be capitalized? I didn't, that's for sure...

2 comments:

Terrence said...

what does ferris mean, anyways?

Sam said...

Gang, how could you not know that the Ferris Wheel is the progeny of our most wonderful American, George Washington (Gale Ferris, Jr.)?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Gale_Ferris,_Jr.