Poem: "Without Stable Shelter"
Jul. 27th, 2021 10:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the December 1, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from hangingbyastitch and bairnsidhe. It also fills the "Silver and Gold" square in my 12-1-20 card for the Winter Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred, ng_moonmoth, bairnsidhe, erulisse, and edorfaus. It belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Without Stable Shelter"
[Wednesday, March 2, 2016]
"I've got a meeting today,"
Boss White announced. "I'd
like you to accompany me."
"Yes, Boss White," said Shiv.
What the hell use he'd be
in a meeting, he didn't know,
but if the Boss wanted him
there, then he would go.
"I need to talk with the head
of Public Housing, who has
his head up his ass about what
needs built," said Boss White.
"You'll come as my secretary."
"I can't do Dymin's job!"
Shiv almost shrieked.
"I can barely read, I
don't write no better,
and I hate paperwork!"
"No, I don't want you to do
Dymin's job," said Boss White.
"That's just cover. I want
to borrow your eyes a bit."
"Huh?" Shiv said, confused.
"We're going to talk about
the piece-of-shit Brutalism
he wants to build, and I may
need you to feed me resources
on why it's ugly and what we
could do better," said Boss White.
"That's even still legal to build?"
Shiv said, frowning. Molly had
gone on a tear once about how
Brutalism made people depressed,
and he could still see her illustration
of people with tiny clouds overhead.
"It is in some places, and this is
one of them," Boss White said.
"We're going to put a stop to that,
more carefully than the last time.
Will you be okay with this topic?"
The last time had involved
a street fight that was fun until
Shiv got thrown into a pile of bricks
and then woke up in the hospital.
"Yes, Boss White," said Shiv.
Ironically, getting caught and
thrown into prison was one
of the best things that had
ever happened to him. He
was a lot better for it now.
"All right then, you should
wear your gray trousers with
a white button-up shirt and
that blue-and-gray tie,"
Boss White instructed.
"Mind your diction."
"I'm getting the hang
of it," Shiv replied.
"Mallory says that
I am good enough
to try codeswitching
for context now."
"Then you'll have
a chance to practice,"
Boss White said. "Run
up and get ready, now --
we got an hour to get there."
"I'm on it," Shiv said, and
scampered up the stairs.
He grabbed his nicer clothes,
then sniffed his armpit. Okay,
this morning's shower was
still good enough to go.
Shiv changed clothes,
rebrushed his hair, then
took his time with the tie.
He headed back downstairs.
"Okay, Boss, I'm ready."
"Here, you'll need this."
Boss White handed Shiv
a better tablet computer than
the one that he normally used.
"Uh ... what for?" Shiv said.
He was pretty sure the Boss
didn't mean for him to sit there
and play CarGo all afternoon.
"I'll show you," Boss White said.
"This is a scratchpad where you
can take notes or sketch things."
"I can't take notes!" Shiv squeaked.
"Shiv, if I wanted Dymin, I would
bring her instead of you. I want
you, so quit squawking about it,"
Boss White said firmly. "Don't
worry about what you 'should' do,
just jot down anything that you
think is important. I don't care
whether you use words or art."
"I guess I can try," Shiv said,
scuffing his shoe on the floor.
"Good," said Boss White. "Now,
don't interrupt unless you really
need to. Use the tablet to pass me
notes or resources, that's what it's for."
"That I can do," Shiv said, back on
more familiar ground. He was used to
standing in the background as muscle.
Shit, was this shirt too tight? Were
secretaries supposed to have muscles?
Shiv didn't know, but Boss White
hadn't said anything about it,
so it probably looked fine.
Boss White got Nassor
to drive them to the meeting
in the nice company car.
Shiv didn't know a lot, but
he knew that you didn't take
the bus to important meetings.
They went to a different office for
Public Housing than what Shiv knew.
Maybe you used a nicer office if you
hadn't just gotten out of prison.
Inside, the lobby was huge --
at least two or three stories high --
its floor checkered in brown and cream.
The benches and the reception desks
were made of some dark brown wood,
metal parts glinting silver and gold.
Boss White walked into the place
like he owned it, Shiv smoothly
at his heels, and went right past
reception without a pause.
The head's office was large,
with two windows and desks
done in another rich red wood.
"Mr. Huxley, I'm here to discuss
housing plans," said Boss White.
"Mr. Harrison is my secretary;
he'll be assisting me today."
"Yes, yes, it's all in my calendar,"
Mr. Huxley said. He was wrinkled, with
little hair left, but his suit was decent.
As Boss White sat down across from
the big desk, Shiv tried to remember
what Dymin usually did, and he
settled for sitting down with
the computer on his knees.
Mr. Huxley and Boss White
nattered around with small talk
for a few minutes, so Shiv opened
the scratch pad and started doodling.
When the voices sharpened, though,
Shiv looked up, watching them warily.
"Now you know I speak for a lot of
businessmen in town," said Boss White.
"We'll approve new Public Housing when
you propose something that doesn't look
like a stack of rabbit hutches. Until then,
you can expect some objections."
Shiv glanced at the photograph of
something big and beige. Yep,
that was one butt-ugly building.
Shiv was glad that he didn't have
to convince Mr. Huxley not to build it.
Instead, he sent Boss White an article
about Brutalism and depression.
"It's not like poor people need
luxury housing," Mr. Huxley said.
"The city has a modest budget."
"It is hard to argue that housing
is not a fundamental human need,"
Boss White said, steepling his fingers.
"Decent, affordable housing should be
a basic right for everybody in this country.
The reason is simple: without stable shelter,
everything else falls apart. Everything."
"I know, I know," Mr. Huxley said.
"We're just very short of money."
"We're also short of homes
worth living in," said Boss White.
"I heard about the gas leak
over in the old projects."
Shiv had lived with a family
in that area for a while when he
was little. What a fucking slum.
"That is being fixed as we
speak," said Mr. Huxley.
"I have also found out that
the Affordable Housing building
next to mine has bedbugs now,"
said Boss White. "You can imagine
what a problem that will cause for me
if they get into the apartments over
Blues Moon, let alone the restaurant."
"What do you want me to do about it?"
said Mr. Huxley. "We have to put
people somewhere, and they
can't pay the market rate."
"I want you to work harder
to replace the oldest housing,"
said Boss White. "Most of that
isn't fit to live in anymore."
"Well, I'd make more progress
if you and those 'businessmen'
didn't shoot down every proposal
from this office," Mr. Huxley snapped.
"Then give us better proposals,"
Boss White said. "The old projects
are falling apart and you know it."
"They'll last a little while longer,"
Mr. Huxley said. "They have to.
Demand is rising, and if we
demolish old units before
new ones replace them,
it will probably cause a riot."
"This year it's a gas leak in
Public Housing, and bedbugs
in Affordable Housing next to
Blues Moon," said Boss White.
"Last year it was a water leak
and an infestation of roaches."
"No sir, last year was water and
that yellow mold," Shiv said.
"The roaches got in a year
before that, along with rats."
"Ah, that's right, thank you for
reminding me," said Boss White.
Shiv was sure that he'd known
the right order, but didn't see
any point to mixing them up
on purpose. Whatever.
Mr. Huxley sighed. "I guess
the details don't matter as
much as the fact that we all
know the old housing is trash,
and our options for fixing
it up are pretty limited."
"Mr. Huxley, you will get
nowhere if you continue
to think about housing only
in terms of silver and gold,"
Boss White said firmly. "You
really must remember that
people need good homes."
"True," said Mr. Huxley. "We'll
have to build something, somehow."
"Just make sure that your crews
start building before they start
demolishing," said Boss White.
"You'll need to begin work with
an empty lot, but from there
you can knock one, build one."
"And where do you suggest
I find any empty lot in Omaha?"
Mr. Huxley said. "They're rare."
"Well, there's the one where
that high-rise failed to go up,"
Boss White pointed out.
"That's because none of
the developers will touch
it now," said Mr. Huxley.
"It's just a matter of assuring
people that the trouble won't
repeat itself," said Boss White.
"That won't make money fall
from the sky, Mr. White. Even
the government has its limits,"
Mr. Huxley said, frowning.
"Well now, that's where I
and my associates come in,"
Boss White said. "If you could
see your way clear to renovate
the more dilapidated buildings ..."
"Like the one next to Blues Moon,
I assume," Mr. Huxley said dryly.
"Like that one, and the other
near the Mexican restaurant,
yes," said Boss White. "I'd be
happy to promote a new project
or two and assist with fundraising."
"You think we can agree on
a project, after all the fussing
around people have done?"
Mr. Huxley said, crossing
his arms. "Color me dubious."
"Have you taken a look at
the new catalog out of
Washington, D.C. yet?"
Boss White asked him.
Mr. Huxley shook his head.
"No, that's always full of junk
designed by students. I'd rather
stick with tried-and-true ones."
"Your tried-and-true ones
are decades out of date,"
Boss White said. "These
are occupant-approved and
current with best practices."
"Oh, fine, we'll look at the catalog,"
Mr. Huxley said. "It won't waste
any more time than talking in
circles already is. Go ahead."
Boss White opened the catalog
that held summaries of plans
for different kinds of housing.
The government paid to acquire
some plans by outside architects
who had built housing projects,
so that the best ones could be
duplicated and people didn't have
to start from scratch every time.
Anything for government contracts
was automatically considered for
inclusion, depending on popularity.
After the fiasco with Brutalism and
big projects that turned into ghettos,
the government had gotten more careful
and now vetted the new designs before
recommending that anyone build more.
Still, it let them spread the successes.
Shiv knew that, because he'd gotten
a survey at the Abbot Center asking if he
was happy living there. The only thing
he bitched about was the shortage of
lamp heads for the track lighting,
and everybody bitched about that.
You'd think someone would just
buy more, but they hadn't yet.
"Starting in the suburban zone, we
need to intensify in order to support
all that infrastructure," said Boss White.
"So do we agree on that much, at least?"
"We do," Mr. Huxley said with a nod.
"That means filling in the missing middle,
preferably without upsetting folks too much."
"Here's an interesting little development
of fifteen units per acre that includes
townhouses, carriage houses, duplexes,
and garden flats," said Boss White. "It
is low-density with street appeal and
central greens with sidewalks, but
it'll give the area a useful boost."
Mr. Huxley grimaced. "We can't
put townhouses into a suburb,
the nimbies will kill it," he said.
"Those little garden flats and
duplexes aren't awful, though."
"I'll mark the page." Boss White
made a note on a slip of paper
and tucked it into the catalog.
Hurriedly Shiv wrote down
that townhouses wouldn't
work in a suburban spot,
though he didn't get why.
Those were way bigger
than apartments and
usually had a bit of grass.
"Let's look at urban areas where
townhouses make a better fit,"
said Boss White. "Check out
this development at 34 units per
acre. It integrates corner retail with
live-work units around auto courts
and green commons in the middle."
"Nice classic look, but dependent
on finding businesses to take
those corners," Mr. Huxley said.
"Fair point," said Boss White.
"All right, this one just has
townhouses and live-work, but
it's denser at 44 units an acre,
with a more urban look to it.
The parking is underground."
"That's a nice modern look,"
said Mr. Huxley. "We could
probably put one somewhere."
Boss White marked the page,
and Shiv jotted down that
Mr. Huxley liked modern.
It wasn't as good as
the corner-store block
in Shiv's opinion, but
nobody was asking him
which he'd rather live in
or at least walk through.
"No surprise, this is one of
my favorites," Boss White said.
"It's like my own neighborhood,
which by the way has a lot more
of a tax base than you might think."
The street view felt homey to Shiv,
but it was cleaner and more colorful
than the places he usually lived.
"It has apartments, some of them
over retail, and a row of townhouses,"
said Boss White. "It doesn't have to be
built all at once; it's got modular options.
There's only one anchor, but I'm sure you
could find a restaurant for all those eaters."
"We might at that," Mr. Huxley said.
"What's the density on this one?"
"It's high-density at 59 units per acre,
mostly in the apartment building,"
said Boss White. "You could use
the townhouses as a transition
to moving out of the project --
or sell them with F-30 mortgages.
"Excellent idea," said Mr. Huxley.
"Hmm, that might work in some
of the other projects. I like that
about mixed-housing blocks."
Shiv jotted down that idea,
because if they could build on it,
then that would help a lot -- it was
damn hard to get out of public housing.
"Well, here's a mixed-use development
you might like," said Boss White. "It has
mid-rise apartment buildings along with
multifamily units that could be apartments
or condominiums. The site includes a park,
a community garden, a service building,
and a community center. At 57 units
per acre, this is high-density housing."
"Ugh, no, that ground-level retail
never rents, and empty stores
make for blight," said Mr. Huxley.
"They don't rent because landlords
charge too much in big projects, and
people want smaller storefronts,"
said Boss White. "The notes for
this plan reference a program that
reserves those units for residents
to start their own businesses."
"Oh, would that really work?"
Mr. Huxley said. "If it does,
that has a lot of potential.
We want to help people
out of Public Housing."
"Follow the link and find out,
I guess," said Boss White.
"The main challenge I see with
these is finding room for the buildings
and their parking," Mr. Huxley said.
"Well, if you want something
a little more radical, go car-free,"
said Boss White. "Plenty of
poor folks don't even own a car,
so why waste the parking space?
Here's a modular example with
different units around a courtyard,
affordable for small developers."
"Like a Barcelona block, only
less chunky," Shiv said. "Put it
by a bus station and it'd work."
"Oh, that one looks like
a candy factory exploded,"
Mr. Huxley complained.
"I can't argue with that,"
Boss White admitted. "Still,
nothing says this has to get
painted like the picture on
the box. Imagine that in black
to white, or shades of brown."
Shiv was instantly reminded
of Gray's handsome complex,
which used quiet grays brightened
with silver metalwork and softened
with ornamental grass landscaping.
He closed the scratchpad window
and opened a search. It only took
a few moments to find what he needed
with one of his favorite palette sites.
Then Shiv focused on his voice
and how he wanted to sound,
professional and middle-class
and just a whisper of Irish.
"Your suggested palettes, sir,
with some other options," he said.
Boss White's eyebrows went up.
"Now that's interesting," he said,
tilting the tablet toward Mr. Huxley.
"Much better, but some of those
still look too bright," Mr. Huxley said.
"That depends on which colors
you pick," said Shiv. "There are
fifteen options in each palette,
in three rows of five paint chips,
but you don't need that many.
You need at least four to avoid
having the same color touching,
and maybe a few more for variety."
"Why not fifteen?" Mr. Huxley said in
a tone that suggested he was testing Shiv.
"Because paint is expensive," Shiv said.
"The more kinds you have, the more it
costs, so don't buy more than you need."
Now Mr. Huxley's eyebrows went up.
"You're a house painter as well
as a secretary?" he said.
"No, he's an artist,"
said Boss White.
"Oh? Where did
you go to school?"
Mr. Huxley asked.
Shiv froze, determined
not to flinch but uncertain
what lie would work best.
"I believe he is currently into
continuing education classes at
the Hipster Center of Creative Arts,"
Boss White replied smoothly.
"Yes," Shiv said, grateful for
the out. "Right now I'm taking
watercolor workshops about
urban landscapes. Last week
everyone poached my photos
of Gray's apartment complex."
"May I see?" Mr. Huxley said.
"I'm interested in apartments,
especially anything that people
consider aesthetically appealing."
"Okay, this is up in Motor City,"
Shiv said, using his phone
to show the pictures. "Here
it is in summer first --"
"And people complained that
my building was Brutalism."
Mr. Huxley shook his head.
"It is not Brutalism," said Shiv.
"The buildings are symmetrical
and a lot of the metalwork curves."
He flicked his fingers over the screen.
"This is what it does when ice hits it."
"Oooh," Mr. Huxley said, leaning forward.
Gotcha, Shiv thought. The complex had
turned to a fairyland of silver and crystal,
gilded at the edges by the winter sun.
Another flick of his hand. "Here's
what I painted in class. We were
experimenting with metallic and
pearlescent watercolors," Shiv said.
"I don't suppose that painting is
for sale," Mr. Huxley said wistfully.
Shiv shook his head. "Sorry, I gave it
to Gray. His apartment, his painting."
It had been little enough to thank him
for putting up with Shiv all summer.
"Ah well, I'm still convinced of
your eye for color," said Mr. Huxley.
"Please, show me what you can do."
Shiv put away his phone and went
back to the tablet computer.
"The interiors of Gray's apartment
are done in gray and brown with
little pops of colors -- the complex
keeps a supply of paintings, vases,
and such for residents to choose,"
Shiv said. "That approach works
with most neutral palettes."
"It's common in Public Housing,"
Mr. Huxley agreed, nodding.
"Take Browntone, it's easy
to show the contrast," said Shiv.
"Drop the reddish left column and
the next-to-last with green and orange.
You have a palette of soft browns."
"Oh. I didn't even see that,"
Mr. Huxley said, surprised.
"But look at it this other way --"
Shiv covered the ends with
his hands. Use the middle and
you have nine autumn colors."
"That's not so bad after all,"
said Mr. Huxley. "What if
everyone wants green
and orange, though?"
"Simple," Shiv said. "If you
want more neutrals, make those
cheap or free. Charge extra for
the rest. Most people will go
neutral, but a few bright touches
will keep it from being boring."
He showed more samples
from the Browntone palette
that combined different colors.
"I wish I could put these on
the buildings," Shiv muttered,
looking at the catalog again.
"Oh hey, it has an app!"
He scanned the page, but
his phone bonked. No access.
"I can cover --" Boss White began.
"No, no, I have an account,"
Mr. Huxley said, waving a hand.
"May I borrow your tablet?"
Shiv looked at Boss White, and
when he nodded, handed it over.
When Mr. Huxley gave it back,
there was an app that let you
upload palettes, choose and
position buildings, and just
generally fool with designs.
Shiv took a couple of minutes
to explore the toolbars and
figure out how it all worked.
He'd gotten some great advice
from folks on BlackSheep about
how to analyze computer programs,
and now that he thought about it,
some of this looked a bit familiar.
Yep. There was the text/visual toggle
in the upper right corner as usual.
Shiv hit that, and then everything
got a whole lot easier to use. Now
he could just twirl it around by hand.
"Suppose you want to build several of
these blocks together. Use palettes
to tell them apart so folks don't get lost,"
Shiv said. "Here's what you can do..."
"I admit I'm curious about this
as well," said Boss White. "I've
never seen you do it before."
"It's not hard," Shiv said. "See,
Art Nouveau is mostly browns.
Right three columns, all brown.
Drop the reddish one and put in
green to brighten it, or take
the blue and green columns
and add the rightmost brown."
He dropped those onto a block
of housing, then moved on.
"Beigetone's a little softer and
laid out the opposite direction,
but the same trick works -- pick
your browns or your brights, and
mix it up a bit if you want to."
"Getting better," said Mr. Huxley.
"Do you have anything lighter?"
"Sure," said Shiv. "You like gray,
right? Graytone has two columns
of gray on the right. Take those
and add any row or column of
three brighter ones on the left."
He pulled up a few examples
to illustrate, then moved on.
"Neutral is so barely-there,
you could pick any random set
and it would look good," Shiv said.
To prove it, he used the Random key.
"You're right, that works. I like
this palette," said Mr. Huxley.
"It is neither drab nor ticky-tacky."
Shiv laughed. "I hate those suburbs
too," he said. "The kind of people
who want to live somewhere
that cookie-cutter are weird."
Still, he remembered to note
that Neutral was a favorite palette.
"Different folks have different tastes,"
Boss White said. "For example,
what about something deeper?
Not everyone likes pale colors."
"Let's see ... Earthtone is like
Browntone but more varied,"
Shiv said. "Take the left three
and you've got all browns, or
the middle for autumn colors."
"That's all similar what you've
done before. Give me something
fresh," Boss White pressed.
Shiv looked again. "Okay,
top row and bottom row. That
makes five colors, each with
two shades." He looked at
Earthtone and Elegant.
"These palettes both have
brown on one end and gray on
the other," Shiv said. "Add three
brighter colors -- like jade, orange,
and yellow -- for a softer autumn set."
"What about Elegant over here?"
said Boss White. "I would call
those jewel tones myself."
"You could do the same trick
with brown and gray, then add
any three brighter ones. I like
the middle row of red-violet,
twilight blue, and spruce."
"Something fresh, please,"
Boss White said again.
"Remember Mr. Huxley
doesn't want it too bold."
Shiv wracked his brain and
then the lightbulb went on.
"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Use
the brown and the gray as
house colors, and the brights
as trim on the doors and windows!
That'd work with other palettes too."
"I do like that idea," said Mr. Huxley.
"But can you do anything with
that candy explosion?"
"Let me see," Shiv said.
"Romantic comes close.
They're not bad colors, it's
just ... a bit much for houses."
"Exactly," said Mr. Huxley.
"I suppose they'd work as
trim. Victorians do that."
"I've seen those out west,"
Shiv said. The Finns had
taken him to San Francisco
before. He had to put his hands
in his pockets to keep them from
itching at his paintbox all day.
"If you take the bottom row, they're
pale enough to mix well with grays,"
Shiv said. "The brights ... maybe
you could reserve those for
the important places? Like
safety tape, that's bright."
"A block for young families
could use blue for a classroom,
purple for a public playground,
so on," Boss White said. "Easy
to find among gray houses."
"It's a thought," said Mr. Huxley.
"What about the block itself?
How flexible is that, really?"
"Totally flexible," Shiv said,
still playing with the colors.
"I could show you, but
my tablet's too small."
"Well, try this instead."
Mr. Huxley picked up
something that turned out
to be a computer tablet
the size of his whole desk.
"It's an architect tablet."
Shiv was half-afraid
to touch it, but he'd been
invited, so he went through
the same setup with the app.
"See, you can pick any of
the buildings. They have --"
He counted, double-checking.
"-- sixteen shapes and sizes.
Take this big lot, break it up,
and whoever buys the first slot
gets first pick of the buildings."
"You might want to set limits
to ensure variety," said Boss White.
"Cohousing does that," Mr. Huxley said.
"Oh! This would be perfect for that,
if it only came with a common house."
"Didn't I see nonresidential options
on that menu?" Boss White said,
looking over Shiv's shoulder.
"Multipurpose room, stores,
big office building, medium clinic,
laundromat, showerhouse with
toilets, and several sizes of
bike garage," Shiv read.
"It looks like they're offering
alternative parking instead of
standard car spaces, so it takes
less space," said Boss White.
"You're right about putting it
near a public transportation.
Residents wouldn't need cars."
"So this could be all housing, or
add amenities and workspace,"
Mr. Huxley said. "Promising.
What about the density?"
"Most buildings range
from two to four stories,"
said Boss White. "Figure
that low-rise apartments
and townhouses are usually
medium-density, but this
could go from low to high
depending on unit selection."
"Check this out," Shiv said.
"I found other patterns! You
can have a donut, a C-shape,
an L-shape, an H-shape, or
two parallel bars. It really is
modeled after Barcelona."
"Hopefully without the classism
and subsequent segregation,"
said Mr. Huxley. "The last thing
we need is more redlining."
"No, this lends itself toward
mixed-income housing due to
the mix of units," said Boss White.
"That should naturally attract
people with different budgets."
Then Shiv found the tool
that let you select units
and fit them into a block
like you were playing CarGo.
The paintbox tools allowed
a selection of different colors,
which could be placed by hand
or randomly generated based
on parameters that you set.
"I think this is meant to model
what happens when buyers
choose lots," Shiv said.
He created some examples
using colors sets that he had
suggested and Mr. Huxley
liked, such as Neutrals and
Earthtone's richer browns.
It wouldn't do trim, though.
Couldn't have everything.
"How are you generating
those combinations of
colors?" said Mr. Huxley.
"You can play with percentages
using this scale, so you get more
or less of the brighter colors
in the neutrals," Shiv said,
"but I have no idea how
to turn that into pricing."
"That's what accountants
are for," said Mr. Huxley.
Boss White chuckled.
"Agreed," he said. "You
just tell them what results
you want, and they find
a way to make it happen."
"You know, I hated
this housing plan when
I first saw it, but now I
love the versatility,"
Mr. Huxley said. "I'm
not sure I can make it
look this good, though."
"So? I can work up
a few models, actually
paying attention to units
and amenities," Shiv said.
"I mean, I'm not an architect,
but this is just like CarGo
and I'm top score at that."
Also he'd lived in a lot
of Public Housing, but he
wasn't about to say that.
"Yes, please," said Mr. Huxley,
so Shiv spent ten minutes
laying out different builds.
One was mostly small units
in Neutral. Another was for
larger families in Graytone
with pastel amenities.
The third in Beigetone
included a row of stores
and a bicycle garage
along with mixed units.
Shiv even set up one in
Earthtone with each side
a different color range and
one of every amenity type.
"You know some towns count
blocks in sets and put a park
in the middle?" Shiv said.
"Yes, like superblocks,"
Mr. Huxley said, nodding.
"If you built more than one of
these housing blocks, you could
do the same thing, with extras
in the middle," said Shiv.
"I think that gives us
proof of concept,"
Boss White said,
making Shiv smile.
"I'm not sure if we
can add this to the set
of pre-approved plans
given its variability, but I
still like it," said Mr. Huxley.
"Flip back," Shiv said, and
Boss White did. "There, the one
with corner units. See, it's just like
a set of building blocks -- it has
long straight lines, short ones,
and corners. If you pre-approve
those elements, then people
could fit whatever lot they buy."
"Let me see that catalog,"
Mr. Huxley said. He stared
at it for a minute. "All right,
they have separate specs for
the elements. That will work. I'm
just worried about retail occupancy."
"Talk to the food desert people,"
Shiv said. "Blues Moon works with
Eat Healthy Omaha, and I know that
they're connected with other groups like
Blooming Desert and Farm to First Street.
I bet they can fill your corner anchors."
"Don't forget My Diet, Angel Food,
Devil's Food, CSAs, and other places
that sell food packages," said Boss White.
"If you just set aside one live-work unit for
distributions, and schedule different days
for each organization, that's one filled."
"I can assign someone to explore
booking sites with other organizations
instead of the usual retail renters,"
Mr. Huxley said, making a note.
"Should be easy to fill corners,"
Shiv said. "It's just a matter of
finding people who want to push
what you want your people to buy.
It's like moving around buildings
or colors -- break it into pieces
so they do what you want."
"The color work really is
impressive," Mr. Huxley said.
"I'm definitely saving these."
"Ah, this is nothing," Shiv said.
"If I had more time I'd go out to
Paint With Nature and make up
some actual Nebraska palettes."
"I'm amazed how you can
see possibilities like this,"
said Mr. Huxley. "I'm afraid
my brain doesn't work that way."
"I've been told I'm a visual thinker,"
Shiv said. "If you're not good at this,
hire an artist. A designer will try
to do what's trendy. An artist will
just tell you what looks good."
"Now where am I supposed
to find the budget for that?"
Mr. Huxley grumbled.
Shiv shrugged. "Go over
to the college and talk with
the art teachers. I bet they'd
love to have a real project
for practicing color studies."
"Color studies?" said Mr. Huxley.
"Yeah, they're little thumbnails
of the same idea, but each done
in different colors," Shiv explained.
"This app has a tool for that, give
me a minute and I'll show you."
He copied the first block
that he'd already assembled.
Then he used the paint tools
change the proportions of
each color in the same palette.
Next he changed the palette,
showing it in Beigetone,
Graytone, and Elegant.
"Like this," Shiv said,
showing it to Mr. Huxley.
"The shape stays the same,
just the colors change, so
you can compare them."
"Oh, they do pop right out,
don't they?" Mr. Huxley
sounded pleased. "I'm
just not sure how to pick
which palette to offer."
"Now if it were me, I'd go
around town and take pictures
to see what colors we already
have here," said Shiv. "Then
ask which of them people like.
Offer the more popular ones,
and maybe a few others."
"Why not all popular colors?"
Mr. Huxley wondered.
"Well, what if the men
like neutrals and women
like brights?" Shiv said.
"It happens, if they want
to decorate like they dress.
Then it's not fair to leave
one group with nothing,
if they're outnumbered,
or even just outclassed."
"Not to mention, black folks
like African colors. They'll go
for Earthtone or Elegant,
depending which inspiration
they're using," said Boss White.
"Good point," Mr. Huxley said.
"That scandal I do not need."
"Then mark the surveys for race,
gender, and so on," Boss White said.
"That way, you can ensure that
everyone gets something."
"So noted," Mr. Huxley said,
jotting down a reminder.
Then his watch chimed.
"My goodness, that's
the ten-minute warning
already," he exclaimed.
Where had they gone
with two whole hours?
"I can't thank you gentlemen
enough for coming today,"
said Mr. Huxley. "Especially
you, Mr. Harrison. I am
delighted I got to meet you."
"It's been ... more interesting
than I expected," Shiv said.
"That app is something else."
"Housing and Urban Development
has good tools," said Mr. Huxley.
"I'm happy to share them, whenever
you come back for more brainstorming."
"I think I'd like that," Shiv said. Then
he had to help put up the big tablet,
and log the app off his tablet computer.
It did let him save all his notes and
pictures of the builds, though.
Mr. Huxley and Boss White
were going over the other plans,
sorting them in order of preference
and what size lots they'd fit on.
Shiv knew how this went,
more or less -- Boss White
would hold meetings for a week
or so, and by the end of it, he
would have a game plan that
everyone could support.
It would be interesting
to see how that played out.
Finally Mr. Huxley stood up
and walked them to the door.
"Thank you for coming," he said.
"I hope to see you again soon."
Then he shook hands
with both of them.
Shiv was so stunned
that he barely remembered
to do it right, not too hard
or too soft or jerking away.
Mr. Huxley had a good grip,
and he even smiled at Shiv.
The big building seemed
a little less daunting on
the way back out.
Outside, sunlight
tinted the clouds
silver and gold.
As soon as they
reached the sidewalk,
Boss White sighed.
"I do like that man,
because he gets things
done, but damn he is
a push-to-start car,"
Boss White said.
Shiv cracked up.
"Yeah, Boss, but
so am I," he said.
Boss White clapped him
on the shoulder. "Yeah, but
you're worth every bit of it."
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character, setting, and content notes will appear elsewhere.
hangingbyastitch and bairnsidhe. It also fills the "Silver and Gold" square in my 12-1-20 card for the Winter Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred, ng_moonmoth, bairnsidhe, erulisse, and edorfaus. It belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."Without Stable Shelter"
[Wednesday, March 2, 2016]
"I've got a meeting today,"
Boss White announced. "I'd
like you to accompany me."
"Yes, Boss White," said Shiv.
What the hell use he'd be
in a meeting, he didn't know,
but if the Boss wanted him
there, then he would go.
"I need to talk with the head
of Public Housing, who has
his head up his ass about what
needs built," said Boss White.
"You'll come as my secretary."
"I can't do Dymin's job!"
Shiv almost shrieked.
"I can barely read, I
don't write no better,
and I hate paperwork!"
"No, I don't want you to do
Dymin's job," said Boss White.
"That's just cover. I want
to borrow your eyes a bit."
"Huh?" Shiv said, confused.
"We're going to talk about
the piece-of-shit Brutalism
he wants to build, and I may
need you to feed me resources
on why it's ugly and what we
could do better," said Boss White.
"That's even still legal to build?"
Shiv said, frowning. Molly had
gone on a tear once about how
Brutalism made people depressed,
and he could still see her illustration
of people with tiny clouds overhead.
"It is in some places, and this is
one of them," Boss White said.
"We're going to put a stop to that,
more carefully than the last time.
Will you be okay with this topic?"
The last time had involved
a street fight that was fun until
Shiv got thrown into a pile of bricks
and then woke up in the hospital.
"Yes, Boss White," said Shiv.
Ironically, getting caught and
thrown into prison was one
of the best things that had
ever happened to him. He
was a lot better for it now.
"All right then, you should
wear your gray trousers with
a white button-up shirt and
that blue-and-gray tie,"
Boss White instructed.
"Mind your diction."
"I'm getting the hang
of it," Shiv replied.
"Mallory says that
I am good enough
to try codeswitching
for context now."
"Then you'll have
a chance to practice,"
Boss White said. "Run
up and get ready, now --
we got an hour to get there."
"I'm on it," Shiv said, and
scampered up the stairs.
He grabbed his nicer clothes,
then sniffed his armpit. Okay,
this morning's shower was
still good enough to go.
Shiv changed clothes,
rebrushed his hair, then
took his time with the tie.
He headed back downstairs.
"Okay, Boss, I'm ready."
"Here, you'll need this."
Boss White handed Shiv
a better tablet computer than
the one that he normally used.
"Uh ... what for?" Shiv said.
He was pretty sure the Boss
didn't mean for him to sit there
and play CarGo all afternoon.
"I'll show you," Boss White said.
"This is a scratchpad where you
can take notes or sketch things."
"I can't take notes!" Shiv squeaked.
"Shiv, if I wanted Dymin, I would
bring her instead of you. I want
you, so quit squawking about it,"
Boss White said firmly. "Don't
worry about what you 'should' do,
just jot down anything that you
think is important. I don't care
whether you use words or art."
"I guess I can try," Shiv said,
scuffing his shoe on the floor.
"Good," said Boss White. "Now,
don't interrupt unless you really
need to. Use the tablet to pass me
notes or resources, that's what it's for."
"That I can do," Shiv said, back on
more familiar ground. He was used to
standing in the background as muscle.
Shit, was this shirt too tight? Were
secretaries supposed to have muscles?
Shiv didn't know, but Boss White
hadn't said anything about it,
so it probably looked fine.
Boss White got Nassor
to drive them to the meeting
in the nice company car.
Shiv didn't know a lot, but
he knew that you didn't take
the bus to important meetings.
They went to a different office for
Public Housing than what Shiv knew.
Maybe you used a nicer office if you
hadn't just gotten out of prison.
Inside, the lobby was huge --
at least two or three stories high --
its floor checkered in brown and cream.
The benches and the reception desks
were made of some dark brown wood,
metal parts glinting silver and gold.
Boss White walked into the place
like he owned it, Shiv smoothly
at his heels, and went right past
reception without a pause.
The head's office was large,
with two windows and desks
done in another rich red wood.
"Mr. Huxley, I'm here to discuss
housing plans," said Boss White.
"Mr. Harrison is my secretary;
he'll be assisting me today."
"Yes, yes, it's all in my calendar,"
Mr. Huxley said. He was wrinkled, with
little hair left, but his suit was decent.
As Boss White sat down across from
the big desk, Shiv tried to remember
what Dymin usually did, and he
settled for sitting down with
the computer on his knees.
Mr. Huxley and Boss White
nattered around with small talk
for a few minutes, so Shiv opened
the scratch pad and started doodling.
When the voices sharpened, though,
Shiv looked up, watching them warily.
"Now you know I speak for a lot of
businessmen in town," said Boss White.
"We'll approve new Public Housing when
you propose something that doesn't look
like a stack of rabbit hutches. Until then,
you can expect some objections."
Shiv glanced at the photograph of
something big and beige. Yep,
that was one butt-ugly building.
Shiv was glad that he didn't have
to convince Mr. Huxley not to build it.
Instead, he sent Boss White an article
about Brutalism and depression.
"It's not like poor people need
luxury housing," Mr. Huxley said.
"The city has a modest budget."
"It is hard to argue that housing
is not a fundamental human need,"
Boss White said, steepling his fingers.
"Decent, affordable housing should be
a basic right for everybody in this country.
The reason is simple: without stable shelter,
everything else falls apart. Everything."
"I know, I know," Mr. Huxley said.
"We're just very short of money."
"We're also short of homes
worth living in," said Boss White.
"I heard about the gas leak
over in the old projects."
Shiv had lived with a family
in that area for a while when he
was little. What a fucking slum.
"That is being fixed as we
speak," said Mr. Huxley.
"I have also found out that
the Affordable Housing building
next to mine has bedbugs now,"
said Boss White. "You can imagine
what a problem that will cause for me
if they get into the apartments over
Blues Moon, let alone the restaurant."
"What do you want me to do about it?"
said Mr. Huxley. "We have to put
people somewhere, and they
can't pay the market rate."
"I want you to work harder
to replace the oldest housing,"
said Boss White. "Most of that
isn't fit to live in anymore."
"Well, I'd make more progress
if you and those 'businessmen'
didn't shoot down every proposal
from this office," Mr. Huxley snapped.
"Then give us better proposals,"
Boss White said. "The old projects
are falling apart and you know it."
"They'll last a little while longer,"
Mr. Huxley said. "They have to.
Demand is rising, and if we
demolish old units before
new ones replace them,
it will probably cause a riot."
"This year it's a gas leak in
Public Housing, and bedbugs
in Affordable Housing next to
Blues Moon," said Boss White.
"Last year it was a water leak
and an infestation of roaches."
"No sir, last year was water and
that yellow mold," Shiv said.
"The roaches got in a year
before that, along with rats."
"Ah, that's right, thank you for
reminding me," said Boss White.
Shiv was sure that he'd known
the right order, but didn't see
any point to mixing them up
on purpose. Whatever.
Mr. Huxley sighed. "I guess
the details don't matter as
much as the fact that we all
know the old housing is trash,
and our options for fixing
it up are pretty limited."
"Mr. Huxley, you will get
nowhere if you continue
to think about housing only
in terms of silver and gold,"
Boss White said firmly. "You
really must remember that
people need good homes."
"True," said Mr. Huxley. "We'll
have to build something, somehow."
"Just make sure that your crews
start building before they start
demolishing," said Boss White.
"You'll need to begin work with
an empty lot, but from there
you can knock one, build one."
"And where do you suggest
I find any empty lot in Omaha?"
Mr. Huxley said. "They're rare."
"Well, there's the one where
that high-rise failed to go up,"
Boss White pointed out.
"That's because none of
the developers will touch
it now," said Mr. Huxley.
"It's just a matter of assuring
people that the trouble won't
repeat itself," said Boss White.
"That won't make money fall
from the sky, Mr. White. Even
the government has its limits,"
Mr. Huxley said, frowning.
"Well now, that's where I
and my associates come in,"
Boss White said. "If you could
see your way clear to renovate
the more dilapidated buildings ..."
"Like the one next to Blues Moon,
I assume," Mr. Huxley said dryly.
"Like that one, and the other
near the Mexican restaurant,
yes," said Boss White. "I'd be
happy to promote a new project
or two and assist with fundraising."
"You think we can agree on
a project, after all the fussing
around people have done?"
Mr. Huxley said, crossing
his arms. "Color me dubious."
"Have you taken a look at
the new catalog out of
Washington, D.C. yet?"
Boss White asked him.
Mr. Huxley shook his head.
"No, that's always full of junk
designed by students. I'd rather
stick with tried-and-true ones."
"Your tried-and-true ones
are decades out of date,"
Boss White said. "These
are occupant-approved and
current with best practices."
"Oh, fine, we'll look at the catalog,"
Mr. Huxley said. "It won't waste
any more time than talking in
circles already is. Go ahead."
Boss White opened the catalog
that held summaries of plans
for different kinds of housing.
The government paid to acquire
some plans by outside architects
who had built housing projects,
so that the best ones could be
duplicated and people didn't have
to start from scratch every time.
Anything for government contracts
was automatically considered for
inclusion, depending on popularity.
After the fiasco with Brutalism and
big projects that turned into ghettos,
the government had gotten more careful
and now vetted the new designs before
recommending that anyone build more.
Still, it let them spread the successes.
Shiv knew that, because he'd gotten
a survey at the Abbot Center asking if he
was happy living there. The only thing
he bitched about was the shortage of
lamp heads for the track lighting,
and everybody bitched about that.
You'd think someone would just
buy more, but they hadn't yet.
"Starting in the suburban zone, we
need to intensify in order to support
all that infrastructure," said Boss White.
"So do we agree on that much, at least?"
"We do," Mr. Huxley said with a nod.
"That means filling in the missing middle,
preferably without upsetting folks too much."
"Here's an interesting little development
of fifteen units per acre that includes
townhouses, carriage houses, duplexes,
and garden flats," said Boss White. "It
is low-density with street appeal and
central greens with sidewalks, but
it'll give the area a useful boost."
Mr. Huxley grimaced. "We can't
put townhouses into a suburb,
the nimbies will kill it," he said.
"Those little garden flats and
duplexes aren't awful, though."
"I'll mark the page." Boss White
made a note on a slip of paper
and tucked it into the catalog.
Hurriedly Shiv wrote down
that townhouses wouldn't
work in a suburban spot,
though he didn't get why.
Those were way bigger
than apartments and
usually had a bit of grass.
"Let's look at urban areas where
townhouses make a better fit,"
said Boss White. "Check out
this development at 34 units per
acre. It integrates corner retail with
live-work units around auto courts
and green commons in the middle."
"Nice classic look, but dependent
on finding businesses to take
those corners," Mr. Huxley said.
"Fair point," said Boss White.
"All right, this one just has
townhouses and live-work, but
it's denser at 44 units an acre,
with a more urban look to it.
The parking is underground."
"That's a nice modern look,"
said Mr. Huxley. "We could
probably put one somewhere."
Boss White marked the page,
and Shiv jotted down that
Mr. Huxley liked modern.
It wasn't as good as
the corner-store block
in Shiv's opinion, but
nobody was asking him
which he'd rather live in
or at least walk through.
"No surprise, this is one of
my favorites," Boss White said.
"It's like my own neighborhood,
which by the way has a lot more
of a tax base than you might think."
The street view felt homey to Shiv,
but it was cleaner and more colorful
than the places he usually lived.
"It has apartments, some of them
over retail, and a row of townhouses,"
said Boss White. "It doesn't have to be
built all at once; it's got modular options.
There's only one anchor, but I'm sure you
could find a restaurant for all those eaters."
"We might at that," Mr. Huxley said.
"What's the density on this one?"
"It's high-density at 59 units per acre,
mostly in the apartment building,"
said Boss White. "You could use
the townhouses as a transition
to moving out of the project --
or sell them with F-30 mortgages.
"Excellent idea," said Mr. Huxley.
"Hmm, that might work in some
of the other projects. I like that
about mixed-housing blocks."
Shiv jotted down that idea,
because if they could build on it,
then that would help a lot -- it was
damn hard to get out of public housing.
"Well, here's a mixed-use development
you might like," said Boss White. "It has
mid-rise apartment buildings along with
multifamily units that could be apartments
or condominiums. The site includes a park,
a community garden, a service building,
and a community center. At 57 units
per acre, this is high-density housing."
"Ugh, no, that ground-level retail
never rents, and empty stores
make for blight," said Mr. Huxley.
"They don't rent because landlords
charge too much in big projects, and
people want smaller storefronts,"
said Boss White. "The notes for
this plan reference a program that
reserves those units for residents
to start their own businesses."
"Oh, would that really work?"
Mr. Huxley said. "If it does,
that has a lot of potential.
We want to help people
out of Public Housing."
"Follow the link and find out,
I guess," said Boss White.
"The main challenge I see with
these is finding room for the buildings
and their parking," Mr. Huxley said.
"Well, if you want something
a little more radical, go car-free,"
said Boss White. "Plenty of
poor folks don't even own a car,
so why waste the parking space?
Here's a modular example with
different units around a courtyard,
affordable for small developers."
"Like a Barcelona block, only
less chunky," Shiv said. "Put it
by a bus station and it'd work."
"Oh, that one looks like
a candy factory exploded,"
Mr. Huxley complained.
"I can't argue with that,"
Boss White admitted. "Still,
nothing says this has to get
painted like the picture on
the box. Imagine that in black
to white, or shades of brown."
Shiv was instantly reminded
of Gray's handsome complex,
which used quiet grays brightened
with silver metalwork and softened
with ornamental grass landscaping.
He closed the scratchpad window
and opened a search. It only took
a few moments to find what he needed
with one of his favorite palette sites.
Then Shiv focused on his voice
and how he wanted to sound,
professional and middle-class
and just a whisper of Irish.
"Your suggested palettes, sir,
with some other options," he said.
Boss White's eyebrows went up.
"Now that's interesting," he said,
tilting the tablet toward Mr. Huxley.
"Much better, but some of those
still look too bright," Mr. Huxley said.
"That depends on which colors
you pick," said Shiv. "There are
fifteen options in each palette,
in three rows of five paint chips,
but you don't need that many.
You need at least four to avoid
having the same color touching,
and maybe a few more for variety."
"Why not fifteen?" Mr. Huxley said in
a tone that suggested he was testing Shiv.
"Because paint is expensive," Shiv said.
"The more kinds you have, the more it
costs, so don't buy more than you need."
Now Mr. Huxley's eyebrows went up.
"You're a house painter as well
as a secretary?" he said.
"No, he's an artist,"
said Boss White.
"Oh? Where did
you go to school?"
Mr. Huxley asked.
Shiv froze, determined
not to flinch but uncertain
what lie would work best.
"I believe he is currently into
continuing education classes at
the Hipster Center of Creative Arts,"
Boss White replied smoothly.
"Yes," Shiv said, grateful for
the out. "Right now I'm taking
watercolor workshops about
urban landscapes. Last week
everyone poached my photos
of Gray's apartment complex."
"May I see?" Mr. Huxley said.
"I'm interested in apartments,
especially anything that people
consider aesthetically appealing."
"Okay, this is up in Motor City,"
Shiv said, using his phone
to show the pictures. "Here
it is in summer first --"
"And people complained that
my building was Brutalism."
Mr. Huxley shook his head.
"It is not Brutalism," said Shiv.
"The buildings are symmetrical
and a lot of the metalwork curves."
He flicked his fingers over the screen.
"This is what it does when ice hits it."
"Oooh," Mr. Huxley said, leaning forward.
Gotcha, Shiv thought. The complex had
turned to a fairyland of silver and crystal,
gilded at the edges by the winter sun.
Another flick of his hand. "Here's
what I painted in class. We were
experimenting with metallic and
pearlescent watercolors," Shiv said.
"I don't suppose that painting is
for sale," Mr. Huxley said wistfully.
Shiv shook his head. "Sorry, I gave it
to Gray. His apartment, his painting."
It had been little enough to thank him
for putting up with Shiv all summer.
"Ah well, I'm still convinced of
your eye for color," said Mr. Huxley.
"Please, show me what you can do."
Shiv put away his phone and went
back to the tablet computer.
"The interiors of Gray's apartment
are done in gray and brown with
little pops of colors -- the complex
keeps a supply of paintings, vases,
and such for residents to choose,"
Shiv said. "That approach works
with most neutral palettes."
"It's common in Public Housing,"
Mr. Huxley agreed, nodding.
"Take Browntone, it's easy
to show the contrast," said Shiv.
"Drop the reddish left column and
the next-to-last with green and orange.
You have a palette of soft browns."
"Oh. I didn't even see that,"
Mr. Huxley said, surprised.
"But look at it this other way --"
Shiv covered the ends with
his hands. Use the middle and
you have nine autumn colors."
"That's not so bad after all,"
said Mr. Huxley. "What if
everyone wants green
and orange, though?"
"Simple," Shiv said. "If you
want more neutrals, make those
cheap or free. Charge extra for
the rest. Most people will go
neutral, but a few bright touches
will keep it from being boring."
He showed more samples
from the Browntone palette
that combined different colors.
"I wish I could put these on
the buildings," Shiv muttered,
looking at the catalog again.
"Oh hey, it has an app!"
He scanned the page, but
his phone bonked. No access.
"I can cover --" Boss White began.
"No, no, I have an account,"
Mr. Huxley said, waving a hand.
"May I borrow your tablet?"
Shiv looked at Boss White, and
when he nodded, handed it over.
When Mr. Huxley gave it back,
there was an app that let you
upload palettes, choose and
position buildings, and just
generally fool with designs.
Shiv took a couple of minutes
to explore the toolbars and
figure out how it all worked.
He'd gotten some great advice
from folks on BlackSheep about
how to analyze computer programs,
and now that he thought about it,
some of this looked a bit familiar.
Yep. There was the text/visual toggle
in the upper right corner as usual.
Shiv hit that, and then everything
got a whole lot easier to use. Now
he could just twirl it around by hand.
"Suppose you want to build several of
these blocks together. Use palettes
to tell them apart so folks don't get lost,"
Shiv said. "Here's what you can do..."
"I admit I'm curious about this
as well," said Boss White. "I've
never seen you do it before."
"It's not hard," Shiv said. "See,
Art Nouveau is mostly browns.
Right three columns, all brown.
Drop the reddish one and put in
green to brighten it, or take
the blue and green columns
and add the rightmost brown."
He dropped those onto a block
of housing, then moved on.
"Beigetone's a little softer and
laid out the opposite direction,
but the same trick works -- pick
your browns or your brights, and
mix it up a bit if you want to."
"Getting better," said Mr. Huxley.
"Do you have anything lighter?"
"Sure," said Shiv. "You like gray,
right? Graytone has two columns
of gray on the right. Take those
and add any row or column of
three brighter ones on the left."
He pulled up a few examples
to illustrate, then moved on.
"Neutral is so barely-there,
you could pick any random set
and it would look good," Shiv said.
To prove it, he used the Random key.
"You're right, that works. I like
this palette," said Mr. Huxley.
"It is neither drab nor ticky-tacky."
Shiv laughed. "I hate those suburbs
too," he said. "The kind of people
who want to live somewhere
that cookie-cutter are weird."
Still, he remembered to note
that Neutral was a favorite palette.
"Different folks have different tastes,"
Boss White said. "For example,
what about something deeper?
Not everyone likes pale colors."
"Let's see ... Earthtone is like
Browntone but more varied,"
Shiv said. "Take the left three
and you've got all browns, or
the middle for autumn colors."
"That's all similar what you've
done before. Give me something
fresh," Boss White pressed.
Shiv looked again. "Okay,
top row and bottom row. That
makes five colors, each with
two shades." He looked at
Earthtone and Elegant.
"These palettes both have
brown on one end and gray on
the other," Shiv said. "Add three
brighter colors -- like jade, orange,
and yellow -- for a softer autumn set."
"What about Elegant over here?"
said Boss White. "I would call
those jewel tones myself."
"You could do the same trick
with brown and gray, then add
any three brighter ones. I like
the middle row of red-violet,
twilight blue, and spruce."
"Something fresh, please,"
Boss White said again.
"Remember Mr. Huxley
doesn't want it too bold."
Shiv wracked his brain and
then the lightbulb went on.
"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Use
the brown and the gray as
house colors, and the brights
as trim on the doors and windows!
That'd work with other palettes too."
"I do like that idea," said Mr. Huxley.
"But can you do anything with
that candy explosion?"
"Let me see," Shiv said.
"Romantic comes close.
They're not bad colors, it's
just ... a bit much for houses."
"Exactly," said Mr. Huxley.
"I suppose they'd work as
trim. Victorians do that."
"I've seen those out west,"
Shiv said. The Finns had
taken him to San Francisco
before. He had to put his hands
in his pockets to keep them from
itching at his paintbox all day.
"If you take the bottom row, they're
pale enough to mix well with grays,"
Shiv said. "The brights ... maybe
you could reserve those for
the important places? Like
safety tape, that's bright."
"A block for young families
could use blue for a classroom,
purple for a public playground,
so on," Boss White said. "Easy
to find among gray houses."
"It's a thought," said Mr. Huxley.
"What about the block itself?
How flexible is that, really?"
"Totally flexible," Shiv said,
still playing with the colors.
"I could show you, but
my tablet's too small."
"Well, try this instead."
Mr. Huxley picked up
something that turned out
to be a computer tablet
the size of his whole desk.
"It's an architect tablet."
Shiv was half-afraid
to touch it, but he'd been
invited, so he went through
the same setup with the app.
"See, you can pick any of
the buildings. They have --"
He counted, double-checking.
"-- sixteen shapes and sizes.
Take this big lot, break it up,
and whoever buys the first slot
gets first pick of the buildings."
"You might want to set limits
to ensure variety," said Boss White.
"Cohousing does that," Mr. Huxley said.
"Oh! This would be perfect for that,
if it only came with a common house."
"Didn't I see nonresidential options
on that menu?" Boss White said,
looking over Shiv's shoulder.
"Multipurpose room, stores,
big office building, medium clinic,
laundromat, showerhouse with
toilets, and several sizes of
bike garage," Shiv read.
"It looks like they're offering
alternative parking instead of
standard car spaces, so it takes
less space," said Boss White.
"You're right about putting it
near a public transportation.
Residents wouldn't need cars."
"So this could be all housing, or
add amenities and workspace,"
Mr. Huxley said. "Promising.
What about the density?"
"Most buildings range
from two to four stories,"
said Boss White. "Figure
that low-rise apartments
and townhouses are usually
medium-density, but this
could go from low to high
depending on unit selection."
"Check this out," Shiv said.
"I found other patterns! You
can have a donut, a C-shape,
an L-shape, an H-shape, or
two parallel bars. It really is
modeled after Barcelona."
"Hopefully without the classism
and subsequent segregation,"
said Mr. Huxley. "The last thing
we need is more redlining."
"No, this lends itself toward
mixed-income housing due to
the mix of units," said Boss White.
"That should naturally attract
people with different budgets."
Then Shiv found the tool
that let you select units
and fit them into a block
like you were playing CarGo.
The paintbox tools allowed
a selection of different colors,
which could be placed by hand
or randomly generated based
on parameters that you set.
"I think this is meant to model
what happens when buyers
choose lots," Shiv said.
He created some examples
using colors sets that he had
suggested and Mr. Huxley
liked, such as Neutrals and
Earthtone's richer browns.
It wouldn't do trim, though.
Couldn't have everything.
"How are you generating
those combinations of
colors?" said Mr. Huxley.
"You can play with percentages
using this scale, so you get more
or less of the brighter colors
in the neutrals," Shiv said,
"but I have no idea how
to turn that into pricing."
"That's what accountants
are for," said Mr. Huxley.
Boss White chuckled.
"Agreed," he said. "You
just tell them what results
you want, and they find
a way to make it happen."
"You know, I hated
this housing plan when
I first saw it, but now I
love the versatility,"
Mr. Huxley said. "I'm
not sure I can make it
look this good, though."
"So? I can work up
a few models, actually
paying attention to units
and amenities," Shiv said.
"I mean, I'm not an architect,
but this is just like CarGo
and I'm top score at that."
Also he'd lived in a lot
of Public Housing, but he
wasn't about to say that.
"Yes, please," said Mr. Huxley,
so Shiv spent ten minutes
laying out different builds.
One was mostly small units
in Neutral. Another was for
larger families in Graytone
with pastel amenities.
The third in Beigetone
included a row of stores
and a bicycle garage
along with mixed units.
Shiv even set up one in
Earthtone with each side
a different color range and
one of every amenity type.
"You know some towns count
blocks in sets and put a park
in the middle?" Shiv said.
"Yes, like superblocks,"
Mr. Huxley said, nodding.
"If you built more than one of
these housing blocks, you could
do the same thing, with extras
in the middle," said Shiv.
"I think that gives us
proof of concept,"
Boss White said,
making Shiv smile.
"I'm not sure if we
can add this to the set
of pre-approved plans
given its variability, but I
still like it," said Mr. Huxley.
"Flip back," Shiv said, and
Boss White did. "There, the one
with corner units. See, it's just like
a set of building blocks -- it has
long straight lines, short ones,
and corners. If you pre-approve
those elements, then people
could fit whatever lot they buy."
"Let me see that catalog,"
Mr. Huxley said. He stared
at it for a minute. "All right,
they have separate specs for
the elements. That will work. I'm
just worried about retail occupancy."
"Talk to the food desert people,"
Shiv said. "Blues Moon works with
Eat Healthy Omaha, and I know that
they're connected with other groups like
Blooming Desert and Farm to First Street.
I bet they can fill your corner anchors."
"Don't forget My Diet, Angel Food,
Devil's Food, CSAs, and other places
that sell food packages," said Boss White.
"If you just set aside one live-work unit for
distributions, and schedule different days
for each organization, that's one filled."
"I can assign someone to explore
booking sites with other organizations
instead of the usual retail renters,"
Mr. Huxley said, making a note.
"Should be easy to fill corners,"
Shiv said. "It's just a matter of
finding people who want to push
what you want your people to buy.
It's like moving around buildings
or colors -- break it into pieces
so they do what you want."
"The color work really is
impressive," Mr. Huxley said.
"I'm definitely saving these."
"Ah, this is nothing," Shiv said.
"If I had more time I'd go out to
Paint With Nature and make up
some actual Nebraska palettes."
"I'm amazed how you can
see possibilities like this,"
said Mr. Huxley. "I'm afraid
my brain doesn't work that way."
"I've been told I'm a visual thinker,"
Shiv said. "If you're not good at this,
hire an artist. A designer will try
to do what's trendy. An artist will
just tell you what looks good."
"Now where am I supposed
to find the budget for that?"
Mr. Huxley grumbled.
Shiv shrugged. "Go over
to the college and talk with
the art teachers. I bet they'd
love to have a real project
for practicing color studies."
"Color studies?" said Mr. Huxley.
"Yeah, they're little thumbnails
of the same idea, but each done
in different colors," Shiv explained.
"This app has a tool for that, give
me a minute and I'll show you."
He copied the first block
that he'd already assembled.
Then he used the paint tools
change the proportions of
each color in the same palette.
Next he changed the palette,
showing it in Beigetone,
Graytone, and Elegant.
"Like this," Shiv said,
showing it to Mr. Huxley.
"The shape stays the same,
just the colors change, so
you can compare them."
"Oh, they do pop right out,
don't they?" Mr. Huxley
sounded pleased. "I'm
just not sure how to pick
which palette to offer."
"Now if it were me, I'd go
around town and take pictures
to see what colors we already
have here," said Shiv. "Then
ask which of them people like.
Offer the more popular ones,
and maybe a few others."
"Why not all popular colors?"
Mr. Huxley wondered.
"Well, what if the men
like neutrals and women
like brights?" Shiv said.
"It happens, if they want
to decorate like they dress.
Then it's not fair to leave
one group with nothing,
if they're outnumbered,
or even just outclassed."
"Not to mention, black folks
like African colors. They'll go
for Earthtone or Elegant,
depending which inspiration
they're using," said Boss White.
"Good point," Mr. Huxley said.
"That scandal I do not need."
"Then mark the surveys for race,
gender, and so on," Boss White said.
"That way, you can ensure that
everyone gets something."
"So noted," Mr. Huxley said,
jotting down a reminder.
Then his watch chimed.
"My goodness, that's
the ten-minute warning
already," he exclaimed.
Where had they gone
with two whole hours?
"I can't thank you gentlemen
enough for coming today,"
said Mr. Huxley. "Especially
you, Mr. Harrison. I am
delighted I got to meet you."
"It's been ... more interesting
than I expected," Shiv said.
"That app is something else."
"Housing and Urban Development
has good tools," said Mr. Huxley.
"I'm happy to share them, whenever
you come back for more brainstorming."
"I think I'd like that," Shiv said. Then
he had to help put up the big tablet,
and log the app off his tablet computer.
It did let him save all his notes and
pictures of the builds, though.
Mr. Huxley and Boss White
were going over the other plans,
sorting them in order of preference
and what size lots they'd fit on.
Shiv knew how this went,
more or less -- Boss White
would hold meetings for a week
or so, and by the end of it, he
would have a game plan that
everyone could support.
It would be interesting
to see how that played out.
Finally Mr. Huxley stood up
and walked them to the door.
"Thank you for coming," he said.
"I hope to see you again soon."
Then he shook hands
with both of them.
Shiv was so stunned
that he barely remembered
to do it right, not too hard
or too soft or jerking away.
Mr. Huxley had a good grip,
and he even smiled at Shiv.
The big building seemed
a little less daunting on
the way back out.
Outside, sunlight
tinted the clouds
silver and gold.
As soon as they
reached the sidewalk,
Boss White sighed.
"I do like that man,
because he gets things
done, but damn he is
a push-to-start car,"
Boss White said.
Shiv cracked up.
"Yeah, Boss, but
so am I," he said.
Boss White clapped him
on the shoulder. "Yeah, but
you're worth every bit of it."
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character, setting, and content notes will appear elsewhere.
