Living in the city, especially one the size of New York, can sometimes be a challenge. The density of population, movement and sounds in Paris, not to mention Mumbai, Beijing or Rio de Janeiro, makes for a different kind of existence from what one would find in nature, to say the least. Yet there are extraordinary benefits to urban life as well, rewards which for those of us who have chosen to inhabit a place like New York far outweigh any inconveniences which might be found. Yes, there is nothing more beautiful, I would say, than the delicate serenity of a mountain path at dawn. However, there is perhaps no more important interaction for the future of our planet than the human adventure which shapes our daily existence in those vibrant megalopolises which are flourishing all over the world.
We have only to ask our students what they think of the city around us to understand the exceptional vitality with which our own urban environment imbues their lives. How many times have I met classes from the Lycée Français returning from a museum or a concert or an exhibition or a show somewhere in New York radiant with excitement? How many times have I asked for advice on what to visit with my family and been given long, impassioned counsel from one or more students about what to explore in the city on a Sunday afternoon? How many times have I encountered a third grader or a seventh grader or a twelfth grader at the Guggenheim, the Lincoln Center or the Brooklyn Bridge and marveled at his or her insights into the cultural fabric of our urban existence? Too many to count, is the simple answer.
In many respects, New York is the greatest extension of our school campus we could ever imagine, as I am confident all of us who have elected to send our children to the LFNY would wholeheartedly agree. And I would dare to add that we are not just beneficiaries of the inestimable gifts which our city has to offer, but also contributors to that immeasurable vivacity. Consider the outstanding program which the LFNY Cultural Center is providing our students in 2013-14, thanks to brilliant work by its director, Pascale Richard. Much of that programming is open to young people from other schools in New York and to all Francophiles interested in “deepening our understanding and celebration of diversity and cultures from all over the world” (Mission Statement, LFNY Cultural Center).” As the Lycée Français “de” New York, our participation in the wider cultural community of which we are members has never been more important.
Such were my thoughts this past Wednesday evening, while attending the first of our three annual “21st Century Citizenship Distinguished Panel Discussions”, devoted on this inaugural occasion to the fascinating theme of urban design and planning. Moderated by Rick Bell, Executive Director of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Wednesday’s event looked at the future of cities through a highly informative and inspiring dialogue among three world-renowned architectural experts: Barry Bergdoll, Professor of Architectural History in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University and the Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art; Alexandros E. Washburn, Chief Urban Designer at the New York City Department of City Planning; and Susan Rodriguez, founding partner of Ennead Architects and one of the designers of the new LFNY buildings in 2003.
Rencontre Tomorrow’s Cities : Paris- New York, au LFNY, le 2 octobre 2013.
If you were unable to join us this week, please do mark your calendars for our next two “Distinguished Panel Discussions”, regarding climate change on November 21, 2013, and social entrepreneurship on February 27, 2014. And do not hesitate to invite your neighbors. As Mr. Washburn writes in his excellent book entitled The Nature of Urban Design: A New York Perspective on Resilience, “I care about my city because I care about my neighborhood. I care about my neighborhood because I care about my family. It is a natural progression, something I’ve watched in my children as they have grown in age and aptitude. The emancipation of leaving the house to walk to school ushered in the neighborhood, but when they learned to ride the subway and conquered the city itself, they became New Yorkers above all else (page 5).” At the Lycée Français, we are New Yorkers too. May we give to our city as much as it clearly gives us!
Featured photo credit: Sergey Semenov.
About the Author :
Sean Lynch was Head of School at the Lycée Français de New York from 2011 to 2018, after having spent 15 years at another French bilingual school outside of Paris: the Lycée International de St. Germain-en-Laye. Holding both French and American nationalities, educated in France (Sciences Po Paris) and the United States (Yale), and as the proud husband of a French-American spouse and father of two French-American daughters, Sean Lynch has spent his entire professional and personal life at the junction between the languages, cultures and educational systems of France and the United States. In addition to being passionate about education, he loves everything related to the mountains, particularly the Parc National du Mercantour.