5.05.2005
THE CITY...we are going to the city
athe theory of architecture has evolved through one issue as to how one can create perfect single buildings whatever they are. fact against this phenomenon is that there is almost a [complete absense of any coherent theory beyond the one of the single buildings] have we so long accustomed outselves to conceiving of building as separate entities that, today we suffer from an inadequancy of spatial languages to make a meaningful environment? i think we need to investigate the nature of maybe a 'collective form'. i think collective form represents groups of buildings and quasi-buildings [the segment of our cities] collective form is not a collection of unrelated, separate buildings, but of buildings that have reasons to be together.
how will our cities be 'formed' in the future? 'form' rather than 'design' --relating to luis kahn
will they be: compositional? [like most of the US?] megastructure? [like tokyo?] group form? [like most of europe?]
how will our cities hold a capacity for the new rush to re-inhabit the core? will there be a capacity? will we designate certain cities to become mega-node 'supercities'?
sorry...this is a crazy post...maybe we need to break it up into two or three breaks. post up...lets hear some theory...and some optimism. ¶ 16:21
how will our cities be 'formed' in the future? 'form' rather than 'design' --relating to luis kahn
will they be: compositional? [like most of the US?] megastructure? [like tokyo?] group form? [like most of europe?]
how will our cities hold a capacity for the new rush to re-inhabit the core? will there be a capacity? will we designate certain cities to become mega-node 'supercities'?
sorry...this is a crazy post...maybe we need to break it up into two or three breaks. post up...lets hear some theory...and some optimism. ¶ 16:21
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Tom,
This is a large question, so I'll just take a bite. on your last comment on the past thread, you mentioned the human scale, and how important it is. i agree. with people wanting to move into the core of the city, where are going to have to rethink transportation. cities are going to have to bite the bullet and spend the money to focus on mass transit, becuase it caters to the pedestrian, at the human scale. Cities that don't will fail. I know I'm not stating anything you guys don't know already. But like you said, we can not look at a buildings as individual anymore. Most large buildings will have to be nodes- that is a place where people can easy come into and out of that connects easily to the rest of the city. so to answer the question, I beleive that transportation is the key for cities develop in the future.
This is a large question, so I'll just take a bite. on your last comment on the past thread, you mentioned the human scale, and how important it is. i agree. with people wanting to move into the core of the city, where are going to have to rethink transportation. cities are going to have to bite the bullet and spend the money to focus on mass transit, becuase it caters to the pedestrian, at the human scale. Cities that don't will fail. I know I'm not stating anything you guys don't know already. But like you said, we can not look at a buildings as individual anymore. Most large buildings will have to be nodes- that is a place where people can easy come into and out of that connects easily to the rest of the city. so to answer the question, I beleive that transportation is the key for cities develop in the future.
i totally agree eric. how is transit in cali? just curious. busses mostly? the US is so large...i'm curious what options we have open @ the moment...w/out massive re-construction efforts.
tommy,
mass transit here is below par at best. We have buses, but the schedules change a lot. you really have to know what your doing in order to get around using them. we also have a light rail trolley that can get you around downtown and to tiajuana, and a train to take you to a few outlaying suburbs. I have yet to use the bus, because it is slightly "ghetto" for lack of a better word. The interesting thing about san diego though, is people despretly want to live downtown. Condos are going up all over the city. The city planners do know what they're doing by recognizing different area's of town to develop. i.e. little italy, hillcrest, bankers hill, and the east village, and make sure they keep a distinctive flavor. One of the best moves they made was to locate the Padres stadium downtown. when aaron and i went to a game it was great to see the busses packed and the trolley full of fans. after the game it was great to come out of the stadium into the heart of the city. San Diego is a relativly new city, and I think they are despretley trying not to make the mistakes of other cities, and end up like L.A. The big problem here is that the city is essentially bankrupt. The mayor here last month was voted the second worst mayor in the u.s and has since resigned. with no money the infrastructure here is crumbling. the roads here are some of the worst i've ever seen. my principles explained to me that this is the reason you don't see any arch. competions for any buildings. because they have no money for any large scale civic type buildings. the city overall lacks the character of a chicago and boston, but as far a being a large city on the west coast, I feel they're trying at least. It is nice though, once you get to an area of town, I feel that it is highly walkable and enjoyable, however they need to focus on connecting these areas by better transit. How are things where you guys are. are you able to get around fairly easily? I don't want to focus my answers purley on transportation on this thread, but I feel it's a big part of your original question.
mass transit here is below par at best. We have buses, but the schedules change a lot. you really have to know what your doing in order to get around using them. we also have a light rail trolley that can get you around downtown and to tiajuana, and a train to take you to a few outlaying suburbs. I have yet to use the bus, because it is slightly "ghetto" for lack of a better word. The interesting thing about san diego though, is people despretly want to live downtown. Condos are going up all over the city. The city planners do know what they're doing by recognizing different area's of town to develop. i.e. little italy, hillcrest, bankers hill, and the east village, and make sure they keep a distinctive flavor. One of the best moves they made was to locate the Padres stadium downtown. when aaron and i went to a game it was great to see the busses packed and the trolley full of fans. after the game it was great to come out of the stadium into the heart of the city. San Diego is a relativly new city, and I think they are despretley trying not to make the mistakes of other cities, and end up like L.A. The big problem here is that the city is essentially bankrupt. The mayor here last month was voted the second worst mayor in the u.s and has since resigned. with no money the infrastructure here is crumbling. the roads here are some of the worst i've ever seen. my principles explained to me that this is the reason you don't see any arch. competions for any buildings. because they have no money for any large scale civic type buildings. the city overall lacks the character of a chicago and boston, but as far a being a large city on the west coast, I feel they're trying at least. It is nice though, once you get to an area of town, I feel that it is highly walkable and enjoyable, however they need to focus on connecting these areas by better transit. How are things where you guys are. are you able to get around fairly easily? I don't want to focus my answers purley on transportation on this thread, but I feel it's a big part of your original question.
Tom, your notion of 'collective form' caught me, as I think it is something counterintuitive to Americans. So much of American history is built on the individual man and his accomplishments that today everything is 'Me, me, me' and I believe that people do not know what the collective is. If they cannot learn to share in the parking lot of a strip mall or to buy cars that don't consume as much gas, how can they live in a city, sharing so much with so many? I know that in London it is similar to America, as the English love their privacy and personal posessions. I believe that we will understand the collective and start to yearn for buildings that express this when we can get over ourselves and realize that what is best for us may not be best for the rest.
yes, yes. i do agree that infastructure is such a vital element. it is very interesting comparing cities this way. is it even worth it to put it in after the fact...like denver and the 't-rex' project of digging up and re aligning the highway w/ new metro tracks?? is this sustainable? the amout of distruction for this to be placed in after the fact...and for what? will it be used? it's a complex question. you never really appriciate mass transit until your thrown in it...@ least that was my condition. busses, under/above metro, regional trains, high speed express trains, trollys....it just keeps going on and on. what CPH rocks @ is that all systems are run by the same company...thus a synchro. of events. it's fantastic. and the biking culture (a whole other world on it's own) 1/3 of all CPH workers or what not commute by bike. every morning, every night, every type of weather conditon. it's crazy. the US is too large for this type of community.
on to another topic. the danes are used to high density. they kinda have to deal with it being on a small island. the amount of social housing conditons (not of political context) are amazing. the experimenting of these ideas and 'forms' is so excepted by the population. they love to experiment...and try new things. with what sam was saying: i think that modernism introduced a feeling of isolation to 'housing' @ least. big tall towers, no relation to your surrounding or your neighbors. isolated in their architectural sense too. i have no idea where that went...but coming back...yes...americans i think are too isolated...but this is a product of our environment. humans are able to modify their environment...let's modify it so i know my neighbor...and i know my surroundings. what do you think?
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