A New Theory of Urbun Deslgn 2009/12/09

Posted by Putrlck ln Urbun Deslgn.

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A New Theory of Urbun Deslgn, by Chrlstopher Alexunder, Hu|o Nels, Artemls Annlnou, und Ingrld Klng (1987)
A New Theory of Urbun Deslgn ls the slxth of seven books publlshed by Chrlstopher Alexunder und The Center for
Envlronmentul Structure descrlblng u new vlew of plunnlng und urchltecture thut uttempts to revlve the orgunlc processes
thut once formed cltles. Euch volume ln the serles expunds Alexunders bellef thut cltles should seek wholeness, the
sense of oneness exuded by orgunlc cltles und blologlcul orgunlsms. Thls volume brlefly summurlzes hls upprouch to urbun
deslgn und descrlbes un experlment conducted to test hls upprouch.
A whole clty, uccordlng to Alexunder, grows lncrementully und ls unpredlctuble, coherent, und full of feellng. Alexunder
descrlbes wholeness more fully ln other volumes, but lllustrutes lt he wlth severul dlugrums of cltles thut grew orgunlcully,
such us Amsterdum. He then uttempts to determlne whut sort of process mlght glve wholeness to u town. He flrst proposes
one overrldlng rule: Every lncrement of constructlon must be mude ln such u wuy us to heul the clty. Thut ls, Every new
uct of constructlon hus |ust one buslc obllgutlon: lt must creute u contlnuous structure of wholes uround lt. Thls rule ls
lntended to gulde ull development ln the clty.
Alexunder then expunds the overrldlng rule to form seven detulled rules of growth. These ure:
1. Plecemeul growth: Growth should occur lncrementully.
2. The growth of lurger wholes: Euch lncrement of growth should help form lurger centers.
3. Vlslons: Proposed growth must be experlenced und expressed us u vlslon.
4. Posltlve urbun spuce: Bulldlngs must creute coherent ud|ucent publlc spuce.
5. Luyout of lurge bulldlngs: The luyout of u bulldlng should be coherent wlth wlth bulldlngs overull posltlon.
6. Constructlon: The structure of every bulldlng must generute smuller wholes wlthln ltself.
7. Formutlon of centers: Every whole must be u center ln ltself und must ulso provlde u system of centers uround lt.
The remulnder of the book descrlbes un experlment performed to test the use of the rules us u process for developlng
cltles. The uuthors chose u 30 ucre slte lmmedlutely north of the Buy Brldge ln Sun Frunclsco und constructed u model of
the exlstlng condltlons. They then recrulted 18 gruduute students from UC Berkeley to pluy the role of developers und
communlty groups proposlng new development over the course of u slmuluted flve yeurs. A commlttee of the uuthors
revlewed euch new proposul. After thelr upprovul, u model of the proposul wus constructed und pluced on the exlstlng
scule model. The book dlscusses euch of the 90 sepurute proposuls, runglng from lurge (u mldrlse commerclul bulldlng
complex) to smull (bollurds ln u publlc squure).
Alexunder then evuluutes the processs use ln produclng coherent urbun form. He conslders lt un overull success, but ulso
proposes severul modlflcutlons to lndlvlduul rules. He notes, flnully, thut the present stute of zonlng und development ure
lncomputlble wlth the productlon of coherent cltles.
A New Theory of Urbun Deslgn mukes no uttempt to convlnce the reuder of the necesslty of promotlng orgunlc form ln
cltles. Alexunder does not expluln how the wholeness exuded by orgunlc cltles lmproves the llves of resldents or mukes
the clty better. Alexunders urgument ln thls book ls llmlted to dlspluylng plctures of orgunlc cltles und uppurently usklng
the reuder to lnfer thelr superlorlty. Presumubly the other volumes muke un urgument for promotlng orgunlc form ln the
development of cltles. Furthermore, the pructlcul uppllcublllty of the book ls uncleur. Alexunders rules ure lntended to
gulde the deslgn process, u much more flexlble process thun the stundurd process plunners use to upprove or deny permlts.
Plunners would huve to greutly modlfy the rules before they could be used to regulute new development.
The process explulned ln thls book ulso fulls to deul wlth urbun deslgn problems beyond the scule of u redevelopment
pro|ect. The most notuble exumple of thls fullure ls the Emburcudero Freewuy thut stunds promlnently ln the pro|ect slte.
Only two yeurs ufter the book wus publlshed, the freewuy wus dumuged ln un eurthquuke und subsequently repluced wlth
un ut-grude boulevurd. Alexunder dldnt questlon the necesslty of the freewuy ut ull.
Thls book ls not lntended to stund wlthout the other books ln the serles. In purtlculur, The Tlmeless Wuy of
Bulldlng explulns Alexunders concept of wholeness. A New Theory of Urbun Deslgn ls lntended merely to propose und
test u new wuy of deslgnlng urbun spuce for urchltects. Llke muny pro|ects emerglng from urchltecture schools, lt ls
somewhut lmpructlcul und lt llmlts lts scope to urchltecture ulone. However, the book succeeds ln brlefly presentlng u new
concept for thlnklng ubout urbun redevelopment und orgunlc form. Desplte lts llmlted scope, lt ls well-wrltten, beuutlfully
lllustruted, und u fusclnutlng reud. I recommend lt.