Venturi, Robert. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture.
"[Architecture] must embody the difficult unity of inclusion rather than the easy unit of exclusion." (p.16)
Public buildings, parks and plazas are more inclusive than their private counterparts; private ownership can more forcefully control how, when and by whom the space is used. However in both instances, design that includes a pedestrian scale is more inviting to foot traffic than designs without. For example, retail and commercial buildings that have a pedestrian scaled ground level entice more pedestrian traffic than those designed for the scale of the automobile. In a dense urban metropolis, this type of traffic is very important since travel by private vehicle is discouraged, in so far as, there is a minimum amount of parking, parking times are limited, parking prices are high and streets are congested with buses, taxis and municipal vehicles. Public transportation and foot traffic are thus encouraged. Therefore including pedestrian scaled design for potential customers is useful.
In addition to business and retail, pedestrian scaled buildings and places are necessary to create vibrant and safe paths and edges within neighborhoods and communities. Streets with more pedestrians are safer and safer paths are more traversed and better maintained. Pedestrian activity along paths and among edges indicates the "behavioral patterns" of a place and these "behavioral patterns" influence building patterns, intensity and construction. For example, buildings within a dense urban setting that receive a heavy flow of pedestrian traffic along their sidewalks and a heavy flow of automobile traffic along their streets must be more structurally robust than buildings in a more rural environment that do not receive a heavy flow of pedestrian and automobile traffic. The influence of urban culture on urban form is the framework for the design coordination and articulation of buildings, public spaces, streets, transportation systems and landscape.
Therefore my research during this seminar will study urban paths and edges in New York City neighborhoods in order to understand how urban culture defines urban from so that I can better explain to my audience urban design.
In addition to business and retail, pedestrian scaled buildings and places are necessary to create vibrant and safe paths and edges within neighborhoods and communities. Streets with more pedestrians are safer and safer paths are more traversed and better maintained. Pedestrian activity along paths and among edges indicates the "behavioral patterns" of a place and these "behavioral patterns" influence building patterns, intensity and construction. For example, buildings within a dense urban setting that receive a heavy flow of pedestrian traffic along their sidewalks and a heavy flow of automobile traffic along their streets must be more structurally robust than buildings in a more rural environment that do not receive a heavy flow of pedestrian and automobile traffic. The influence of urban culture on urban form is the framework for the design coordination and articulation of buildings, public spaces, streets, transportation systems and landscape.
Therefore my research during this seminar will study urban paths and edges in New York City neighborhoods in order to understand how urban culture defines urban from so that I can better explain to my audience urban design.
