Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
One, Three, Nine , A Thesis Proposal
ONE- You Can't Fight City Hall? : An Investigation into the Spatial Requirements of Democratic Participation and Governance in the 21st Century
THREE- The ultimate success of a democratic society is contingent upon an active and informed citizenry. Traditionally, in Western Democratic Societies, the city/town hall has been the locus of activity, providing a space for debate, dissemination, and decision making. However, over the last century, and moving forward into the next, the relationship between the city/town hall as the tangible place of governance and the citizens making up the community under its jurisdiction has, and is, becoming increasingly fragmented.
NINE- The City Hall of the 21st Century needs to reassert itself once again as the locus of municipal civic life. Advances in technology have radically changed the way communities define themselves and interact with each other. Yet the typology of the city hall has altered little. Additionally, the traditional role of town hall as meeting place is moving towards obseletion, accelerated along its path by alternate forms of information dissemination and telecommunications. Concurrently, the viability of the municipality as a governing body is being challenged across the country, as budget constraints are encouraging consolidation, or at the very least an increase in efficiency attune to doing more with less.
Finally, the nature of public space in the contemporary urban condition is increasingly becoming privatized, limiting outlets for public demonstration and discussion. These factors have led to an increasingly polarized society that is reflected in our use of space in the city. The symbolism of classical civic architecture has been subverted from its ideals, communicating elitism, and furthering this polarization.
In order to maintain relevancy, the city hall needs to adapt to these societal changes through a reevaluation of its purpose and its realization.
THREE- The ultimate success of a democratic society is contingent upon an active and informed citizenry. Traditionally, in Western Democratic Societies, the city/town hall has been the locus of activity, providing a space for debate, dissemination, and decision making. However, over the last century, and moving forward into the next, the relationship between the city/town hall as the tangible place of governance and the citizens making up the community under its jurisdiction has, and is, becoming increasingly fragmented.
NINE- The City Hall of the 21st Century needs to reassert itself once again as the locus of municipal civic life. Advances in technology have radically changed the way communities define themselves and interact with each other. Yet the typology of the city hall has altered little. Additionally, the traditional role of town hall as meeting place is moving towards obseletion, accelerated along its path by alternate forms of information dissemination and telecommunications. Concurrently, the viability of the municipality as a governing body is being challenged across the country, as budget constraints are encouraging consolidation, or at the very least an increase in efficiency attune to doing more with less.
Finally, the nature of public space in the contemporary urban condition is increasingly becoming privatized, limiting outlets for public demonstration and discussion. These factors have led to an increasingly polarized society that is reflected in our use of space in the city. The symbolism of classical civic architecture has been subverted from its ideals, communicating elitism, and furthering this polarization.
In order to maintain relevancy, the city hall needs to adapt to these societal changes through a reevaluation of its purpose and its realization.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Architecture Is
 |
The first architect who really captured my interest, and influenced my choice to study the field was Buckminster Fuller. My visual response was triggered by an exhibition on his life's work I saw a couple of years ago at the Whitney in New York entitled, Starting With the Universe. The image, which is a matrix of screenshots taken from Ray and Charles Eames Powers of Ten video, is an expression of what I value most about the architectural education, and what aspect of Architecture I find most interesting, which is the ability to simultaneously work at different scales within a cohesive whole. |
Architecture Is...
the exploration and implementation of interventions into space relating to human use. Central to its purpose, architecture is defined by its ability to synthesize disparate and often competing factors in numerous fields, realms, and scales, into a cohesive whole. Exemplary architecture challenges its users to explore and define new relationships between both each other, and their environment through a thoughtful engagement of the human body and imagination. The nature of space is an important element in influencing the way we as a society interact with one another, thus positioning architecture as an influential actor within society.
Believing this has led me to question the nature of our society's civic architecture. How does our democracy manifest itself in space? What are the spaces of our civic engagement? Why are we as a society so ambivalent, passive, and apathetic when it comes to participating and engaging in government? Is watching CSPAN really the best way to participate in a democratic society? The Greeks had the Pnyx, what do we have?
Believing this has led me to question the nature of our society's civic architecture. How does our democracy manifest itself in space? What are the spaces of our civic engagement? Why are we as a society so ambivalent, passive, and apathetic when it comes to participating and engaging in government? Is watching CSPAN really the best way to participate in a democratic society? The Greeks had the Pnyx, what do we have?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)