Lecture 1: Review

Some interesting points were raised in the first lecture of the semester:

The Basic Concepts

Mirko began with 3 simple questions:
1. What is architecture
2. What is good architecture
3. What is a city

Architecture is any man made form. It relies upon a designated construction that serves a purpose at the end, whether that be shelter, rest area or activity hub. It doesn't have to be beautiful but it does have to serve its built purpose.

What is good architecture. The above paragraph stated that architecture is any man made form. Well good architecture is more than just a building. Is serves its built purpose, provides shelter and responds to its context and natural surroundings in which it is formed. It should sit within the area in which it is built. It needs to respect its surrounding and offer the user a delight to be in that space. As Vitruvius wrote it meets the following criteria: firmness, commodity and delight.

In my opinion a city is the central hub of an area for commercial use or the foundation for financial production. Historically and geographically it can be highlighted that cities are most often built on rivers. This is so in the earlier centuries access via boat was available to transport produce. This highlights that a market place and farming was the central activity in the area. Today it has expanded into a man made concrete jungle, but the essence has stayed the same: a market place for financial gain.

Cities

Mirko touched on the concept of urban planning. It was interesting to see how a crucial it is to get the first steps of city planning correct. Otherwise complete mayhem will occur. I only need to look at Brisbane and see how little thought into future planning has caused major chaos in the CBD. The city is built on a floodplain and it so congested with ingoing and outgoing traffic, it all seems to have been crammed into a far to small area. Canberra on the other hand is completely opposite. Carefully planned step by step with comprehensive building codes and restrictions on heights and minimum road widths etc the city runs smoothly with still the potential for expansion. This highlights how important analysis, strategic planning, policies and management are whilst planning a city. This idea can also be applied to a simply residential construction. The right procedure needs to be followed.

I never realised that cities were either organic or planned. I always thought that there would have been some sort of system in place. Organic planning can still offer some sort of structure however it is not restricted by boundaries, it can also on the other hand lead to a complete mess. I find that organic cities respond better to the natural environment. Following a river line, conforming to a mountain edge etc. I presume though that because of these natural surroundings that this is why the city is planned organically rather than systematically. So they can respond to the environment and not be restricted. Planned cities have a clear and identifiable structure. The commonly straight line and meet a clear criteria. For this to work they would need to start new in a completely undeveloped area and already have a clear image of what it will be like when it is finished. Organic and Planned cities can conform together and it is often quite clear when this has happened.