Reversing Junkspace
Junkspace is
indoor space. The phenomenon of junkspace did not occur until there were
buildings to house this space. And then the junkspace started to spread to the
outdoors. People had to find a way to get from junkspace to junkspace quicker
then walking; launching the bleeding out of junkspace into the streets (roads,
highways, oversized parking lots).
Koolhaas alluded to the fact that now junkspace is getting
rebuilt into different junkspace. Replacing wants with more wants. One could
argue that none of this junkspace is necessary. It is not vital to the
existence of humans on this planet. It is, however, vital to today’s society and
generations. Reversing junkspace would require starting from the end and
working back towards the start. Does this mean ridding the outdoors of
junkspace? No more traffic, dumps, parking lots? Impossible. Or is it?
Your idea that Junkspace is not vital to the existence of humans, but rather today's society is an interesting thought. Perhaps the spreading of Junkspace is actually a product of the convenience that plagues society today: faster and cheaper is better.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really awesome take on junkspace. It may even suggest that our society as a whole is junkspace, not just the creation of infrastructure that connects us to our junkspaces. It is a scary thought that we continue to get worse about creating these spaces, and it is even scary trying to think about a way to solve or reverse it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Harrison, it is scary to think that WE are junkspace and if we were to "reverse" it how would that look like? I would be curious to see how we can "fix it" or change it into something that serves us better but could that be then considered an evolution to it or just a way to go back to the beginning? Great post Katie!
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting to me because I am from Texas, and everything is completely spread out. If you ever need to go get something from the store, it is more convenient to get in a car, drive across arterial roads, park in a giant parking lot, and go into an enormous building with everything in one place. Every part of that journey is cluttered with Junkspace. The culture in which I grew up in is one of convenience, and it is difficult to imagine my home without those qualities. If we were to erase the Junkspace from that scenario, what is left and how would people react? That is quite an intriguing thought.
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