Participatory Housing and Public Spaces
I’ve really enjoyed David’s examples of affordable housing
and participatory architecture that can adapt to the needs of those living in
the units. The precedents he showed were not only sensitive to the rooms where
families would live, but also the shared public spaces. These buildings that
change with the community that lives within them begin to evoke images of old, medieval
neighborhoods of Europe where space was limited and families shared public spaces
for many activities. Specifically, in
Italy the piazzas were not just for the market in the mornings, but they were
also where families would wash their clothes or where the kids would play. The importance of a flexible public space was
just as important as the architecture that would adapt as the families grew. It
was amazing to see this same dynamic occurring within the balconies or courtyards
of the affordable housing discussed in class.
These projects are very interesting for me too. I have beed thinking about how residencial areas in Italian cities grew organiclly over a large perid of time and were shaped by the people that actually used them. It is like if people where responsible for building their own dwelling spaces and that turned out pretty well I think. Maybe our problem is that we are rushing things out and always tried to deliver a finished product.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it seems the unplanned spaces are more intresting than the programed areas in a building. I agree with you though, I enjoy seeing residences that have grown organically/how people have adapted to them over time.
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