Chaos is good, right?
Is congestion a positive attribute of a city? Rem Koolhaas seems to believe so, and I… kind of agree.
As I watched Blade Runner, the film portrayed the city as a dynamic, lively, and densely populated dystopia. The futuristic setting challenges traditional urban planning concepts, instead embracing the disorder and congestion inherent in a metropolis. This aligns with Koolhaas's perspective; the chaos proves more adaptable to the constantly changing inhabitants and their need for flexibility. Additionally, this approach introduces another dimension of impact for the city's residents, contributing to a heightened level of complexity in the urban environment.
“Manhattan represents the apotheosis of the ideal of density per se, both of population and of infrastructures; its architecture promotes a state of congestion on all possible levels and exploits this congestion to inspire and support particular forms of social intercourse that together form a unique culture of congestion” -Rem Koolhaas
I can see how the constant change of inhabitants in the future would create a need for more adaptability and flexibility in the built environment. However, when do we draw the line of building to full capacity versus reusing architecture in a way that enhances the natural world rather than taking away from it? I think it is a subjective stance that designers have to take, whether this dense chaos is a desired outcome or something to avoid, as it could go too far. I'd be interested to watch that movie!
ReplyDeleteOlivia,
ReplyDeleteI agree congestion is necessary for positive impacts on metropolitan life. Natalie raises a good point also about architecture that propigates natural settings, whatever is left of that in this anthropocene. I believe the answer lies in acknowledging the metropolis with tact, rather than the far too common autocratic heavy hand we tend to use as designers.
I agree with your post Olivia, but it makes me ask the question of whether we should strive as designers to create an artificial sense of chaos and density? Like what was achieved by Koolhaas in the large skyscraper 'De Rotterdam' that we looked at in the lecture. Or is chaos, congestion and density better to be created by the natural addition of buildings and people over time?
ReplyDeleteI believe congestion is necessary for innovation... innovation in means for dealing with congestion. Is congestion in itself inherently good? I know that personally, there's nothing I love more than spending time outdoors among plants, not necessarily streetscapes.
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