Politics and Disasters Influence on Cities
There is a lot of similarities with how horrible events in history have shaped our cities throughout the 20th century. Whether it be political unrests and riots or catastrophic building failures, urban areas have been influenced greatly by different radical events. For example, the Tulsa riots in 1921 completely leveled an entire block and now a century later the same location is a beautiful vibrant area of the city. Another example is the Chicago Fire of 1871, which burned over 3 square miles of the city to the ground. Now Chicago is one of the biggest metropolises in the US. It seems like good architectural design and planning comes from these horrible events which is an interesting dynamic. Obviously not all good architecture has emerged from catastrophe, but in many instances radical change of an area is what has brought great design. Do we need radical changes in politics/cities to implement good architecture in urban areas? How can we make effective architecture without a drastic/radical change of the area?
Although it is true that some good architecture has emerged from radical changes or catastrophic events, I don't think it is necessary today. It may be unrealistic, but I believe good architecture can come fluidly as communities change over time. If we try to force new innovations into traditional ways of living, this is usually unwelcome by people, unless a building really needs drastic renovation. I think it's going to be a constant battle as designers, deciding what changes are good, and which ones aren't worth the risk of flipping a whole city's lifestyle upside-down.
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