Compact Urbanism, or whatever you want to call it

I would like to say first of all that I have just been an observer of thesis projects being finished and presented here at sci arc, and have to say that I was a bit overwhelmed. There was a wealth of knowledge that I felt frantic to collect considering it is a rare opportunity to have so much research, thought, and application of knowledge gathered in one place. Its to bad that the individuals energies could not be harnessed toward a common goal. Think of the momentum that would be achieved if executed effectively. So look for a future post dealing with the ideas that where collected from there.


While reading an essay for school I came across a project by architectural Godfather Le Corbusier, Rio de Ja Neiro Viaduct city of 1929, which is referred to in Thresholds 13. In Threshold 13 there is reference to a project by Constant Nieuwenhuys called New Babylon elaborated on here and here. Very interesting stuff (if your into any type of urbanism). All of this is great but where I am getting is that all of that lead me to a term UNITARY URBANISM mentioned in the commentary written by Constant Nieuwenhuys about his New Babylon. In looking up this term I have come across some very important definitions, Michael, for ideas that we have been grappling with for some time now. (Thank you Wikipedia) I think that it these terms, along with the ones that you have recently arrived at via Paulo Soleri, can be added to some kind of dictionary, or list of terms to be utilized and developed through development of ideas and theories.

constructed situation

   A moment of life concretely and deliberately constructed by the
collective organization of a unitary ambiance and a game of events.

psychogeography

   The study of the specific effects of the geographical environment
(whether consciously organized or not) on the emotions and behavior of
individuals.

           unitary urbanism

   The theory of the combined use of arts and techniques as means
contributing to the construction of a unified milieu in dynamic relation
with experiments in behavior.