What is Lost Space?

What is Lost Space? This is a very interesting reading as it focusses on an important factor of urban design. Below are my thoughts on the reading.

 

1. This chapter is primarily focused on the American decline of the urban environment in various cities across the state that has caused the emergence of ‘lost space’ and the reasons as to why this has occurred.  It is the approach to the process of urban development that has deteriorated and caused buildings to be treated as remote objects in an environmental landscape that has real connection to the space around it and the people in which it is being built for. This is described by the chapter as ‘unshaped antispace’.

2. This ‘antispace’ differs from constructive space in that it provides no positive contribution to society and the people that live within it. These spaces can be found in most major cities in America; they include parking lots, edges of freeways, abandoned water fronts and industrial complexes. All of these undesirable spaces deter people from interacting with each other and the city. This is due to the spaces being unformulated and failing to connect in a strategic way. Therefore, essentially becoming isolated and detached.

3. I agree with the author’s view that that there is still huge potential for urban designers to rectify past mistakes with urban redevelopment ‘so that it attracts people down town and counteracts sprawl and urbanisation.’ This reform of the city urban centre will create positive spaces with creative infill and reclamation of mixed use areas.

4. These past mistakes have been categorised by the author into five contributing factors. The first is the independence of the automobile. Modern technology brings a new way of life to contemporary society. While the automobile has been a successful achievement in modern technology, society’s dependence on it has led to a change of traditional urban communication and mobility of public space, resulting in a loss of ‘cultural meaning and human purpose’. This is evident through surface parking lots and highways which cause buildings to be separated and therefore encompassed by vast unstructured open with no connection to social or cultural function. These highways were meant to connect all the major cities of America. However, it had the reverse effect by forcing vast amounts of people from there homes causing ‘social disorientation’.

5. The Modern Movement that was prevalent in the 1930’s completely ignored the traditional principles of urbanism and the importance of street space, urban squares such as the Piazza Navona District in Rome where the streets are carved from the building itself creating a human dimension and connectivity of outdoor spaces.  Instead, as described by the author, ‘buildings became more utilitarian in their organisation; the notion of function was gradually displaced from the external space to the organisation of internal space.’ Thus, becoming a mere entity that is isolated from its context and environment.  This is evident in the unsuccessful meeting place of Broadway, New York, where urban space has been replaced by sunken plazas and enclosed malls.

6. In the 1950’s and 60’s there was further movement away from the principles in the zoning and urban renewal projects. There aim was to was to segregate the land uses and replace high rise buildings with low rise to providing clearing and sanitizing the ground. Thus, promoting sanitation and human welfare. However, as well intentioned as the idea was, it did not achieve the intended outcome. Instead, the zoning legislation separated functions that had already been integrated, such as the development of the Prudential centre in Massachusetts whose connection between two neighbourhoods was destroyed due to a new physical structure being developed between them.  These projects led to the loss of valuable urban space and and vernacular and pedestrian walkways becoming disorientated.

7. Individualism is a prominent feature of the ‘American Dream’. However, when fuelled by the privation of public space the city becomes transformed from a ‘city of collective places into a city of private icons.’ The buildings have become icons of personal achievement to the expense of the public urban environment. Where parks and outdoor spaces used to be connected and integrated with buildings, they are now stand alone objects that disrupt the continuities of the streets and possess pretentious facades and materials. In addition, the funding for maintaining the public space and general interest in the upkeep is minimal which only aggravates the problem of lost space within the public realm.

8. Finally the last major cause of the loss of space in cites across America is the pervasive change of land use. This includes the relocation of industry; obsolete transportation facilities, abandoned military properties, as well as vacated commercial and residential spaces have created wasted spaces that are not used to their full potential. These spaces offer so much for mixed use areas such as, an outdated shipping site offers a wonderful water front space. Vacant land can be used for gardens or children’s playground, if only for temporary use.

9. The government must institute stern policies for urban design if change is going to take place, the community must take an interest and be apart of the decision making in shaping public surroundings, and designers of all fields must thoroughly understand the principles and policies of successful urban space. Individual buildings need to be integrated with exterior space so that the physical space of a city is not separated by the issues of zoning and a dictatorial circulation system. The solution to this problem is to look closely at the traditional city, creating successful connections between spaces. Essentially we need to return to the theories and models of the past that have been successful and go back to the thinking that ‘history and environment are the two faces of architecture, which no building stands alone’.

10.  To conclude, a successful outcome in urban design can only be developed by

-          The studying of past precedents and they way in which modern space has evolved.

-          Developing and understanding in urban design theories and policies.

-          Finally, developing skills in synthesizing and applying these in the design procedure.