Comments on: ordinance sculptors

By: ordinances, sculpted – mammoth // building nothing out of something

ordinances, sculpted – mammoth // building nothing out of something — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:30:38 +0000

[...] zoning ordinances (and having then speculated on the possibility that architects might design by sculpting ordinances), I think it worth mentioning Steven Holl’s “Sliced Porosity Block”. In [...]

By: Brett

Brett — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:34:52 +0000

“I expect the results would be quite different if you asked a group of architects to execute an alternative code than they are when planners do the same”

We may indeed be on the verge of avante architects going to code and planning… I’m remembering from the Koolhaas (referencing your “previously on mammoth” post) Lagos documentary video where Koolhaas looks at all the horrible sci-fi-esque effects of his beloved capitalism gone unmuzzled and unleashed in Africa and he reflects that all the planning he had foresaken might need to be revisited in a new form….
I think the same sentiment came up in his lecture at the Ecological cities conference.

By: namhenderson

namhenderson — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:16:37 +0000

I agree. I think the ideas especially related to the nexus of smart mobility/smart energy is a key area of the coming urban informatics revolution.
However, the difference is that as Duany points out in his session (and I swear i never thought I would be discussing Duany positively) is that as he said America’s middle class is the problem. And as much as the stuff Smart Cities is doing is great i don’t think it will ever impact that large section of the population in America (and other places world wide as we export our old model) that are sub/ex urban or rural etc..
The Smart City solutions make cities better.
But what about addressing those areas that aren’t truly dense and urban?
And here I don’t mean to be implying a strict urban and non urban dichotomy..

That is why “freeware smart codes” and the like I think are very interesting.

By: rholmes

rholmes — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:42:19 +0000

Oops. Yeah, I meant Mitchell. Old news or not, I think Mitchell’s much closer to solving some very big problems than just about anyone else.

I agree, the notion of “freeware smart codes” is fascinating.

By: namhenderson

namhenderson — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:33:55 +0000

Morrish wasn’t on that session. Just
Andrés Duany, William J. Mitchell, Federico Parolotto and Niels Schulz. I like the smart cities lab work but have seen it/heard it before.
I like Duany’s idea of devolving power over codes ordinances to the more localized/affected group/power block. From municipality to block etc.
He was also going on about this Citizen participation in the planning process is probably the biggest roadblock. During his presentation.
And i love this term “freeware smart codes”

By: rholmes

rholmes — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:30:52 +0000

Better than Morrish?!

By: namhenderson

namhenderson — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:50:46 +0000

Ha, this isn’t far from where I am. Maybe i should try and check it out.

As for Duany I had a couple of recent (like in the last 10 mins) Tweets by me on his talk at GSD eco-urbanism conference. What is interesting is that he mentions a few of the points you said makes in the article.
I actually liked his presentation best out of all the presenters in that session (Mobility, Infrastructure and Society).