TED Talks

Speaker said that people are willing to give up small change but no a dollar bill or note to people. This is because she noticed that people see change as an burden. Something that is painful and troublesome. They want to get rid of change and keep the rest. People think that when someone ask them to change, it means changing their identity, changing their character. Yes, when we change, we do change a little of our identity and character but not a 180 degree change. Change is just the form, presentation. Nearing the end, the speaker said, For progress to occur , we have to let go of what we have to make room for new things to come. The example given is Diet. Lets say someone really enjoys the chocolate on their desk but they want to get faster, stronger and thinner. They will have to let go of the bowl of chocolates and make room for exercise and diet in order to be fast, strong and thin.

                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KrQwrG9dnG4

                           GeoPulse -- New perspective on Urban spaces

This video is a more of a informative clip in the sense that it tells us about the new technology or device that is currently being designed and built. At the start of the video, the speaker says that by 2050, more than 70% of the world's population will live in urban areas. This is called the Urban process where constant change of behaviour and needs affects us. Our character, our looks, "pulses". The term "pulses" in this video is explained to be human behaviour. Humans give out these "pulses" through our behaviour which then affects our city ultimately. Right now, they want to study these pulses but they are sadly, known as invisible data. Thus, the speaker then goes in dept about them creating a new technology to pick up these readings/index. 

                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-OfibH3UsbM

                                         Successful City Buildings

This video focus more on Urban design and on Human beings. The speaker who is a mayor of a town, gave an example of himself. When he took the job of a mayor, he was called by his superior to be briefed about the human population, engineering methods, statistics basically of that city. He felt that something was lacking even though he was briefed. He felt the lack of human connection. He felt that people in the town now had no feelings towards the surroundings. 

We need to have human connection when building cities. Its all about feelings. There is a lack of human connections now in this time with our surroundings. Everything is all about the building itself, about the aesthetics. The mayor then said that every building now is being based on sensory-plan building. It is whereby the architects take great consideration for what people will feel, smell, touch, hear, taste when they are in the building or viewing the building. Measurements are indeed important but what about people ? How will they feel ? What is the connection ? It's the connection that create great cities. Human connection is like a seed and needs time to grow and therefore, we need to start immediately.

The speaker also said that people wants to feel the sense of belonging. It's in human nature to want to feel accepted. Structures and buildings now have no feel of purpose, just pretty on the outside. The only way to make it real is only if people is being involved in the design and process of work. Engaging people is important. Building with love and passion will bear you good fruits from seeds and you are being guaranteed success. Build just to earn quick bucks and use the cheapest material/resources will bear you nothing and you are being guaranteed failure.

                                          http://www.thecity2.org/videos?featured=CS1tT5_lunY

                                                  The Edible City

This video talks about Urban farming. Our population now is growing very rapidly and there is a pressure on our world's resource. Hunger is also slowly becoming more of a problem. More people are facing hunger around the world. People nowadays are seen to be disconnected with the land, people lack the emotion to have feelings for land and the environment. Cities should be growing for itself. The speaker urges us to have connection with food and once we have that, we have connection for the land and ultimately the environment. An example given is people have produce from their frontyards and backyards but those fruits are being ignored and left there to rot. The speaker then suggests that volunteer should step up and collect those produce and feed the hungry. It becomes a cycle and it is sustaining. Another example is whereby a small young child plants his very first produce which was a carrot. He cared for it and watered it everyday till the very day where he could pluck the green top out with the orange juicy root. He took a bite of it and that moment changed his life. He had a different perception of food, and thus, when he grows up, he will have a different view on things. This is where urban environment need to provide such experience for people so people will starting caring for the environment and land.

Urban Design Guidelines and Factors

Cities For People

After watching this video, there is alot of different perspective of Urban Design in the modern times. The speaker friend's once said, "Urban design is not about architecture, it is about the culture of the place, the design, the space." I agree on what he said as later in the video, we can see the disadvantages when we don't think of design for the people, for the space. Instead, urban design is what the buildings that are design do in the space itself, the city itself. For example, how it invokes people, how it changes the perspective of the space. Another quote from the video is, "In the current times, as development increases, Poverty increases too." which is sadly true. The income gap between people is slowly increasing, we as designers, should start considering for people and not just the design, the art itself. We are slowly building a social catastrophe. Designers forget about quality and only think about the aesthetics department, which shows no consideration at all towards the space. For example from the clip is, A 60KM/H highway. Yes, it does serve its purpose in transportation part but there is no consideration for the space. How so ? since its a long, large road. Users will just drive at a high speed through the whole way and there is no detail, no design, no time to interact with the surrounding.

Urban design is when we include micro details, specific tiny details that people mostly miss out, or choose not to bother about their existence. Trees, cafes, footpaths, small civic places, all these adds up to alot as a whole and can contribute positively or negatively to the overall space. The video also states that there is a new bad habit in designers called the "Brasilia Symptom". It means designing from "above", birds-eye level. Designers just plong in the structure from above and have no consideration towards maybe the buildings beside it, across it. It looks nice above air on a helicopter but from eye level, it is disastrous. This again, links back to the problem where designers only design just to look good. Another problem is Scale Confusion. Where the structures gives people a very uneasy, sense of confusion just by the buildings and the environment beside it. An example would be in our very own country, Singapore. The Singapore River is a good example. There is shophouses beside the river but beside the shophouses are huge massive skyscrapers. This shows a sense of Scale Confusion. People will find it weird. Video also says that recently, landscape architects are also slowly becoming obsessed with form too. 

Good architect/architecture is not about form. It is Form + Life = good architecture. Finding the balance between these 2 is the formula to becoming a good architect. We have to consider every point in a space that is assigned before designing something. Small details can actually add up to alot.

Another example would be where the speaker is from, Copenhagen, Denmark. The view from above is terrible, monotonous and boring. However from an eye-level perspective, it looks like a perfect town to stay in. Scale is right, suitable amount of traffic on the roads, people cycling, people walking to work. A cozy atmosphere to stay in. Therefore, Eye-level scale and perspective is the most important in design as stated in the video. People tend to forget how the town/city look like from above when during eye-level perspective is good. 

"First, we shape cities, then they shape us", i like this quote alot from the video. We first design an empty space, and next we are going to live in it. How we design it, affects the mood, the atmosphere. Which then in turn affects us. In conclusion, we must take all small details into consideration, is the design pragmatic ? does the design have a proper flow ? and not be too obsess with the form itself and have no care for function. 

The Big Rethink

The Big Rethink : Urban Design

http://www.architectural-review.com/home/the-big-rethink/the-big-rethink-urban-design/8643367.article

After reading through this article, i gained more insight of the idea of Urban Design. At the start of the article, it states the trend of human beings. People from lower-earning class, less developed countries or cities will start to flood developed cities to gain a new and better life. Developed cities provide better facilities, healthcare, education, etc. thus, it attracts people to move to these cities. Some although cannot afford to move to big, developed cities still stay in the slum areas but they create their own niche, small market and start businesses and move their houses around to earn a living. Contrary to the other side, the "richer and more developed area", developed cities are looking to upgrade their spaces even more, so as to create better space for the people living in there. Tall buildings are also being erected so as to create an identity, an economic and social identity to the city. It stands like a "fortress" to the people. However, the article also states its disadvantages and shortcomings of such cities. Everything is like a fragmented "fabric", the designs are all kind of like own its on. No considerations for the buildings in the vicinity, it gives an example like a persons' workplace, choice of leisure, are all in different areas and it seems all very fragmented when you see the design at an overall, birds-eye view glance. So, the fundamental purpose of an Urban Design, is to provide a very detailed and considered framework on the designing of an city. Example would be to zone the different areas specifically, so each zones serve their own purpose and not split them up. By specifically zoning the areas into their own purposes, brings an identity to that zone. It shows clearly which zone or area you are currently in, what that zone does, what the zone serve as an design overall. The author thinks that Design should include everything into consideration, how people feel, it must also serve its purpose, create an ease, transport efficiency. Designers need to help people gain a deep feeling towards the environment and design around them. It also comes to targeting designers themselves, the author feels that designers now in this period of time, are selfish. They only think about their own specific design and have no consideration to the buildings, the environment, the ambience around them. Designers now feel that they're design is far superior than the environment around them, they do not think that they should design for the environment, or what the environment needs, what the space is lacking and what does it need. They only design because they think is "pretty" or "pleasing to the eyes". Overall, the article is trying to tell us designers that we should take everything, all aspects, all factors in consideration to designing. Everything should fall in place nicely, function, form, the utility of the space, how are people going to utilize them, what are the feelings that invoke the users when they are at the space itself. 

History of Urban Design and Urban Design Movements ( Lecture 1 )

History of Urban Design and Urban Design Movements ( Lecture 1 )

Garden City Movement

The garden city movement was first initiated by Sir Ebenezer Howard during 1898. Sir Ebenezer believed in having a balance in both architecture and nature. He wanted to create a place where people could experience nature within their living spaces and to create something new. He also planned that after a city has been fully developed, it would spread to nearby small towns and develop the same way, creating a chain of Garden cities that were all interlinked together. He had the idea whereby people were living all together, connected within a "green wall".  "human society and the beauty of nature are meant to be enjoyed together." is what he believes in.

Corbusier , The Radiant City

The Radiant City also known as Ville Radieuse was one of a unrealized project by Le Corbusier in 1924. The idea was a linear city based upon an abstract shape of a human body with the head, spine, arms and legs. The design principle was aimed at being a linear city, this was to ensure accessibility and effective means of transport, as well as an wide and huge open space for sunlight. Buildings were all planned to be high-rise which was to save space and it was split into different zones. Commercial, residential, etc.

Looks quite like what we have in Singapore.

Archigram, The Walking City

Archigram was an avant-grande architectural group in the 1960s. It was a group that focus on futuristic, anti-heroic and pro-consumerist. The walking city project was initiated by Ron Herron in 1964 who was also in the Archigram group. The walking city was inspired by robots, the walking city was constituted by intelligent buildings, or robots in the form of giant, self-contained living pods that were able to move freely around. From the video, it shows the rough processes of how the walking city will work, a city within a giant robot structure with movable legs which can then transport the whole city on its "back". 

The Metabolist City/ Plug in City

Also known as the Metabolism Movement. The Metabolism movement was created and founded by the Japanese. The idea of this movement is mainly buildings and infrastructures that are made out of blocks which was easily adaptable to different environments and believed to be easily upgradable, just by plonging in "blocks".

Plug in City from Cooperjay Kim on Vimeo.

As seen from the video above, the whole idea of metabolism was just to fit in blocks, which then in whole create a whole new structure, and massive structure altogether. The structures which follow the idea of metabolism looks very squarish, very cold and stern.

One of the ideas of a marine city in Japan. 

As we can see, it looks very robotic, very futuristic. Blocks are fitted together just like a robot to form a structure. 

The Compact City/ Walkable City/ Human-Centred City

Compact city as what the title has stated is whereby all the buildings are centred around each other to increase efficiency. The main aim was to create an easy and efficient way of people traveling. Since the buildings are all so close to each other. Transport can be minimized as everything is so close together, just by walking you are able to reach your destination. When transport is being minimized, carbon will be reduced and the idea was to reduce carbon emission which is eco-friendly. Main aim of the Compact City was to be sustainable and green. Also boosts interaction between people and creating a safe environment for everyone.

From the picture above, we can see that the idea of a Comapct city is like a cell, spreading it roots around the interior of the circle. Which is then further zoned into the different zones such as Commercial, Residential, Entertainment, etc. The whole idea looks like a City where everything was able to be reached just by walking and is like a One-Stop City. Everything is interlinked and able to reach just by foot.

This video is about design students coming together to create a model base on the Compact City. From the model itself we can see basketball courts on the roofs of the building, bridges linking from one building to another which fits the theme of being Compact, A One-Stop City where it has everything and connects with everything.

Participatory Urbanism/ Urban Planning

Again as the title states, Participatory Urbanism is whereby locals come together and gather to have a meeting or a conference and individually give ideas on how to improve and upgrade on the existing city that they live in. This method has both pros and cons because when locals have their say to decide on the design, locals themselves knows the city and they also know the problems with the design of their city. They experience it themselves so further upgrading or rectifying the problem will be much easier. However, experts have shown studies that locals as they do not have sufficient knowledge about urban planning on such a large scale, sometimes, designs that they come out isn't practical or doesn't succeed in serving their purposes. 

Here is the link where it shows people participating in Urban Planning : http://participatoryurbanism.blogspot.sg/

Overall, Urban planning is where everything comes together. Design principle , Form , Function. Not just planning of a space but planning in a large scale such as small areas for activities are also considered and thought of and how they link together as a whole to bring to you a City.