week one activity//write the first couple of words that come to mind next to the images below...
plan view of all images
image one
water front town.
image two
city versus mountains.
image three
floating city.
reflection...this week uni commenced and we had the first lecture for architecture and the city. I think I am really going to enjoy this subject because I will be learning about city's all over the world and in particular city's in Germany (which is where I am going on exchange this year).
When looking at the images above, at first I didn't realise that all the images where just different photos of the same city. The first image looks like a city that has been built right on the ocean front The second image shows a bit more context and explains the settings a little further letting you know that the water is probably a large lake or river in the middle of the city rather than ocean. and the third image looks like the city is floating at the foot of these large cliffs.
In the first chapter of 'Cities and Cultures' a reading by Miles, he poses the question "but what makes a city?". I think this is an interesting thought that could possible require a complex answer or could be as simple as saying that a "city is a place where things happen to influence history"(Miles, 2007, pg.9). Although saying this about a city portrays the city as shallow and lifeless with no purpose which is completely inaccurate. Cities today are densely populated and full of action and life, they are places of interest to outsiders and homes of others. I agree with Miles when he states that Utopianism is a key factor in the development of modern cities today, as it suggests that developers and urban planners strive to make idealistic cities. Take Dubai for example, it is a fairly new Utopian city with little history. The strive for this city to be a utopias has cause many social and environmental issues, greatly lacking in comfortable public spaces. It is fair enough to plan idealistic cities although thought has to go into the people who use the city not just the buildings that are put in it.
It is also interesting to think of how and why cities get established where they are, for the images above it would seem obvious that this city/village was established on the water front for convenience of exports and importing goods, also the fact that the terrain is to step to develop further back.
Miles, M. (2007). Cities and cultures. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, New York: Routledge.
In the first chapter of 'Cities and Cultures' a reading by Miles, he poses the question "but what makes a city?". I think this is an interesting thought that could possible require a complex answer or could be as simple as saying that a "city is a place where things happen to influence history"(Miles, 2007, pg.9). Although saying this about a city portrays the city as shallow and lifeless with no purpose which is completely inaccurate. Cities today are densely populated and full of action and life, they are places of interest to outsiders and homes of others. I agree with Miles when he states that Utopianism is a key factor in the development of modern cities today, as it suggests that developers and urban planners strive to make idealistic cities. Take Dubai for example, it is a fairly new Utopian city with little history. The strive for this city to be a utopias has cause many social and environmental issues, greatly lacking in comfortable public spaces. It is fair enough to plan idealistic cities although thought has to go into the people who use the city not just the buildings that are put in it.
It is also interesting to think of how and why cities get established where they are, for the images above it would seem obvious that this city/village was established on the water front for convenience of exports and importing goods, also the fact that the terrain is to step to develop further back.
Miles, M. (2007). Cities and cultures. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, New York: Routledge.
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