SEVEN DETAILED RULES OF GROWTH RULES ONE AND TWO
RULE 1 : PIECEMEAL GROWTH According to Christopher Alexander the idea of piecemeal growth be specified exactly enough so that we can guarantee a mixed flow of small, medium, and large projects in about equal quantities. And the writer thinks that to guarantee the piecemeal growth this is made by three subrules: A.1 No building increment may be too large; No single building increment could cost more than $5 million, no single building increment could have a floor area of more than 100,000 sqft
ď‚Ą A.2 Reasonable mixture of size: ď‚Ą Equal numbers of large, medium, and small projects.
Figure1: Actual sequence of projects by size, result of applying the version of the rule.
A.3: Reasonable distribution of functions: Different proportions of housing, manufacturing, public building and parking are guaranteed by the zoning ordinance. This rule requires that successive increments must be tailored to match an ideal distribution. Ideal distribution varies from community to community.
RULE 2 : THE GROWTH OF LARGER WHOLES And the writer thinks that the piecemeal growth by itself, will not create large wholes. That’s why we produce plans to provide order. In curious fashion, modern plans failed to produce large scale order, because its inflexible and not inspiring enough. The writer said that in present theory large-scale order will emerge by cooperation of acts of constructions. After discussion of the incremental acts of construction defined larger wholes: the small increments really did create the larger wholes
ď‚Ą T h e r u l e that governing the process of growing the larger wholes: every building increment must help to form at least one larger whole in the city ď‚Ą To understand the process there are 5 subrules: 1- In the process of growth, there is certain larger centers larger than any individual building. Ex. Main square and first mall. 2- These larger centers emerge slowly and gradually. 3- These larger centers arise slowly, not planned in certain time. 4- Each individual person who undertakes an act of construction is aware of developing of the context of larger centers existing.
5- Each larger centers goes through three phases: -some increment create a hint of new large center. -additional increments pinpoint the main outline of of structure. -further increments complete the center. Ex: Mall hinted by creation of gateway. (1) Then difined by the hotel and café (2)(3) and by community bank (5) Then completed by series of apartment house (7), office building (9) and boundary (11).
T h r e e rules as follows played by the gateway :
1- defining the activity node at the intersection of the bus station , mission street and steuart street. 2- Completed the development of mission street as a whole . 3- Creating the hint of a new pedestrian mall and it must going south from it .
ď‚Ą R U L E S p l a y e d b y th e ho t el : ď‚Ą 1- Began to pin down the pedestrian mall by fixing its boundary line . 2- Forming the corner by completing the mission street and the same node that the gateway pinsdown . 3- Created the hint of a new structure , later to become the public garden and the hint wa not automatic .
Each new increment does 3 things : 1- Helps to complete at least one major center. 2- Plays a role in pinning down some other. 3- Creates a hint of some entirely new larger center.
And finally they found by this experience of simulating urban grouth that the most consistent error “ the most consistent blindness “ was always the blindness to large stucture