Summary of first 2 points Of the Book "seven detailed rules of growth"

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