Politecnico di Milano Faculty of Architecture and Society
The City Does Not Exist Examining spatial transformations through an urban biopsy
tutor
Stefano Boeri authors
Jacopo Abbate 822852 Mengyao Han 813824 Martina Mitrovic 815672
academic year
2015-2016
1
to our parents and Matteo
Abstract The research investigates the possibilities of transformation given by the contemporary urban environment. After decades of international debate to figure out how the city should be, still today it is almost impossible to define a unique shared model of transformation. In the last century the western city went through all kind of events, from world wars to economic boom, from village-like towns to metropolis, from the traditional middle-class family to the a onemember family, from mechanical to high technological production, from a centralized structure to infinite networks of informal connections, from close system to open source, from homogeneity to complex heterogeneity. This research first aims to analyze a small sample of the city of Milan in order to certify and understand the main urban conditions that define the contemporary panorama. We worked as scientists considering the fragment we chose as the test to prove our hypothesis. A scientific analysis on a sample of urban fabric clearly reveals the conditions of the environment. A multitude of human “species”, different one to the other for colours, beliefs and traditions, inhabits simultaneously the same piece of town that in the last 30 years slightly changed. The environment is characterised by a progressively entropic drift: growth of complexity (social complexity), drop of evident physical changings. The energy of the system has deeply modified in the last decades: if urban transformations used to be visible and explicit, due to a centralised system, today they are fragmented and weak, provoked by a multitude of individuals. Thus, the city cannot be defined anymore as unique and compact
4
body transformed by shared common ideals. At the same time, it is not even completely uncontrolled and left to the randomness of events. A clear clue about this comes from the latest technological innovations: peer-to-peer, sharing economy, open-source are proves of how individuals are getting self-organized in order build tools to produce common benefits escaping from the main profitoriented ideology. If the Global made us uniformed consumers and the Individual made us unhappy selfish users, probably the answer should be found in the middle. Exactly as new social networks and application do, the scale of intervention becomes big enough to be sustainable and small enough to be governable. Human groups became always more fragmented but always more connected. The possibility of connections and interaction between actors - involved in the process of transformation of the city - is in our opinion the key point to develop a procedure to trigger a collective collaboration and produce a direct impact on the city we are living in. Symbiotic relationships – when both actors give something to have something in return – can open up infinite possibilities in the private and in the public space. If the society is today a net of multiple links, then intersections and knots are the epicentres where transformation can begin. A transformation that grows from the specific point to affect the whole system. Planning tools changed because the city changed. The architectural city has been overtaken. It does not exist anymore. This is the reason why the tools need to be updated to the new conditions of reality to produce a transformation suitable to the context we are living in.
5
Abstract
[IT]
La ricerca indaga le possibilità di trasformazione nell’ ambiente urbano contemporaneo. Dopo decenni di dibattito internazionale per capire come la città dovesse mutare, ancora oggi, è quasi impossibile definire un unico modello condiviso di sviluppo. Nel secolo scorso la città occidentale ha attraversato ogni tipo di evento e cambiamento, dalle guerre mondiali al boom economico, dal villaggio alla metropoli, dalla tradizionale famiglia borghese a una famiglia di un solo membro, dalla meccanica alla elevata produzione tecnologica , da una struttura centralizzata ad infinita rete di connessioni informali, da un sistema chiuso a un sistema open source, dall’omogeneità a una complessissima eterogeneità. Questa ricerca in primo luogo si propone di analizzare un piccolo campione della città di Milano, al fine di verificare e comprendere le principali condizioni urbane che definiscono il panorama contemporaneo. Abbiamo lavorato scientificamente considerando il frammento che abbiamo scelto come prova per dimostrare le nostre ipotesi. Un’analisi scientifica su un campione di tessuto urbano rivela chiaramente le condizioni dell’ambiente. Una moltitudine di “specie” umane, una diversa dall’altra per colori, credenze e tradizioni, vive contemporaneamente lo stesso pezzo di città che negli ultimi 30 anni non è si è fisicamente modificato. L’ambiente è caratterizzato da una progressiva deriva entropica: crescita di complessità (sociale), calo di evidenti mutamenti fisici. L’energia del sistema si è profondamente modificata negli ultimi decenni: se le trasformazioni urbane erano visibili ed esplicite, grazie ad un sistema centralizzato forte, oggi sono frammentate e debole, provocate da una moltitudine di individui.
6
Così, la città non può essere definito più come corpo unico e compatto trasformato da ideali comuni condivisi. Allo stesso tempo, non è neppure del tutto incontrollata e lasciato alla casualità degli eventi. Un chiaro indizio su questo proviene dalle ultime innovazioni tecnologiche: peer-to-peer, sharing-economy, open-source sono prove di come gli individui sono sempre più auto-organizzato al fine di costruire strumenti per produrre benefici comuni allontanandosi dall’ideologia del profitto sfrenato proposta dai sistemi forti. Se il Globale ci ha reso consumatori uniformi e l’Individuale ci ha resi degli egoistici consumatori solitari, probabilmente la risposta deve essere trovata nel mezzo. Esattamente come i social network e le applicazioni ci suggeriscono, la scala di intervento diventa abbastanza grande da essere sostenibile e abbastanza piccolo da essere governabile. I gruppi umani sono diventati sempre più frammentati, ma sempre più connessi. La possibilità di connessione e d’interazione tra gli attori coinvolti nel processo di trasformazione della città è secondo noi il punto chiave per sviluppare una procedura per attivare una collaborazione collettiva e produrre un impatto diretto sulla città in cui viviamo. I rapporti simbiotici - quando entrambi gli attori danno qualcosa per avere qualcosa in cambio - possono aprire infinite possibilità nel privato e nello spazio pubblico. Se la società è oggi una rete di collegamenti multipli, incroci e nodi sono gli epicentri in cui trasformazione è possibile. Una trasformazione che cresce dal punto per arrivare ad influenzare l’intero sistema. Gli strumenti di pianificazione sono cambiati, perché la città è cambiata. La città architettonica è stata superata. Non esiste più. Questa è la ragione per la quale è necessario aggiornarsi alle nuove condizioni della realtà per produrre una trasformazione adeguata al contesto in cui viviamo.
7
CONTENTS Abstract
4
Glossary
10
Chapter 1 :Analysis Phylosophy
18
Morphological Transformation
21
Social Complexity
37
Historical Timeline & Atmosphere
59
1900-1920 1920-1940
60
1940-1960
66 72
1960-1980
78
1980-2000
84
2000-2015
90
Social Structure
97
Conclusions
110
Chapter 2 :Procedure Introduction
112
Platform
122
Mapping
123
Meta-projects
132 8
Procedure:
139
Case 1: Rooftop
140
Case 2: Abandoned Building
154
Case 3: Empty lot
168
Chapter 3 :Spatial transformation Virus
183
References
195
9
Glossary
10
B
iopsy
A sample of tissue taken from the body in order to examine it more closely.
11
H
abitat
The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
12
S
imbiosis
A mutually beneficial relationship between different people or groups.
13
M
utation
The changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form which may be transmitted to subsequent generations, caused by the alteration of single base units in DNA, or the deletion, insertion, or rearrangement of larger sections of genes or chromosomes.
14
E
volution
The change in the heritable traits of biological populations over successive generations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including the levels of species, individual organisms, and molecules.
15
M
icro-environment
The immediate small-scale environment of an organism or a part of an organism, especially as a distinct part of a larger environment
16
v
irus
A piece of code which is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data.
17
1
Analysis
18
Phylosophy The approach chosen for the first part of the research is to select a little piece of the city as a sample where to test our hypothesis and eventually make some general considerations. The area selected is called Gorla and belong to the peripheral ring of Milan. A place that went through all the different phases of the metropolis and still shows some traces of the past years. A generic place far from any kind of exception that would make our conclusions partial and extra-ordinary. Indeed the aim is to diagnose some issues that can be found in many other area similar to this one which is a very common example of peripheral urban fragment of the western cities. The analysis is divided in different topics, each of them analyzed through the whole 20th century.
19
20
Morphological Transformation Our biopsy starts with the definition of the physical features. Going through the historical maps of the neighborhood from 1900 till today there are some clear considerations to be done once considered the quantity of buildings built in the different time periods. The area which used to be a former independent municipality grew exponentially for 60 years, with a huge increase around the 1950s, when Italy and Europe lived a historical moment of economic boom. Gradually the growth slowed down until today when relevant physical transformations are not present anymore. The neighborhood stopped growing in the last thirty years.
21
Historical map of Gorla in the 1900s Buildings
22
23
Historical map of Gorla in the 1930s Existing Buildings from the 1900s Newly built buildings from 1900-1930s
24
25
Historical map of Gorla in the 1960s Existing Buildings in 1930s Newly built buildings from 1930-1960s
26
27
Historical map of Gorla in the 1970s Existing Buildings in 1960s Newly built buildings from 1960-1970s
28
29
Historical map of Gorla in the 1990s Existing Buildings in 1970s Newly built buildings from 1970-1990s
30
31
Historical map of Gorla in the 2000s Existing Buildings in 1970s Newly built buildings from 1970-1990s
32
33
36
Social Complexity
The second layer of analysis concerns the “organisms” that inhabit the sample. Each change of the city was provoked by and for a different kind of society. In order to describe the evolution through the years two main features were taken into consideration: nationalities of citizens and families structure. These two elements can give us a lot of clues to understand the society structure not only formally speaking but also considering a cultural factor. A homogeneous group that shares the same values and traditions can easily agree on the different aspects of life and decision-making, while a heterogeneous group becomes a complex subject.
37
Immigration & Local Population of Milan
38
39
3
4
7
8
9
6
7
8
9
1905
1900
6
1
1910
Immigration & Local Population of Milan 1 2 Evolution process
1900 100% Local Population 100% 0%Immigration 0% Total Population: 481,334 1
2
3
4
100% Local Population 100% 0%Immigration 0% Total Population: 589,933
40
1910
1905
1900
1910
1
1
2
3
4
8
9
6
7
8
9
1910
7
1905
1900
6
1920 100% Local Population 100% 0%Immigration 0% Total Population: 684,234 1
2
3
4
100% Local Population 100% 0%Immigration 0% Total Population: 946,705
41
1910
1905
1900
1930
1
2
3
4
8
9
6
7
8
9
1
1910
7
1905
1900
6
1940 100% Local Population 100% 0%Immigration 0% Total Population: 1,231,828 1
2
3
4
100% Local Population 100% 0%Immigration 0% Total Population: 1,269,005
42
1910
1905
1900
1950
1
1
2
3
4
8
9
6
7
8
9
1910
7
1905
1900
6
1960 100% Local Population 100% 0%Immigration 0% Total Population: 1,521,481 1
2
3
4
100% Local Population 99% 0%Immigration 1% Total Population: 1,714,539
43
1910
1905
1900
1970
1
2
3
4
8
9
6
7
8
9
1
1910
7
1905
1900
6
1980 100% Local Population 98% 0%Immigration 2% Total Population: 1,655,599 1
2
3
4
100% Local Population 91% 0%Immigration 9% Total Population: 1,432,184
44
1910
1905
1900
1990
1
1
2
3
4
8
9
6
7
8
9
1910
7
1905
1900
6
2000 100% Local Population 82% 0%Immigration 12% Total Population: 1,301,551 1
2
3
4
100% Local Population 78% 0%Immigration 22% Total Population: 1,337,155
45
1910
1905
1900
2015
Family typologies in Milan
46
47
9%
2%
Single family Family with 2 menbers Family with 3 menbers Family with 4 menbers Family with 5 menbers Family with 6 or more menbers
1900
13%
17%
33%
25%
3%
12%
17%
19%
13%
33%
3%
4%
12%
20%
22%
17%
25%
4%
4%
14%
23%
23%
17%
19%
5%
19%
30%
191026%
12%
8%
17%
28%
3%
12%
19%
20%
11%
21%
27%
28%
4% 18%
14% 29%
23% 48 23% 21% 25%
10%
4%
16% 6%
20% 1%
12%
14%
4%
1
23
16%
7%
20%
14%
24%
23%
28%
2
3%
17%
19%
13%
33%
3%
4%
12%
19%
1920
9%
13%
33%
2%
17%
25%
3%
12%
4%
12%
20%
22%
17%
25%
4%
14%
23%
23%
17%
19%
17% 5%3% 19%12% 30%19% 26%20% 12%
11% 21% 27% 28% 10% 4% 14% 23% 23% 16%
14%
4%
23%
16%
8 %28%
7%
20%
4% 20%
14%
24%
1930 18% 17%
19%
29% 4%
16%
21%
25% 27%
49
6% 25%
23%
1% 15%
13%
28%
27
2
3%
12%
17%
19%
13%
33%
3%
4%
12%
20%
22%
17%
25%
4%
12%
14%
19%
23%
1940
13%
17%
33%
25%
4%
14%
23%
23%
17%
19%
5%
19%
30%
26%
12%
8%
7%
20%
11%
21%
14%
24%
3%
12%
18%
29%
4%
14%
27%
28%
10%
4%
19%
20%
17%
28%
25%
21%
6%
1%
23%
23%
16%
20%
1950 17%
19%
4%
16%
27%
25% 50
15%
13%
4%
16%
23%
28%
27
2
3%
12%
17%
19%
13%
33%
3%
12%
4%
12%
20%
22%
17%
25%
4%
4%
14%
23%
23%
17%
19%
12%
8%
7%
20%
14%
24%
14%
4%
19
23%
16%
1960 5%
19%
30%
26%
11%
21%
27%
28%
10%
4%
18%
29%
25%
21%
6%
1%
51
23%
28%
2
13%
33%
3%
17%
25%
4%
17%
19%
12%
14%
4%
19%
20%
23%
16%
23%
27%
17%
28%
16%
25%
20%
15%
13%
1970
8%
7%
20%
10%
4%
14%
24%
6%
1%
12%
23%
28%
28%
26%
11%
7%
25%
7%
2%
27%
23%
19% 52
6%
1%
3%
12%
17%
19%
13%
33%
3%
12%
4%
12%
20%
22%
17%
25%
4%
4%
14%
23%
23%
17%
19%
5%
19%
30%
26%
12%
8%
7%
20%
4%
14%
24%
14%
4%
1
23
16%
1980 11% 13%
33%
3%
21% 12%
18%
17%
25%
17%
19%
12%
8%
27%
4%
4%
7%
19%
29%
14%
16%
20%
28% 20%
23%
27%
28%
6%
16%
25%
28%
17%
21%
25%
23%
10%
26%
1%
20%
15%
13%
11%
7%
7%
2%
1990 10%
4%
14%
24%
27%
25%
23%
28%
2
3%
12%
17%
19%
13%
33%
3%
4%
12%
20%
22%
17%
25%
4%
4%
14%
23%
23%
17%
19%
5%
19%
30%
26%
12%
8%
7%
20%
11%
21%
10%
4%
14%
24%
6%
1%
27%
28%
12%
14%
4%
19
23%
16%
2000 18%
29%
25%
21%
54
23%
28%
27
2
13%
33%
3%
12%
17%
25%
4%
17%
19%
12%
8%
7%
20%
10%
4%
14%
24%
6%
1%
14%
4%
19%
23%
16%
23%
28%
20%
23%
27%
28%
27%
23%
17%
28%
16%
25%
20%
15%
13%
26%
11%
7%
25%
7%
2%
2015
19%
55
6%
1%
Synthesis
56
57
58
Historical Timeline & Atmosphere The third aspect analyzed is the external factors that influenced the composition of society. In particular we focused on the scientific, political and cultural events that occurred all around the globe in the last century. Matching data, it is interesting to notice how technological inventions, wars or artistic movement reflect exactly the ideals of architecture and of the society of that time. From the great consumerist wave to the digital revolution of the last decade. We try to discuss every 20 years from the last centurary into three categories: Language,Diccoveries,and Politics. For each topic we selected some main events that are representative which can be influencial points for the overall historical development of the 20th centurary.
59
1900-1920 LANGUAGE
1902 First Sci-Fi film 1904 “The old guitar”, Picasso 1905 “The bathers”, Cezanne “La joie de vivre” H. Matisse 1907 CUBISM “Madmoiselle d’Avignone” Picasso “The kiss”, Klimt 1908 Fantasmagorie fisrt cartoon film 1909 “The dance I”, Matisse FUTURISM Futurist Manifesto 1910 “La città che sale”, Boccioni 1911 “I and the Village”, Chagall 1913 “Unique forms of continuity”, Boccioni 1914 Mason Dom-ino, Le Corbusier “Città nuova”, Sant’Elia 1916 “Themetamorphosis”F.Kafka Dada movement foundation 1917 De stijl Manifesto “Nude sitting on a divan”, Modigliani 1918 “The artist wife”, Schiele 1919 Bauhaus School Weimar 60
61
1900-1920
DISCOVERIES
1900 Zeppelinn LZ 1 1902 Air Conditioning System 1903 Ford Motor Company, Detroit 1904 Airplane, USA 1905 Theory of relativity, Einstein First Chainsaw 1906 Cornflakes, Kellog’s First washing machine invented 1908 General Motors 1911 IBM 1912 Continental Drift theory, Wegener 1913 Home Refrigerators First Moving Assembly Line 1914 Bra Patent 1915 First Tank 1916 Electric modern drill 1918 Fortune cookies Sonar 1919 First pop-up toaster Short wave radio 62
63
1900-1920 POLITICS
1900 First italian regicide, King Umberto I murder 1911 Taylorism 1913 Fordism 1914 Worl Word I Panama Canal, Pacific/ Atlantic ocean connection 1917 Russin Empire fall Russian Civil War Red October 1918 WW I end German Empire fall Austro-Hungarian Empire fall 1920 League of nations
64
65
1920-1940 LANGUAGE
1921 Walt Disney Art School “Tableau I” Mondrian 1922 “Ulysses” Joyce 1923 “On white II”, Kandinsky 1924 Surrealist Manifesto 1927 “Being and Time” M. Heidegger 1928 Ville Savoye Le Corbusier 1929 Barcelona Pavillon, M.van der Rohe 1931 “The persistence of Memory” S.Dalì 1932 King Kong
Venezia Film Festival
Modern Architecture: International Exhibition 1934 “The Logic of Scientific Discovery” K. Popper 1937 Disney full-lenght film Cinecittà Studios 1938 “Nausea” Sartre 1939 “Stagecoach” J. Ford Institute of Technology Chicago, M. van der Rohe 1940 The Great Dictator, Chaplin 66
67
1920-1940
DISCOVERIES
1921 Band-Aid commercialization First robot Polygraph 1922 BBC regular broadcasts Firsr sound motion picture 1923 Three way car signal Frozen food 1924 Autostrada dei Laghi, first cost highway 1926 Television invented 1927 Big-bang theory Jukebox 1928 Penicillin, Fleming 1930 Frozen food patent First Jet engine 1931 Microscope First analogue computer 1932 Neutron Polaroid camera 1933 Invention of FM radio 1935 First can beer Radar, USA 1938 Photocopier 1940 Carbon-14 68
69
1920-1940 POLITICS
1922 Fall of Ottoman Empire Treaty on the creation of USSR Mussolini rise 1924 Matteotti murder Union Radiofonica Italiana 1925 Italy grants limited voting rights to women 1927 Warsaw convention(aviation intenrational agrrement) 1928 Italo-ethiopian treaty 1929 Wall Stree crisis Vatican City independence 1933 Prohibition end in US 1934 Hitler becomes Furer Night of the Long Knives 1935 Spanish Civil War Second Italo-Ethiopian War Nuremberg Laws 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact Pact of Steel World War II Poland invasion 1940 Battle of France (German invasion)
70
71
1940-1960 LANGUAGE
1941 “Citizen Kane” O.Welles 1943 “Being and Nothingness”, Sarte 1945 “Roma città aperta” Rossellini 1946 Cannes Festval Unitè d’habitation, Le Corbusier 1948 “Ladri di biciclette” De sica 1949 Berliner Ensemble B.Brecht “1984”, G. Orwell 1951 Sanremo Festival first edition 1953 “Waiting for Godot” Beckett Roman Holidays O.W. Wyler 1954 “Rear Window” A. Hitchcock Godzilla: the movie The lord of the rings, Tolkien 1956 “The Seventh Seal” I. Bergman “The searchers” J.Ford “J ust what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?” Hamilton 1958 “Structural Anthropology” Levi-strauss Seagram Building, M. van der Rohe Nel blu dipinto di blu wins Sanremo 1959 “The 400 blows” F. Truffaut 1959 “Psycho” A. Hitchcock “Breathless” J.L. Godard 72
73
1940-1960
DISCOVERIES
1941 First software computer 1942 First rocket launch Nuclear reaction 1943 Chromosome LSD 1944 Helicopter 1945 First atomic bomb 1946 Bikini Microwave 1947 Transistor 1949 First cake mix 1950 Color TV 1952 Bar code 1953 DNA 1954 Mc Donald’s 1955 DisneyLand, LA 1956 Video Recorder Hard disk computer 1957 FIAT 500 1958 Communication satellite invention 1959 Barbie Doll Fisrt man in space 1960 Birth control pill 74
75
1940-1960 POLITICS
1961 Berlin wall 1963 “I have a dream” M.L. King 1968 Paris riots 1969 Pza Fontana Slaughter 1970 Apollo 13 1971 Greepeace 1972 Watergate scandal 1974 Pza della Loggia Slaughter 1975 End of Vietnam War 1976 Apple 1978 Aldo Moro kindapping 1979 Margaret Thatcher 1980 Bologna railway station slaughter
76
77
1960-1980 LANGUAGE
1961 Rolling Stones debut 1962 “8 e mezzo” Fellini 1966 Star Trek 1967 “Virgin of the rags” 1968 “2001: A space Odissey” Kubrick 1971 “Imagine” J. Lenon 1972 “Learning from Las Vegas” Venturi Scott-Brown 1974 “ I like America and America likes me” J. Beuys 1975 “Salò” Pasolini 1977 “Star Wars” 1979 “The Wall” Pink Floyd 1980 “Strada Novissima” Portoghesi
78
79
1960-1980
DISCOVERIES
1961 fisrt man on the moon 1962 Audiocassette 1964 Nutella 1965 Writing software 1967 Floppy Disk 1968 ATM Laser 1969 Man on the moon 1970 Low cost travel flight 1971 HardRock café 1972 Gene splicing 1973 Motorola mobile phone GPS military use 1975 Personal computer 1976 Jet ink printer 1977 Apple II 1979 Sony Walkman 1980 AIDS Pac-Man 1981 TGV 80
81
1960-1980 POLITICS
1984 Shengen Agreement 1986 Chernobyl 1989 Fall of Berling Wall 1991 Maastricht treaty 1992 Open skies agreement 1993 European Union 1994 W3c www consortium 1995 End of Jugoslavian war 1995 WIPO copyright treaty 2000 Putin president Patent law treaty
82
83
1980-2000 LANGUAGE
1981 MTV 1982 “Thriller” M.Jackson 1983 “Scarface” 1984 Madonna Material Girl 1985 David Bowie Hero Tour 1991 The Silence of The lambs 1992 “Puppy” J. Koons 1993 “Mother and child divided” Hirst 1994 Pulp Fiction Forest Gump 1997 “Guggenhaim Bilbao, F.Gehry 1999 “La nona ora”, Cattelan “Matrix” Wachowski Brothers Fight Club
84
85
1980-2000
DISCOVERIES
1981 TGV 1982 CD 1983 Modern compact mobile phone 1984 Tetris Microsoft 1986 Space Station, URSS 1987 The Simpson’s 1989 W.W.W. 1992 Sms 1993 Email 1994 Online banking DVD 1995 Amazon E-bay 1996 Dolly, cloned sheep Yahoo 1997 Wi-Fi 1998 GOOGLE 2000 Napster TripAdvisor
86
87
1980-2000 POLITICS
1984 Shengen Agreement 1986 Chernobyl 1989 Fall of Berling Wall 1991 Maastricht treaty 1992 Open skies agreement 1993 European Union 1994 W3c www consortium 1995 End of Jugoslavian war 1995 WIPO copyright treaty
88
89
2000-2015 LANGUAGE
2001 Lord of the ring 2003 Kill Bill 2004 The Gherkin, Foster 2005 Corpse Bride, Burton 2006 Back in Black, Winehouse 2008 Beijig nationl stadium 2009 Avatar 2012 Cctv OMA 2013 Her, Jonze
90
91
2000-2015
DISCOVERIES 2001 WikiPedia Itunes 2002 Bluetooth 2003 CouchSurfin Skype 2004 Facebook BlaBlaCar 2005 GoogleMaps YouTube 2006 Twitter 2007 Iphoe I 2008 WhatsApp FourSquare Uber 2009 Avatar 2010 Pinterest Instagram
92
93
2000-2015 POLITICS
2001 Convention for Cyber Crime Twin towers terroristi attack 2002 Euro as new currency 2003 Iraq war 2005 Energy agreement 2006 Lebanon War 2008 Obama president Lehman Brosthers Crack 2010 Arab spring Shengen Agreement 2011 Syrian civi war 2012 Central Africa Republic war 2015 Iran nuclear deal
94
95
For the first time in human history the world’s population has reached seven billions; this number is due to increase exponentially. This seven billions of individuals are all claiming their owns sacred identity, unicity and originality as bearers of an unrepeatable history, love and genome they do not want to sacrifice. Complexity, contradictions and hybridizations have thus become the reference categories fro those working in politics and planning, once instrument of order and organization, now forced to confront with “problems without a solution”. This new multi-ethnic society is not that joyful round dance as we expect, born from a mutual acceptance and allowing every ethnic group to keep its own roots and its ancient identities. In the multi-ethnic metropolis a global hybridization among the four hundreds still existing minorities is being produced. Regardless of our welcoming capacity, this precious melting pot is constantly suffering from an environmental pressure that consumes its unicity. Equally subjected to the invasive owes of international goods and mass information, to the coexistence with new habits, fashions, music, food and religion, it dissolves itself and produces a massive general hybridization. In the last century we deceived ourselves with the idea that we could find a solution for every problem, but multi-ethnic metropolis represents a problem that cannot be solved, but can only be handled with caution. A. Branzi
96
Social structure Even though the society became always more complex and apparently hard to control, human groups responded becoming apparently more connected. The hierarchic structure belonging to the first half of the century collapsed, the strong systems that kept us together failed. Modernity tried to produce the last ultimate truth, which turned out to be unsuitable for the reality. In the last decade society re-organized itself using the existing connections provided by the new technological and digital revolution. The net is apparently the most suitable structure for the society of today. Small and multiple interactions, virtual and real, gave shape to a new environment which is no more controlled and guided by strong political, economical or cultural system, but it is more like a puzzle of heterogeneous and different pieces stitched up together to be a solid whole.
97
1900-1920
98
99
1920-1940
100
101
1940-1960
102
103
1960-1980
104
105
1980-2000
106
107
2000-2015
108
109
Conclusions The sample analyzed outlined some clear facts about the contemporary city that are the basis for our proposal. First of all, the morphological aspect: the city did not evidently changed in the last three decades, thus the issue is no more related to a formal matter since the physical variations are almost absent. On the other hand, what came out from the sociological analysis showed an extreme complex environment of extremely heterogeneous organisms. The diversity undermines the possibility of creating a just or unique model of transformation. The society on which architects used to work on does not exist anymore. The energy that fed the city for many years today has totally changed shape. The environment is constituted by small and almost invisible synergies that are points of densification of energy. According to the data coming from our scientific analysis, the sample crystalized thirty years ago and from that moment on it extremely enriched the variety and quality of its organisms. Furthermore we understood that this complexity is not shapeless but is progressively becoming a solid net of connection between the individuals. The language of art and the latest inventions are clear examples of how the matter is always less formal while more related to reinterpreting and reprogramming the existent. The city can no longer be described as architectural. It turned out to be an accumulation of commodities, a liquid display for goods, people and information transit. Goods which become always more, people which become always more different, information which becomes always more accessible (Una generazione esagerata, A. Branzi).
110
This is the reason why the city, as we used to consider it, does not exist. What kind of transformation is then possible –and needed- in such context? What else can be done, besides adding some partial and subjective interventions to complete the urban puzzle? What can keep together such a complex reality?
111
2
Procedure
112
Introduction The matter is clearly no longer related to formal issues, intended as an endless and psychotic research for originality. Architecture became too important to be left to architects, Giancarlo de Carlo claimed. The material they manipulate is no longer primary. It is no longer a matter of elaborating a form on the basis of a row material but working with objects that already in circulation on the cultural market, which is to say, objects already informed by other objects. Notions of originality (being at the origin of) and even of creation (making something from nothing) are slowly blurred in this new cultural landscape. (Postproduction) Its no longer a matter of starting with a “blank slate” or creating meaning on the basis of virgin material but of finding a means of insertion into the innumerable flows of production. “Things and thoughts advance or grow out from the middle and that’s where you have to get to work, that’s where everything unfolds” G. Deleuze speaking about utopia The processes in question here are not proving the fact that everything has already been done but of inventing protocols of use for all existing modes of representation and all formal structures. (Postproduction) In a universe of products for sale, pre-existing forms, signal already emitted, buildings already constructed path marked out by their predecessors, architectural doctrine is no longer a museum containing works that must be cited or “surpassed” as the modernist ideology of originality would have it but so many storehouses filled with tools that should be used, stockpiles of data to manipulate. (Postproduction) On the basis of this, the architect should not be content with being a mere hardware designer, but should demand an even broader responsibility for creating activity programs and determine how they could be integrated. (Cedric Price)
113
Social Innovation Social innovation is a new idea of meeting social goals. It can be seen as a process of change, emerging from the creative recombination of existing assets (social capital, historical heritage, traditional craftsmanship, accessible advanced technology) and aiming at achieving socially recognised goals in new ways (Ezio Manzini). A kind of innovation driven by social demands rather than by market and/or autonomous techno-scientific research, and generated more by actors involved than by specialist. The effectiveness and strength of this prospect is the smart involvement of all the actors that constitute the process: each actor plays the given role, not because of a strict rule set or any other imposition, but for a spontaneous and genuine interest in the final outcome. Social innovation does not mean opposition to strong economical and political system. It consists in using the given conditions of reality as assumed starting points. It sounds improbable to overturn the capitalist-consumerist system in a few years or to think of a just world where people are generous, charitable and philanthropist. Re-programming the inner workings of the whole process is the only chance to rearrange the solve some of the contemporary contradictions.
114
Actor Shift One of the main reasons why today we live a commodification of architecture is for sure the strong cut between production and consumption. The process of making buildings, starting from capitalism on, totally divided the producer - the architect or the builders - to the consumer - the tenants. The commitment is not given by the consumer, but from a third profit-oriented figure. The possibility provided by new digital devices is to cut useless bridges in the production chain and get back to a more direct interaction to have less standardized and more affordable products. We believe that to have an effective possibility of transformation of the city we have to start re-programing the inners functioning of the more generic system of production. The actor shift is the first and fundamental step to develop a process that can reset the system.
115
Community According to these conditions, it is interesting to imagine a new actor that can govern possible future transformations of the city, being in between the “centralised” society and the individuals. This actor has to be enough flexible to be suitable for such heterogeneous society. It has to be open to infinite possibilities but, at the same time, clear and direct in what it wants to achieve. A more-or-less wide human aggregation, more-or-less stable that gathers because of a mutual goal. We can call it more-or-less community. Community can be considered as a middle way between the two extremes -the global and the individual- both became unsuitable to define reality. The individual model -which comes from a XIX century romantic subjectivity- was elected by the consumerist system as most adapted to convert men into consumers, row material, fuel of the late-capitalist period. The second model, the society, is based on abstractions able to univocally describe reality and consequently to simplify it. The community can be an opportunity to redefine the sense field. It can be the chance to invert the market system mechanism that unconsciously upgraded us and gave us the tools to be once again able to make the city a collective effort. Community cannot define shapes neither deduce nor abstract them, because with abstraction and utopia we would imagine a world that reality cannot live.
116
117
Alternative Strategy
to centralised public space design We believe that two different interventions are possible in this direction: - private collective space for each unit -improvement of public facilities in the surroundings A collective client (the community) will for sure demand shared and collective spaces to increase the potential social character of the building. These spaces open up possibility for new interaction within the private sphere of the building unit and also towards the outside. Since the whole process is run by a private actor which his main interest is no more profit but quality of the space he will eventually inhabit, there is also the possibility to connect this smaller scale with a wider view of the city which is usually run by political institutions. What if that part of the budget for the construction that is normally addressed to taxes for public urban interventions was used to refurbish the area that surrounds the building itself? Doing so also public space can be directly controlled and financed by the same future users who have as primary goal the development of the best possible environment where to live.
118
Protocol 1. The potential spaces of transformation 2.The procedure 3. Redefinition of public space design 1. The city stillness of the last decades offers very few and obvious opportunities of intervention. Empty spaces, abandoned buildings, parasite interventions. Empty spaces are fragmented and scattered around the urban fabric. They are on sell and they normally have dimension not smaller than 1000smq. According to urban policies, the buildable surface is 35% of the total area. Abandoned buildings are in most cases former factories or offices. Their generic spatial organization opens up interesting possibilities of re-use. According to urban policies, in case of demolition-reconstruction the same volume of the original building can be kept. Parasite interventions are possible thank to specific policies that allow modifications to existing building. The most relevant in terms of residential buildings is related to rooftops. The minimum height is 1.5m while the average weighted height is 2.4m.
119
2. The procedure describes the mechanism of transformation. It does not give a formal answer or a set of rules to follow. The procedure is nothing but the possibility of a direct connection between users and developers. This modality contrasts with the dominant speculative system and creates a parallel market that does not provoke any direct conflict. No third part is involved in the construction. The groups or communities are the critical mass to let the whole process start. As already experience with smaller scale projects like BlablaCar or AirBnb, people get together to achieve common goals. This does not happen for philanthropic feeling or charity attitudes. More likely it happens for very practical and materialistic ones: reduction of the price and customise service. The individual members of the community will get a final result that will be a direct mediation between users and architect/developers. As in many other examples of the so called sharing economy, technology offers the best tools in situation of crowd funding: web platforms and mobile applications became the most suitable devices to immediately connect users and share information. The community is not a group of friends, but it can be. It is a group that takes advantages of a collective body to reach higher quality standards for cheaper prices. Doing so, they Inevitably trigger a transformation following a parallel path to the strong and apparently inevitable stream of individualism and speculation.
120
3. The connections already present in the society can be extended in order to influence also the public sphere. We considered the possibility of interaction between the small groups or communities with the public actor, the municipality in this case. This connection can produce a very important shift in city planning. The real users of the space can directly negotiate what the public interventions will be in the neighbourhood scale. Taxes are the source that municipality uses in order to be invested in the future interventions in the city scale. However, where the taxes are destined is a decision taken from the top, according to some documents (like PGT in Milan) that define the areas of intervention. If we think that a community can provide itself a space but also use the money destined to the taxes to improve the quality of that same neighbourhood, it is possible then to rethink city planning as a punctual intervention that can eventually spread and grow all around the city. It is not an anarchic revolutionary anti-governmental movement in opposition to the centralized system, but only a reprogramming of existing conditions considering the possibilities open up by reality.
121
Platform In order to put into effect the multiple connections present in the society we chose to use an online platform as an open and dynamic method in order to achieve a re-organization of the actors involved. “One computer every twenty square meters” said A. Branzi to describe the city of today. The digital revolution put people in a constant flow of information and exchanges and made them unconsciously collaborative and supportive. The turning point is to understand that this conditions of constant “cyber connections” are not going to bring us in a future of robots and flying machines (for sure not soon) but are most probably bringing us back to a condition of collectivity. People get together for common benefits, to save money, to meet other people they don’t know but with whom they share some interest. The self-centered capitalistic aspiration is getting weaker leaving space to a collaborative dimension of smaller groups moving together towards common goals. The means is digital because today digital is accessible, free and diffused.
122
Mapping Mapping consists of the first step needed to start the process. The map is a synthesis of all the transformable areas, selected according to the existing regulations. It is produced by the owner and mediator who are directly interested to sell their land to communities in search of a space. The platform works as both a filter to guarantee the feasibility and also as the open-source channel to select the possibilities.
123
Transformable areas and buildings in the whole neighborhood
Actors involved
124
125
126
127
128
129
Roof Tops
130
Empty Lots
131
Meta-projects Meta-projects are a key point in the procedure. They represent one of the possibilities of transformation within the spots selected. Different architects on the platform upload them in order to show to the users the potentiality of a place.
132
The effort of the architect is to interpret local regulations and restriction in order to produce a real concept project of what it can happen. Each meta-project also gives some specific data about surfaces, units available and hints about common and public spaces. Any architect can upload his proposal for each spot on the platform and users will be the one to decide the winner to start the process of transformation.
133
Abandoned Buildings
134
135
Roof Tops
Empty Lots
137
138
Procedure_examples After mapping phase and meta-projects gathering phase, the platform is working as an open source which allows the users to choose, vote and finally decide which project to join in order to achieve a certain critical mass to start the project. Here we will give for each catalogue a specific case to explain how it works from the beginning to the end.
139
Rooftops
new community
existing community
Rooftops taller than 1.8m can be transformed. The newly formed community interacts with the existing one already living in the building exchanging with it common spaces.
140
platform
community .sharing
sharing
exchanging
141
.exchanging
Rooftops Rooftops taller than 1.8m can be reconstructed into buinding one more floor of 2.7m height, settling new residence units while having the possibility to have common space shared with the existing building’s community.
142
Mapping of rooftops with their potential public intervention zones.
143
7r
Chosen rooftop
144
Existing Situation
145
Meta-project phase
2 units 184 mq 92 mq 2700 euros/ mq
Meta-project 1 Architects develops the meta project for this rooftop and uploads the proposal on the platform. Users can choose which meta project they prefer and finally join the project. Meanwhile the platform gathers all users’ information, the meta-project that reaches the A cristical x1 mass of 33% of the total. 92 ㎡ €248,400
A 146
B
Critical Mass
2units 186 mq 93 mq 2700 euros/ mq
Meta-project 2 In this example, Meta-project 1 first reached the critical mass first so it can move to the next level of development.
147
148
Collaborative Design Phase The newly formed community joins officially the platform paying a first subscirption fee necessary to pay the work done so far. The architect can meet the clients and discuss about the completion of the project. Interiors, common spaces and possible public intervention will be collectively defined according to the preferences of the community. During this first phases the paltform is in charge to freeze the land, talking to the owner that uploaded in the phase of mapping.
149
150
Realisation Phase
If the project reaches the 60% of the units available the construction can start. The members of the community pay 20% of the overall cost to buy the land to allow the process to begin. The architect produces the executive drawings.
151
152
Realisation
153
Abandoned Buildings human gr oups
a b a n d o n e d b u il d in g
m u n i c i pal i t y
Abandoned buildings are the most diffused category suitable for any kind of user. They can be both kept and restored if the general condition of the buildings are sufficient or demolish and rebuild according to the existing urban regulations. In case of restoration the impact on public space can be stronger because the amount of taxes normally required is higher than the one that concerns new constructions.
154
platform
community
sharing
exchanging
155
Abandoned Buildings The case we chose for this catalogue has potential to be transformed into residence keeping part of the existing structures while haveing newly built parts for the living units.It is close to two parks which are marked by municipality as future transformation zones of green. So the taxes the new community would pay for the municipality can directely go to the development of one of the parks with negotiations,in this way the taxes are invested in a way that is mutually benificial for all the actors involced.
156
Mapping of abandoned buildings with their potential public intervention areas. 18a
Chosen abandoned building and its public intervention.
157
158
Existing Situation
159
Meta-project phase
12 units 1242 mq 95-125 mq 2700 euros/ mq
Meta-project 1
A
B
Architects develops the meta project for this rooftop and uploads the proposal on the platform. Users can choose which meta project they prefer and finally join the project. Meanwhile the platform gathers all users’ information, the meta-project that reaches the cristical mass of 33% of the total. A x 2 Bx 2 1
Bike parking
2
124 ㎡ €334,800
Common room
3
Parking
160
4 Parking
127㎡ €342,900
C
Cx 100 €27
Critical Mass
12units 1175 mq 90-120 mq 2700 euros/ mq
C
D
E
Meta-project 2
F
G
In this example, Meta-project 1 first reached the critical mass first so it can move to the next level of development. Cx 3 100 ㎡ €270,000
D x1 100㎡ €270,000
F x1 100㎡ €270,000
Ex 2 110㎡ €297,000
161
Gx 2 120㎡ €324,000
Collaborative Design Phase
The newly formed community joins officially the platform paying a first subscirption fee necessary to pay the work done so far. The architect can meet the clients and discuss about the completion of the project. Interiors, common spaces and possible public intervention will be collectively defined according to the preferences of the community. During this first phases the paltform is in charge to freeze the land, talking to the owner that uploaded in the phase of mapping. 162
163
164
Realisation Phase
Within 6 months, all actors will try to gather more people through personal relationships or social media platforms, until it meets 60% capacity of the intervention. At this point,all members pay 20% of their future property to buy the land. Meanwhile the architect will produce the executive drawings for constructing. Once finished, the community will pay the whole cost of their property. Platform will help to sell the rest of the project will be in charge to sell some possible unsold units using social media and personal relationships.
165
166
Realisation
167
Empty Lots human gr oups
empty lots
m unicipality
Empty lots can be transformed in order to host a new building. The community can share common spaces specifically decided during the design phase. Moreover the community can interact with the municipality in order to negotiate the development of public spaces in the surroundings obtained re-investing money normally destined to public taxes.
168
platform
community
sharing
exchanging
169
Empty lots The case we chose for this catalogue is suitable to build a new residence for a medium community. It is close to a park which will be transformed into a public park by the municipality in the future. So the taxes this residence project will pay can directely go to the investment of the development of part of this park, which can be a huge benifit for the community’s future living condition.
170
Mapping of empty lots with their potential public intervention areas.
171
5e
Chosen empty lot casewith its potential public intervention zone
172
Existing Situation
173
Meta-project phase
9 units 1124 mq 90-120 mq 2700 euros/ mq
Meta-project 1 Architects develops the meta project and uploads the proposal on the platform. Users can choose which meta project they prefer and finally join the project. Meanwhile the platform gathers all users’ information, the meta-project that reaches the cristical mass of 33% of the total.
174
C
Critical Mass
14units 1648 mq 90-115 mq 2700 euros/ mq
Meta-project 2 In this example, Meta-project 1 first reached the critical mass A x 3 first so it can move to the next level of development.110㎡ €297,000
175
Bx 3 127㎡ €342,900
Collaborative Design Phase
176
The newly formed community joins officially the platform paying a first subscirption fee necessary to pay the work done so far. The architect can meet the clients and discuss about the completion of the project. Interiors, common spaces and possible public intervention will be collectively defined according to the preferences of the community. During this first phases the paltform is in charge to freeze the land, talking to the owner that uploaded in the phase of mapping.
177
178
Realisation Phase
Within 6 months, all actors will try to gather more clients through personal relationships or social media platforms, until it meets 60% capacity of the intervention. At this point,all clients pay 20% of their future property to buy the land. Meanwhile the architect will produce the executive drawings for constructing. Once finished, the community will pay the whole cost of their property. Platform will help to sell the rest of the project will be in charge to sell some possible unsold units using social media and personal relationships.
179
180
Realisation
181
3
Spatial Transformation
182
Virus Each transformation when considered together with the possible others can produce a change in a larger scale. Each potential spot is a little part of a viral phenomenon that can grow exponentially and affect the neighborhood scale. The influence on the public space, that each spot has, is a great opportunity for a weak planning of the area. Like new social media and peer-to-peer culture, connections give the possibility to build a dynamic structure in constant expansion that produce a change from the bottom. Unconsciously, the processes of production, of learning and of making things have changed and slowly adapted to fit a new fragmented and connected society. We gave people the tools. This wasn’t meant to be provocative or important, but if we put spaces of possible transformation and possible actors together and we connected them through a digital device, the boundaries of the procedure can become unlimited…
183
Quadrants of urban transformation
A
B
184
C
D
185
A before
186
A after
187
B before
188
B after
189
C before
190
C after
191
D before
192
D after
193
194
References - Markus Gabriel, Why the World Does Not Exist, Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH, 2013, Berlin - Nicolas Bourriaud, Postproduction- Culture as a screenplay:how art reprograms the world, Lukas & Sternberg, 2002, New York - Carlo Ratti, Open Source Architetcture, Thames&Hudson, 2015, London - Andrea Branzi, Una generazione esagerata, Baldini&Castoldi, 2014, Milano - Pierre Levy, Cyberculture, University of Minesota Press, 1997, Minneapolis - Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species, Jonh Murray 1859, London - Gino Moliterno, Encyclopedia of contemporary Italian culture, Routledge, 2000, London - Hal Foster, Design and Crime and other Diatribes , Verso 2002, London - www.istat.it - www.dati.comune.milano.it
195
196