This map shows all the bars in Russell Street and the impermeable interfaces between the street and the bar. Berlin Bar, Corrs Lane
Legend: Bars Impermeable Interfaces
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Cherry Bar, ACDC Lane
Spice Market, Beaney Lane
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Bars are public amenities with deep roots in European culture where they were used as community social gathering places. Traditionally open to travellers and locals, bars were used to exchange world news and local gossip, thus imperative that they can be easily located. Many of Russell Street’s bars are located behind impermeable interfaces in alleyways. This means that Melbourne’s night life is inaccessible but also suggests that it is exclusive and only available to those who are in the know. The interfaces between the bars and the street are not transparent as they cannot be easily seen or accessed on street level, the opposite of their purpose historically. This map may be used as a tourist map to increase transparency and patronage as it gives an insight to the location of bars for those who are unfamiliar with Melbourne’s bar scene. This map also gives an insight into the exclusive atmosphere Russell Street bar owners would like to cultivate.
Harley House, Strachan Lane
Sarah Osborne 833307 Morphological Mapping ABPL30051 Tutorial 4
Eau De Vie, Malthouse Lane
Transparency
Merits of Informality Christopher Alexander's A City Is Not A Tree (Alexander, 2015) explains the relationship between planned cities such as Melbourne and New York and organic cities such as Favelas in Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro. Planned, artificial cities follow the tree logic of simple, binary connections whereas spontaneous cities follow the semi lattice logic of rich, complex interrelations which heighten the experience of the user.
Urban Form:
Pedestrian Network:
Tree Melbourne
Semi-Lattice
Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro
Melbourne
Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro
In planned cities, citizens are passive movers or spectators. Favelas have developed along a spatial temporal scale where citizens or spectators are co-authors, participants and therefore the actors in space. Thus, favelas are malleable and flexible and close physical proximity creates a connected atmosphere with fellow users.
Vision: Favelas in Melbourne
Pleasure and adventure in Russell Street can only currently be found in the function of buildings. The informality of South America's Favelas collaged into Melbourne's formal grid system expands upon the pedestrian experience by increasing structural diversity. It will activate otherwise stark, linear journeys through the grid, injecting adventure, pleasure and environmental meaning and identity. Russel Street does not impart strong environmental meaning upon users due to the formal, planned grid structure however, twisting lanes and alleys heighten environmental meaning by injecting spatial identity into static, fixed nature of planned urban systems. The urban form of favelas will build upon Melbourne's laneway culture and increase structural diversity which is currently absent. Centring the collage in the middle of Russell Street immediately interrupts the vehicular flow forcing users to experience these merits as well as strengthening pedestrian culture. It is a platform for constructive chaos, enabling citizens to reclaim and build upon Russel Streets identity. References: Alexander, C. (2015). A City is not a Tree 50th Anniversary Edition. Architectural Forum. Fiore, J., & Thornton, K. (2001). The aesthetics of the favela: the case of an extreme. In Transforming cities, design in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. London: AA Publications.
Sarah Osborne 833307 Morphological Mapping ABPL30051 Tutorial 4
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Collage