WEEK 1
Experimental cities I
1) What are some underlying assumptions embedded in Spilhaus’s
experimental city?
● Spilhaus assumed that technological solutions could effectively solve
the emerging and existing urban problems.
→ ait travel
→ vertical transportation=
● There was an assumption that a carefully planned and controlled
environment could lead to more sustainable and efficient urban
systems.
3) What is problematic about his experimental city? What are some
useful innovations he suggests? What aspects of the experimental
city have come to fruition?
● Problematic Aspects: The Experimental City might have been overly
ambitious in its reliance on technology, possibly overlooking social,
economic, and political factors that influence urban development.
→ dehumanizing (lack of personalization)
→ He sees existing cities are the problem but cities should not
be temporary (heritage should be conserved rather than vanished)
→ Spilhaus is engineer = he is programming rather than
building cities for people
● Useful Innovations: Spilhaus proposed innovations like automated
transportation systems and waste management technologies that
aimed to reduce urban sprawl and pollution, and improve general
urban efficiency.
, ● Aspects That Have Come to Fruition: Some of the urban planning
ideas such as using technology to manage city resources and
infrastructure have materialized in modern smart cities. Concepts like
integrated transport systems and technology-driven resource
management are increasingly common in urban planning today.
4) What ideas of Spilhaus can be categorized as the arrogance of
planners, futurists, and utopian thinking and what ideas have some
lasting value?
- The underground is a new slate that you can just take
- The assumption that existing cities are beyond hope
- Silphaus argues that there should be no zoning at all & that the role
that the private sector would be better to be more efficient than the
government (cities run like a hotel)
- To get away from local focus that cities have = “cookie cut city” =
lacks soul (every building looks the same)
5) One problem with experimental cities (and all new cities) is that we
may have a gut instinct that these are wrong but have a hard time
articulating this or measuring what is wrong. What research could we
conduct and what evidence could we provide to demonstrate or
anticipate the successes and failures of experimental cities?
1. Baseline Data Collection
- Establish a clear understanding of the initial conditions before the
experimental city is developed.
- Methods: Conduct surveys, use satellite imagery, gather socioeconomic
data, and assess environmental conditions.
,2. Longitudinal Studies
- Track changes over time to see the effects of the experimental city.
- Methods: Repeat data collection at regular intervals to monitor
variables like population growth, economic activity, pollution levels,
traffic patterns, and housing developments.
3. Comparative Analysis
- Compare outcomes in experimental cities with those in traditional
cities with similar economic and geographic profiles.
- Methods: Use matched cities as benchmarks to evaluate whether
experimental cities perform better, worse, or similarly in various aspects.
6) What is space age ‘Googie’ architecture?
- Spilhaus architecture
→ a futuristic style emerged in the 1940s in California that
lasted in until the 60s
- Examples:
- seattle space needle
- EPCOT center (designed by disney)
- Lower manhattan’s monorail
7) what message did the song “whitey on the Moon” try to send?
- It was critiquing how they prioritized tech rather than people in
society (equity issue)
→ the 1% are the only ones benefiting from the system,
while the rest are struggling
, 8) What are domed cities?
- Cities that are contained
within a biodome
- Examples: Alpha Dome city,
Korea → designed by Zaha
Hadid
WEEK 2
Smart Cities:
1. Songdo was completed in 2015 and Sidewalk Labs was announced in
2017. Do you think the conversation around smart cities (and tech
companies) has changed in more recent years?
- It is still looking into techno-utopian context (like saudi) but canada has a
learnt a lot from that and are farthing away from techno-utopian design
2. What do you think of the idea of ubiquitous technology in cities? To what
extent should governments prioritize ‘smart’ technology investment?
- It is really risky but there are also benefits (middle ground)
- Sometimes low tech is the best tech→ depends where the tech is
rooted from (in whose hands)
Experimental cities I
1) What are some underlying assumptions embedded in Spilhaus’s
experimental city?
● Spilhaus assumed that technological solutions could effectively solve
the emerging and existing urban problems.
→ ait travel
→ vertical transportation=
● There was an assumption that a carefully planned and controlled
environment could lead to more sustainable and efficient urban
systems.
3) What is problematic about his experimental city? What are some
useful innovations he suggests? What aspects of the experimental
city have come to fruition?
● Problematic Aspects: The Experimental City might have been overly
ambitious in its reliance on technology, possibly overlooking social,
economic, and political factors that influence urban development.
→ dehumanizing (lack of personalization)
→ He sees existing cities are the problem but cities should not
be temporary (heritage should be conserved rather than vanished)
→ Spilhaus is engineer = he is programming rather than
building cities for people
● Useful Innovations: Spilhaus proposed innovations like automated
transportation systems and waste management technologies that
aimed to reduce urban sprawl and pollution, and improve general
urban efficiency.
, ● Aspects That Have Come to Fruition: Some of the urban planning
ideas such as using technology to manage city resources and
infrastructure have materialized in modern smart cities. Concepts like
integrated transport systems and technology-driven resource
management are increasingly common in urban planning today.
4) What ideas of Spilhaus can be categorized as the arrogance of
planners, futurists, and utopian thinking and what ideas have some
lasting value?
- The underground is a new slate that you can just take
- The assumption that existing cities are beyond hope
- Silphaus argues that there should be no zoning at all & that the role
that the private sector would be better to be more efficient than the
government (cities run like a hotel)
- To get away from local focus that cities have = “cookie cut city” =
lacks soul (every building looks the same)
5) One problem with experimental cities (and all new cities) is that we
may have a gut instinct that these are wrong but have a hard time
articulating this or measuring what is wrong. What research could we
conduct and what evidence could we provide to demonstrate or
anticipate the successes and failures of experimental cities?
1. Baseline Data Collection
- Establish a clear understanding of the initial conditions before the
experimental city is developed.
- Methods: Conduct surveys, use satellite imagery, gather socioeconomic
data, and assess environmental conditions.
,2. Longitudinal Studies
- Track changes over time to see the effects of the experimental city.
- Methods: Repeat data collection at regular intervals to monitor
variables like population growth, economic activity, pollution levels,
traffic patterns, and housing developments.
3. Comparative Analysis
- Compare outcomes in experimental cities with those in traditional
cities with similar economic and geographic profiles.
- Methods: Use matched cities as benchmarks to evaluate whether
experimental cities perform better, worse, or similarly in various aspects.
6) What is space age ‘Googie’ architecture?
- Spilhaus architecture
→ a futuristic style emerged in the 1940s in California that
lasted in until the 60s
- Examples:
- seattle space needle
- EPCOT center (designed by disney)
- Lower manhattan’s monorail
7) what message did the song “whitey on the Moon” try to send?
- It was critiquing how they prioritized tech rather than people in
society (equity issue)
→ the 1% are the only ones benefiting from the system,
while the rest are struggling
, 8) What are domed cities?
- Cities that are contained
within a biodome
- Examples: Alpha Dome city,
Korea → designed by Zaha
Hadid
WEEK 2
Smart Cities:
1. Songdo was completed in 2015 and Sidewalk Labs was announced in
2017. Do you think the conversation around smart cities (and tech
companies) has changed in more recent years?
- It is still looking into techno-utopian context (like saudi) but canada has a
learnt a lot from that and are farthing away from techno-utopian design
2. What do you think of the idea of ubiquitous technology in cities? To what
extent should governments prioritize ‘smart’ technology investment?
- It is really risky but there are also benefits (middle ground)
- Sometimes low tech is the best tech→ depends where the tech is
rooted from (in whose hands)
