urban identity occupies a very prominent position in a fabrics’s or a city’s identity . this has been
true right frm the most earliest of ages till date.
a city or fabric is all , but a sequential order of events taking place . one event after the other or
a series of events taking place simultaneously in a related manner . these events make up the
working and the functioning of a order in which the fabric carries itself on. for these events to
happen , there requires a space , a structure , an open figure-ground or an assemblage of
both. such spaces which cater to a large multitude of users make up an urban space. this also
depends on the location , the nature of masses in its vicinity and the scale which it generates.
a space leads to an event . which further multiplies into many such events which in turn gives a
character to the fabric. this character helps give identity , both to the users and the people
hearing about it.
identity of an architectural relevance is very essential to a city . the nature of this identity
changes with time. with passing ages and eras , we see new- er architectural marvels of
significance propping up. whether , they help bring an identity or not , to the fabric in question
entirely relies on how they respond to the city and themselves. Such spaces have been built in
the past and they are being built now and they will be built in the future. various cities and even
The Term Paper on World Cities
A world city is a large city that has outstripped its national urban network and has become part of an international global system. They have become powerful nodal points for the multiplicity of linkages, and interconnections that sustain the contemporary world economies, social and political systems. The result is a new world system of cities acting as ‘organising nodes’. In other words, they ...
a whole country has benefitted from these kinds of architectural structures.
but the question in place , is – is this urban identity being retained the same way it was ?
the answer to the that question is highly debatable. With passing time , advancing technologies,
varying human needs and the ever changing growth in ‘ economy ‘ , rapid changes have
taken places. architectural structures once thought of as impossible are now being realized .
there is a broader perspective in thinking , design , rationalizing and finally ‘asking’ . the
boundaries are being pushed with each passing day .
structures and spaces once prominent are no longer the only name tag for a city. they have not
entirely faded . they still hold a very high value in terms of prominence , tourism and history. but ,
the bolder and modernistic ideals which have begun to surface in these contemporary
structures give a very serious challenge to the ancient , medieval grandeur the former possess.
but is this viable ? is such a contrast necessary ? yes. it definetly is . the city or the fabric , with
passing time is need of a new identity which reflects its growth through the eras. like they say ,
one can never look forward to be recognised only on his once past laurels.
what is to be remembered is , with the right balance and a well balanced study of the past ,
one can very efficiently design the future dat perfectly blends with it. various examples prove
that point . many extensions , additions , revitilization of such spaces have been done without
significantly disturbing the aura and the grandeur of the early masterpieces. designs that
contrast very heavily with each other yet , peacefully sit beside one another.
indian cities , in particular have been lost in this aspect. the aspect of transformation has not
yielded the best results. there has been definetely a loss of urban identity . this is not to be
blamed solely on the indian architect , but the lack of acceptance from all sides. the general
aspect of ‘ content with what we have and not wanting to look at the bolder and broader
perspective ‘ is very much prevalent in all quarters of social life. this has basically brought bolder
The Essay on Shaping Identity Using Social Structure
Social structure and social interaction are integral in evaluating a person’s identity. Identities are the sets of meanings people hold for themselves that define “what it means” to be who they are as persons, as role occupants and as group members (PJB article) People are generally influenced by the norms and beliefs of society. A person’s identity is formed through a combination of factors ...
and innovative visions to a standstill .
indian cities for generations have relied upon the magnificient grandeur of historical structures
for people to identify them – architecturally . contemporary archiecture of equally imposing
nature is missing . which thus leads to a lack of a positive urban identity.
kartik surya . b.arch .urban design studio.
The concept of identity shows its importance in tackling with undesired effects of modern urban
design, which is almost meaningless and without any unique identity. Urban identity is a major issue in
contemporary urban planning,due to ongoing deterioration in older districts of cities worldwide. Loss
of place-identity causes harmful effects on cities and their users.Recognising the value of a place as
a fundamental component in urban,identity serves as a refrence point both interms of the wishes of
the society and in preserving and constructing a sustainable urban image.
the role of physical identity of city in urban sustainability
niki tavakoli
the indicators for evaluation of physical identity in a city are:
1. Difference and similarity: difference from others and similar with itself.
2. Continuity and evolution: connect to the past ( continuity of the original meanings and values) in
line with innovation ,creativity and reflecting the contemporary status (to preserve its origin, but not
remain in the past)
3.Unity and multiplicity : the relation between different, heterogeneous and various
components.(Mirmoghtadaee,2005)
the role of physical identity of city in urban sustainability
niki tavakoli
The cosmology of the last 300 years has changed and there is now the potential for expressing those
feelings that you speak of in other ways than through largeness — your boundaries — and the
alternating repetition of architectural elements.
peter eisenman
alexander.
, in his debate with christopher
Of course, harmony is a product not only of yourself, but of the surroundings. In other words, what is
The Essay on Violence enforcement of City Urban Management officers
City Urban Management Enforcement Bureau is a local government agency in mainland China that is in charge of maintaining the order of daily business activities of markets and streets in cities. This Bureau was established to deal with the increasing problems when China is in the process of rapid urbanization in these years. However, it’s notorious for abusing power and violent enforcement. ...
harmonious in one place will not be in another. So, it is very, very much a question of what application
creates harmony in that place. It is a simple objective matter .
christopher alexander ,in his debate with peter
eisenman .
Our forebears had no hesitation on religious, political or aesthetic grounds in building a cathedral
in the middle of the mosque of Cordoba or knocking down the Louvre of Charles V to create the
Cour carree, which they did with a kind of “innocence” quite devoid of scruples about the
heritage.
Rapid urbanisation is altering the physical and cultural milieus of our cities, making it seem as if the
past, the present and a somewhat dystopian future are all colliding, snuffing out breathing space.
The city’s built form — its buildings, layout, streets, gardens, parks — as well as the culture we
experience in it — our everyday interactions in its streets, shops, theatres and temples, for example, all
contribute to the image we build up of the city.
What is lacking is some political will and imagination. If we are to revitalise our city centres, to retain
our unique urban identities, to not reduce them to characterless, soulless imitations of cities
elsewhere, we need to look beyond dichotomies like tradition and modernity, technology and
heritage.
Instead, we must find creative ways to marry the two. AGK Menon exhorts architects and planners to
look at “traditional cities as models for the future, and not to merely protect something that existed in
the past,” to look at “heritage conservation as a catalyst for the future, not for fossilising the past.”
meera iyer
if tradition was just the mindless imitation of successes of the previous generations, it must be
discouraged. But a historical sense that involved “a perception, not only of the pastness of the past,
but of its presence,” a sense of the timeless as well as of the temporal, such a historical sense would
make a writer most acutely conscious of his place in time, of his contemporaneity. Much the same
could be said of architecture and urban planning today.
The Essay on Modern Day Form Architecture Landscape
... the past with sculptural freedom and clarity of form, as does the latest and most dynamic display of architecture to ... of ferrous metals as iron and steel, and these buildings defined by Wise men to be, "more then ... covered skyscrapers. Le Corbusier looked down upon the city that surrounded him which was noisy and chaotic, ... concept that Wright dealt with in a life time of design, while at the end of his ...
t.s.eliot
The Indian approach is fundamentally different. On the face of it, Indian cities look like architectural
chaos. Says Verrijt, “Architecture in India is used as a marketing tool and a status symbol, mimicking
the aspirations of the individual client. This results in an urban context where each building screams
for attention.” However, Indian architects are quick to point that India, which is roughly 80 times the
size of the Netherlands, is a plural culture that accommodates a large number of sub-cultures. India
does not seek to express a defined national identity through its art and architecture.
India’s concerns are largely centered on development and growth. To carve a distinct place in a
global context, India would need to pay more focused attention to image-building though, using
architecture as one of several tools.
designed identity – the saffron group.
Past and present: a creative dialogue. (harmony between ancient and modern architecture)
UNESCO Courier | September 01, 1997 | Rigaud, Jacques |
The fact that such contrasts fail to shock us may perhaps be due to our awareness that, behind
the appearance of dissimilarity, there is an underlying unity to the architectural heritage.
Attitudes have changed. We have gradually come to appreciate the irreplaceable value of what
we have inherited from the past. There is, however, another reason for this shift in outlook. Since
the end of the last century, art in all its forms has undergone a number of radical changes which
aesthetic factors alone cannot fully explain. Industrial, urban civilization has profoundly altered the
design and structure of towns as well as construction techniques and materials.
* Changing attitudes
The results have been twofold: on the one hand, the wholesale destruction of monuments and
sites at the very time when a consciousness of the heritage – at first concerned only with
preserving major buildings of symbolic significance – was emerging; and on the other, the untimely
onslaught of materials and forms that clashed with those of the past – steel, concrete and glass
The Essay on Montauk Point Project Building Time
Montauk Point On the South-easternmost tip of Long Island, lies the small fishing hamlet of Montauk Pt, NY. Quiet and sparsely inhabited during the cold winter months of the bare season, it sits alone. Each summer season the population swells with a wave a tourists, fisherman, and others who are fortunate to have residence during this beautiful season. The largest attraction, a seaside historic ...
giving birth to a radically different kind of architecture, contrasting utterly with the buildings that
have come down to us from former times.
It is for this reason that several opposing attitudes are represented in the modern approach to this
issue. One consists in regarding certain sites, monuments or groups of buildings as sacrosanct and
not tolerating any visible assertion of modernity. This is the case with the chateau of Versailles and
with some cities that were destroyed by war, such as Warsaw, Nuremberg or Rouen, and have
been rebuilt as faithful copies of their old selves. Another attitude is to advocate a type of
construction that is in keeping with, or even a pastiche of; that which already exists. A third,
conversely, is openly in favour of a dialogue between past and present buildings. There is,
unfortunately, a fourth attitude, which I have no hesitation in calling indifferent or ignorant and
which is the one that has done the greatest harm to certain grand urban vistas, as in the case of
Brussels, London and Paris.
* Contrasting styles
The deliberate confrontation of ancient and modern can come in various forms. The new building
can be discreetly fitted in: the audience chamber created for Paul VI in the Vatican by Pier Luigi
Nervi is uncompromisingly modern in form but crouches in the shadow of St Peter’s without having
the slightest detrimental effect on that august site. By contrast, while the Pompidou Centre makes
an assertive statement in the heart of old Paris, its proportions are in keeping with those of the
buildings massed around it, and the piazza in front of it provides a smooth transition between it
and its surroundings at the same time as being a successful urban space. Another, less
controversial, example in France is Norman Foster’s Carre d’art in Nimes. It faces the Roman
temple known as the Maison carree, but far fom overwhelming it, seems to converse with it across
two thousand years. In Germany, the Ludwig-Wallraf museums at the foot of Cologne cathedral
do not flaunt themselves in any such face-to-face encounter, but give the impression that they
The Term Paper on Post Modern Architecture vs International Style Modernism
Postmodernism began appearing in a variety of artistic fields in the 1960s and 1970s, although it was most dramatically visible in the field of architecture, where it was adopted to describe the new forms of contemporary buildings, which returned to ornamentation, quotation of tradition, and the resurrection of past styles that a more purist modernist architecture had rejected. The rapid ...
were designed with this juxtaposition in mind.
The case of the Pei pyramid in the forecourt of the Louvre is a more subtle one. Classical in form, it
might appear, though functional, to be incongruous in such a setting, but in fact its metal and
glass construction, all reflections and transparencies, lends a bold and at the same time
unassuming new touch to the classical facades of the palace. The same architect was successful
in harmoniously integrating a new wing into the National Gallery in Washington. On another level,
certain sensitively-sited major civil engineering projects such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San
Francisco or the Pont de Normandie in the Seine estuary manage to blend in admirably, thanks to
the elegance and refinement of their forms.
In the past, the juxtaposition of styles may have been a happy coincidence. In our own times a
construction in a contrasting style runs the serious risk of affronting the eye and striking a
discordant note – unless, that is, the juxtaposition is carefully thought out and modern architects,
for all their boldness, show themselves willing to accept with a kind of humility the constraints
imposed by the presence of such prestigious and awe-inspiring neighbours. If they do this, there is
every chance that posterity will be grateful to them for enriching the heritage of the centurie.
