Speaker
Description
The topic of urban beauty is often addressed superficially; certainly, it is under-discussed. Today, a long architectural and compositional tradition still heavily influences the perspectives and value judgments of experts, leading to the tendency to believe that the experience of beauty is confined to the physical, visual, and compositional characteristics of the built environment. Differently, and based on recent cognitive studies, urban beauty can only be understood as a complex ‘total experience’ that includes both tangible and material elements, as well as emerging social and cultural stimuli that, by definition, transcend intentional urban design operation and the built environment. On the one hand, this implies the inevitability of revisiting the mainstream contemporary concept of urban beauty, broadening its scope. On the other hand, it is necessary to reflect more consciously on the production and generative process of attractive and human-centred urban environments. From this perspective, with appropriate innovations, a concept that can be particularly useful is that of living structure introduced by Christopher Alexander. Building on this experience, this talk will highlight the reasons why the idea of the Open City is central both to understanding the genesis of beautiful urban environments as well as the adoption of more conscious design and regulatory approaches.
References
Sennett, R., & Sendra, P. (2020). Designing disorder: Experiments and disruptions in the city. Verso Books.
Cozzolino, S., & Moroni, S. (2024). Action, Property and Beauty: Planning with and for Emergent Urban Complexity. Taylor & Francis.
Alexander, C. (2002). The Nature of Order: The Process of Creating Life. Taylor & Francis.
Romano, M. (2008). La città come opera d’arte. Torino: Einauidi.
Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Random House.
| Keywords | Beauty; Open City; Living structure; Emergent Urbanism; Action |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
