Filed under: Italy | Tags: Italian New Towns, Military Town, Palmanova, Public panoptican
Palmanova
Procession into the center:
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Spent a day exploring the historical, military new town of Palmanova, Italy. It was only appropriate to meet up with fellow world-traveler, Nick Sowers (and bunker enthusiast, Rachael Koffman), for a discussion of how our threads of inquiry about this place might intersect. He is interested in the ways military and civilian space collide and the re-appropriations or reuse of these spaces in everyday life. I am interested in a historic example of the new town/utopia and an investigation of the performance of public space then vs. now. The fascinating evolution of this town has produced new housing development within its prescribed growth boundaries and a diverse population of citizens/workers. This is not a museum (although we did visit the Palmanova military museum located in one of the monumental fortress gates). It is an inhabited and functional place to live. We planed to meet at the nucleus of this iconic, almost panopticonic city….instead we found ourselves on the same very delayed train out of Venice.
120 minuti later….
We spent our time observing the two very different public spaces of Palmanova – the central, paved expanse, or open space, of this star-formed city and the jogging, lush/green glacis embankments that form the plan’s perimeter. In less abstract terms, the town square and the surrounding greenbelt. We arrived at the denouement of what we expected to be a busting farmer’s market at the center of town. Instead dozens of Chinese clothing and accessory stalls were being dismantled and an amusement park was beginning to mobilize. Eerie and bleak was the atmosphere….with the weather (gloomy and still) right on cue. “Welcome to a new city feel,” I tell Nick. I wonder if the dimensions of new city building (which are actually centuries old here) have influenced the types of activities that occur. Are there less intimate exchanges that take place in the center of this massive space? Nick is busy thinking about the concept of amusement as a product of regimented, militarized space/activities.
In Palmanova, the star-formed Renaissance city built by Scamozzi in 1593 north of Venice, all the streets have the same width – 14 meters (46 ft.) – regardless of purpose and placement in the city plan. In contrast with the medieval town, these dimensions are not determined primarily by use but by other, mostly formal considerations. This is also true of the city square, Piazza Grande, which, because of the geometry, is 30,000 square meters (325,000 sq.ft.) or more than twice as large as the Campo in Siena. For this reason it is quite unusable as a town square in this little town. On the other hand, the city plan is an interesting graphic work that, like so many other Renaissance-inspired plans, bears witness to being created on the drawing board.
-Life Between Buildings and the Resource for Urban Design Information (rudi.net)
I challenge the theory that Palmanova’s center is unusable as a town square in this small town. Instead, the center functions as a new breed of town square, a new type of public space. Residents hold a public market in the piazza every monday morning and seasonal festivals/other city-wide events (like this amusement park we are witnessing) occur in this space large enough to accommodate the immediate population as well as their visiting friends. This is the only space within the city’s radial plan that can accommodate these large programs. The buildings on the edges of the piazza enclose and define this space and contain a ribbon of cafes, bars, and restaurants (sporadically occupied). People engaging in public activities like those mentioned have adapted the space to suit individual needs. In that sense, the space of the public is flexible, to expand or contract, depending on the scale of activities and times of day. Users partition off bits of this square to reflect the true scales of human activity.
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17:00 hours…
The energy was incredible; Nick was hiking the perimeter, probably recording the sound of blades of grass, and I was photographing the new housing types at the outermost ring of development. When we met up, we fed each other info about the separate sides of this curtain of fortification.
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Next branner meet-up: Berkeley, CA, January 2010, Thesis semester
Seen in the Sept. issue of Time Magazine, Circus Art Cafe, Roma
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It’s the same architecture story in Italy. Architecture firms are keeping afloat if they have ongoing work in China. I met Antonio Gioli, partner of gbpa architects (Milan) who admits the firm’s success is based on the opportunity to work in Tianjin and Beijing – a connection his firm secured only two-three years ago.
Italian-based Joseph di Pasquale and AM Progetti Milan are planning a new eco-city in Tianjin. The model is on display in Milan’s Urban Center (architecture center):
“Densification as an ecological process: ….#3 Halting the consumption of new territory, controlling and allowing higher density in certain areas solely after ‘liberation’ of other urbanized areas with low density and poor quality, and reconversion of them to form part of the urban, territorial, agricultural fabric.”
Some connections (Italy-China) are cliched at best:
Tianjin’s Italian Village courtesy of fei.chen75’s photostream
Yet others seem to engage local conditions in a totally new way.
I’m excited to return to China during the final leg of travels. The ‘big ticket this season’ is the Bi-city Shenzhen/Hong Kong Biennale. City Mobilization is the theme for this year’s architecture and urbanism expo which kicks off December 4, 2009. I’m interested in comparing this exhibit to the one I attended in Rotterdam. It seems that the curator teams from both sides of the world have been collaborating. The biggest difference, I think, will be that larger and more established firms will be participating in Asia. Will their proposals match the size of their reputation or will the theme of the conference dictate more modest design solutions? The schedule is still unfolding, as is mine…..although, I will be a magnet to these expo sites.
Filed under: Milan | Tags: Italian New Towns, Milan New Development, Citylife, Fiera Milano, Expo 2015, Santa Giulia, Rho
“Milan is…under construction.”
It is the first thing Professor Danilo Palazzo says as I sit down to talk about new development in Northern Italy in his office at the at the Politecnico di Milano. He is a professor of Urban Planning and Design and a long-time resident of this (rapidly) evolving city. He currently leads a thesis prep course for international, master’s-level graduate students. He takes me through a brief history of Milan – from it’s industrial and Fascist roots to the prominent urban plans of 1980s and 90s to the future city plans for Expo 2015.
Milano has an interesting story to tell about expos and fairs in general. The old Fiera, or Fair grounds, was built in the 1920s (just west of the historic city center), when Milan hosted the city’s first world’s fair type event. It was used heavily in the post-war years and up until the 1990s. At that point, the demand for exhibition space and services began to far exceed the current (fair/land) capacity. In response, new fair grounds were commissioned on the outskirts of Milan (more specifically, in a town called Rho in the Milano metropolitan area). This is the site of the new Fiera Milano, a development that was crowned when the Massimiliano Fuksas iconic canopy was built over the exhibition complex.
The older fair site, near the center of the city is now called the ‘CityLife‘ project and is very much under construction. (There are massive construction walls surrounding the site.) Palazzo says the development is the result of a competition in which the best design solution – one that was popular with the people and was sensitive to city context – didn’t win. Instead, the decision to commission a trio of international architects (Libeskin, Hadid, and Isozaki) was based purely on money. Their mixed-use, residential schemes were the most economical to build.
The relocation and development of the Milan Fair sounds like the story of new city building. When an existing agglomeration lacks physical space/room for program, and existing infrastructure is at full capacity for efficient operation, a new piece of land, often at the edge of the existing development, is allocated for this new purpose. This addition is unique from urban sprawl because it is often a self-sustaining and independent development, and it often has it’s own inscribed urban growth limits.
I’m interested in the plans for the Milan 2015 Expo and the potential of public architecture, public space, and experiment that can ensue. Milan’s plan, unlike the enormously-scaled, quarantined, mega expo-sites for Shanghai, Hannover, (and even the Beijing Olympics), scatters seeds of development throughout the city. It seems like a plan for urban acupuncture, a healing/regenerative attempt to revitalize the entire city with several site-specific urban renewal-ish design solutions. Palazzo says it has to do with the budget, one that has been severely cut due to the economy. I wonder if this solution, one that was generated via a financial externality, will become a model for the future.
Expo as urban accupuncture
Milan’s Reverse ‘T’ plan
The day turns into an incredible motorcycle tour of the new development in and around Milan. We see: Rubattino, Santa Julia, Porta Victoria, Bocconi (University), Fiera Milano City, Portello, Maciachini, and Bicocca – huge revitalization projects included in Milan’s “Reverse ‘T’” Plan (named for its physical form seen in plan).
Santa Giulia is Milan’s example of ‘on hold’ or ‘tentative urbanism.’ The 296-acre residential/retail area, designed by Norman Foster, was partially built before the project/developers declared bankruptcy approximately one year ago. Today, this development exists partially inhabited and less than 3 miles from the center of Milan. Construction has halted and metal fences remain as blockades to main public areas. Residents are living without some basic services, like schools and roads. (In fact, the route we took to access the development wouldn’t have been an option if we weren’t riding this bike.) The worst news seems to be that residents might lose the rights to the property that they purchased here. Santa Giulia seems like a blaring example of planning gone wrong (too mono-functional, mainly)….but hopefully, it is one that the city can learn from.
Where the sidewalk ends: Santa Giulia
Tentative urbanism: Santa Giulia collective space, TBD
more edges
I get the feeling Milan can be a superficial place. Milan seems extremely focused on it’s outward appearance. Close proximity to other powerful European Centers has given the city a complex; this hub of fashion and design wants to look good standing next to its rivals. Milan has been a fierce contender in the competition for international events like Expo 2015 and the 2020 Olympic games. However, these ambitions for greatness may only be skin deep. Sometimes the people of Milan are left out of the equation. Santa Giulia is one blatant example of neglect toward residents. Fiera Milano City could be another. The voice of the people seem crucial for the future of the city. Professors and Researchers like those at the University should be more involved in future design decisions and the residents themselves need to be recognized. With a marginal population to begin with (Palazzo is not the only one who describes the Milanese as “not Italians, but Europeans”), Milan needs to establish a deeper connection to its people – to find its identity from within – or it risks ending up like Brussels and the EU – a soft and generic center lacking true identity.
Other projects of interest in Milan:
San Vittore Prison (a panopticon from the 1880s, located in the center of Milan, designers proposed conversion into a major public landmark/use)
Filed under: Venice
I am mobile between Verona and Venice for a few days. Internet is very intermittent and slow, but wanted to post some recent images…if I can. Info on Milan coming soon, hoping to be able to blog when I reach Rome. Met up with Nick Sowers and co. again for a day, and we have a site visit to the old planned/new military city of Palmanova tomorrow.
After breathtaking views of the Alps, I touch down in Malpensa and head into the historic center of Milan, one concentric ring of urban development after another, via autobus. I know I’ve left a more northern Europe because informalities begin to filter back into the daily routine. Road-side Gypsies are offering to wash the windshields of cars, beggars are positioned outside of Stazione Cadorna, drivers neglect any hint at separate or organized lanes or traffic signals, and there are more motorized scooters and 2-wheeled vehicles on the street than bicycles. We pass construction on former industrial sites. The largest I see is around Fiera.
Somewhere along the way, the coffee got a whole lot stronger….which is completely acceptable to me.
Milan is my prime research spot in Italy due to the immense amount of urban redevelopment happening around the city. Plans for the next week include a trip to Verona, Vincenza, Venice for mandatory architecture and urban sites, some documentation in the old planned city of Palmanova to see how it is being inhabited today, and a wrap up in Naples (to visit cousins) and Architecture in Rome.
Filed under: Amsterdam | Tags: Almere, Dutch New Towns, Dutchtown, International New Town Institute
This extra-long hiatus in Holland (and surrounding environs) is coming to a close. It has been a non-stop inundation of functional public space case studies, collaborations with other designers and researchers looking at/working on new cities and experimental urban developments, and ground-level fieldwork in the Dutch new town of Almere.
Twenty-five years after construction started on the city of Almere, Rem Koolhaas retroactively designed a new city center, known as Dutchtown. This revision is illustrative of the unpredictability of urban development, particularly for changes in the Randstad (conurbation of Western Holland) as a spatial reflection of an “un-clotted” to a “re-clotted” society. Instead of a peaceful suburbia of 50,000 inhabitants, in which the middle class could live in houses with gardens, Almere developed into an archipelago of 200,000 people with ethnically dominated neighborhoods and streets with prostitution. In this way, the city became an inseperable part of the hierarchic Randstad, from “bundled- de-concentration” to “carpet” metropolis, a patchwork of identies.
-Kees Christiaanse, Curator 4th IABR
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Almere’s new city center are the striated, or stacked, public spaces. If new cities are said to lack the layers of existing cities, then this design is a literal response to that prevailing critique. I can’t help but wonder if any of these layered sections subconsciously or consciously derived from Eastern models (esp. those from outside of Hong Kong). Perceptions of the new city’s success fluctuate substantially…depending on who you ask. What shouldn’t be neglected; however, is that this city’s destiny/fate is being dictated by a 20 year plan. (Projections = Almere 2030 Plan)
Almere 2030 Model at the International New Town Institute
Almere housing block competition model, MVRDV, Rotterdam
A discussion with Marit Geluk of the International New Town Institute based in Almere was instrumental for understanding the social and economic forces that have spawned the need for this new city….in the Netherlands where land is very scarce. Cities in the south of Holland are shrinking, yet Almere is growing. This is basically based on a policy decision from existing cities like Amsterdam which are not willing/or are unable to expand at a rate and scale that would accommodate this rural to urban migration. (The number one case for the creation of new cities.) Existing cities are concerned with density thresholds, historic height limits, infrastructural capacities, and unemployment numbers. And according to Geluk, trends in the Netherlands are changing. The current population is moving out of their parents’ houses earlier than previous generations.
Willemieke Hornis, PHD candidate, Spatial Planning and Development, helped differentiate the new city of Almere from other large developments, specifically Leidsche Rijn – the largest urban development in the Netherlands, just outside of Utrecht. While Almere is an example of “bundled concentration,” Leidsche Rijn is a model of a “compact city.” I owe you a diagram for this one, but it will have to come later. In conclusion, Almere is a new city (independent politically and otherwise), LR is a dependent growth/parasite of Utrecht.
Leidsche Rijn (2 images)
While I ask the question, How do you create functional public space in new cities, I am continuously amazed by the amount of new public space happening/being re-appropriated in their nearby, existing city counterparts. A group from the 4th Annual Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam is attempting to categorize, map, and define public space around the world via interactive web interface. (Open Places) While this monumental task has just begun, it represents the trend of awareness and intervention that cities around the world are taking on. It is the time to move beyond the public think-tanks, dialogues, and conferences on what should be done to revitalize and renew cities and act to realize concrete examples. The relationships among public space and public buildings can create the openness and co-exhistance that cities seek. The newest cities have the opportunity to reinvent those relationships.
