For this paper, you will contrast one example of a Classic urban situation with its counterpart in the Great Asphaltic. The paper will bring together the class research into the urban elements, the theory addressed through lectures and the readings, and the lessons learned from the sketch exercises. The paper will have three components:
1. Spatial and Visual Analysis
You will contrast significant examples of urban elements, or combinations of elements, that serve the same primary function (mobility corridors, places of assembly, building types, open spaces, or urban districts). The urban elements you select for comparison may be taken from the research you conducted for the class presentations, or from other sources. While it is desirable to select elements from a city you know well, this is not essential for the paper; in fact, this exercise may offer the opportunity to explore cities that you know of from readings or hearsay and would like to understand better (hopefully in preparation, post-covid, for a visit). Note that you are not bound to remain within the content area of your Urban Element presentation; for example, if you participated in the Mobility Corridor presentation, you may be interested in studying Places of Assembly instead for this paper.
The paper should provide a description of each urban element sufficient to allow a reader to understand its spatial and visual character:
Spatial character (minimum):
Location within the larger urban area, relation to other prominent features or districts.
Dimensions and proportions
Solids and voids
Access and walkability characteristics
Secondary elements of note (plantings, street furniture, signage, etc.)
Opening, closure, transparency, layering
Legibility
Visual Character (minimum):
Materials
Textures
Colors
Shadow, light
The analysis should primarily be based on your own observation and understanding of the element. However, additional technical information can also be provided, if readily available (e.g. traffic flows, number of pedestrian visitors per unit of time, density of persons or housing, etc.; be sure to cite the sources of the information provided).
The description should be amply illustrated with graphics, including maps, transects, cross sections, aerial and surface photography, and drawings (see below under Requirements).
2. Cultural Analysis
Provide a description of the cultural characteristics of the urban situations you have selected:
Principal and secondary functions
Principal and secondary land uses, both around and within the urban elements
Social, religious, or political events, both formal and informal, that take place in or around the urban element
Important historical events and people that have given the place meaning in the life of the community
Transformations over time, in both spatial character and function (Note: this should not be an elaborate or detailed history of the element or area).
3. Conclusion: A discussion on your views about the durability (or not) of human needs across cultures and time, and how urban spaces can support or hinder the fulfillment of these needs. The conclusion should include a summary of the foregoing points on spatial/visual analysis and cultural analysis, but should further address the primary questions: What is gained and what is lost in the translation of human functions from the Classic to the Great Asphaltic? And if dimensions of human life have been lost in the transition, are there design interventions that can recapture these dimensions or can introduce new functions that will stimulate the life of these urban places?
PAPER REQUIREMENTS
Sources and Bibliography: Your paper should draw extensively from the assigned texts, but it is expected that students will go beyond these to explore new sources. Students are expected to use a minimum of six sources. Note that Wikipedia is not a valid source, see note below on the use of Internet sources. A standard reference format should be used in the bibliography. The bibliography is a required element of the paper.
Format: The paper should be double-spaced and should not exceed 12 pages in length (exclusive of graphics and bibliography).
Graphics: It is expected that the paper will include an ample, thoughtfully selected set of graphic materials to support the written narrative. Graphics should always be referenced in the text for ease of understanding. They may be either interlaced with the text, or may be presented in a separate section; in either case, they should be numbered or lettered to correspond to numbers/letters in the text. Whenever possible provide the source of the graphic image, including at a minimum the website where you located it (if no other information is available).
Authorship: It is expected that students fully understand the importance of original authorship and the implications of plagiarism. Reference to another authors materials is highly encouraged, but attribution is essential (it is, in fact, a legal requirement). Outside materials may be either quoted directly, or they may be extensively paraphrased so that the materials are without question expressed in your own words. In either case, attribution of the source of the materials must be provided.
A NOTE ON THE USE OF INTERNET SOURCES:
It is not acceptable to use Wikipedia for this paper. Any paper that shows that it makes use of Wikipedia will be automatically marked down one entire grade point. Like a newspaper or magazine article, Wikipedia is a helpful tool for gaining a quick overview of a subject, and it can be a useful point of departure for further research. However, the quality of Wikipedia articles varies enormously, the references are often unattributed or are unclear, and the policy of not citing the name and credentials of the authors calls into question the credibility of its materials. Wikipedia should NEVER be used as a direct reference in the academic setting (in this course or any other course).
Other Internet sources should be used with great caution. Materials that are located on a site run by an official organization, for example a museum or a foundation, are generally trustworthy; these sources often provide access to original materials or to valid scholarly work. Blogs and sites run by individuals, however, often reveal a lack of scholarship and a severely biased view of the subject, and should be handled cautiously.
Finally, keep in mind Marlene Koenigs two dictums: Bother me! and A search is not the same as research! Marlene can be extraordinarily helpful in pointing you toward online or other sources that go far beyond what is available on the Internet.
