Urban complexity: A holistic approach to the design of cities

Cites are ever changing complex environments that function based on multifaceted systems including social, economic and cultural issues paired with the spatial, historical and movement based problems architects typically address. However, the current approaches to analyzing cities are not adept to multifaceted systems. Simulations tend to focus on single issues and only address the physical aspects of the city. The physical city is only a small part of what makes "good" space. Simply making spaces that work does not necessarily mean that they are good and beneficial socially. Cities are seen as large conglomerates of people and structures when in reality it is many small local connections grouped together. These local connections are the defining factor of cities, including: how neighborhoods interact with each other, the density of uses, local typologies, the cultural context of the city, years of historical build-up, etc. Thus the real problem becomes the Global cities defining relationships at the Local level and the Local relationships ability to fit into a Global scheme. With the understanding that spatial configurations are the critical components for physically determining how urban systems perform, this creates a starting point for analysis of the city. For successful revitalization of the urban fabric, the physical spatial configuration itself must be resolved and integrated to enable the essential issues of increased density, movement, socio-economic integrity, cultural identity, environmental sustainability, and thus lead to communal well-being. Using software developed by Space Syntax, to analyze real spatial configurations through the use of configurational analysis, one can begin to see where the street fabric is failing or working in the way it is intended. The road configuration is only one part of the urban infrastructure. It is a vital part, but all other aspects of the infrastructure need to be addressed including all forms of movement and the complex networks that allow all other functions of the city to take place i.e. power, public transportation, sewage, etc. Infrastructure is typically laid out without regard to the passage of time and the incomplete nature of urban planning itself. Infrastructure requires adaptation and flexibility. Once infrastructure is addressed, there are specific local contextual problems to solve. This is where many urban designs go wrong. We tend to design space based on these one dimensional simulations and how we "think" the space will perform. There needs to be a method or system of tools used for addressing the issues involved in the complexities of the city. Coupling urban design theory and critical theory with many types of simulation and date we can begin to propose solutions that address the multifaceted city. With my thesis I would like to answer two questions. How can understanding solutions within an urban context be increased when the complexities are so far beyond comprehension? How can we address all the complexities of the city when we design to create "good" space?...