URBAN DESlGN AND MODERNlSM

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URBAN DESlGN AND MODERNlSM Student’s Name Course Name lnstitutional Affiliation lntroduction ln the modern world, the improvement of urban design depended on design philosophy and design research which involves the design of understanding and general solutions to factors in business that can be influenced by urban design. Urban design is an art of making and shaping new town and cities through the process of arrangement and effective design of building and transport networks, public space, and amenities. The urban design consideration in the modernist urbanism led to the mass production of urban structures in urban areas around the world in the 1950s, 1960s and parts of china which happened around 2010. Urban design adhered to the principles of modernism: purity of form, geographical aesthetics, and formal ideal of utopia. Therefore, the assessment of the projects on modernism urban design is important in improving the long-term urban efforts to improve long-term urban solutions for housing needs.
Urban design in modernism was a movement that advocates for radical transformation of traditional urban design towards city form and city lifestyle. The movement was inspired by technological advancements alongside the effects of political influences in the world urban areas. The key features that were came with urban design in the modernist period, are design and planning of urban areas to allow for motorized movement as a public system, banning the street-block traditional system and employing the use of sophisticated motorized system with super blocks and urban configuration to allow great number of parking areas, fresh air, view of nature, and maximum sunlight. Housing design was embodied in the urban design of the modernism period as hygienic conditions are considered through checking factors such as the height of the building the building form, plot ratio and building arrangement.
Case Study: Wan Chai Project An example of the modernism project is Wan Chai also known as Ha Wan that means the Bottom ring originates from the geographical regions of Wan Chai, Sheung Wan, Central and Sai Wan which are locally known as The Four Rings. The systematic design and planning of the urban areas and its configuration was affected by reclamation development processes. With a great part of the urban area being unused, several processes of reclamation took place to increase the area of available land for use. On the available land three to four storey tenement buildings and small street blocks were built. As more land was being reclaimed the modernist principles were applied for instance the street blocks become larger and the spaces between the buildings become sparse and sophisticated than the traditional concept.
Fig. 1: Wan Chai Project. There are several factors that can be identified towards the urban design of Wan Chai under the modernism principles which are: Building and facilities, public activities, pedestrian and traffic flow, social capital and pedestrian diversity. The modernism in Wan Chai can be illustrated by the dominant free-standing single buildings with unembellished exteriors, clean lines and mono-functional characterized with cubic shapes. The urban design of the urban area involves the compact urban layouts that have buildings of different scales and mixed-use spaces.
The arrangement of public facilities in Wan Chai North is orderly with great consideration to the space function of the wide variety of public and private entities.
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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283189757_Everyday_life_under_modernist_planning_A_study_of_an_ever-transforming_urban_area_in_Hong_Kong 46%
The arrangement of public facilities in Wan Chai North is orderly with great consideration to the space function of the wide variety of public and private entities.
ln Wan Chai South public facilities are not arranged or coordinated by the government.
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ln Wan Chai South public facilities are not arranged or coordinated by the government. Most of the facilities are wrongly positioned, old and inadequate.
The management focus on the spatial order and mechanisms used to control the public use of space.
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The management focus on the spatial order and mechanisms used to control the public use of space.
The case is different in Wan Chai North and Wan Chai South.
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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283189757_Everyday_life_under_modernist_planning_A_study_of_an_ever-transforming_urban_area_in_Hong_Kong 50%
The case is different in Wan Chai North and Wan Chai South.
Wan Chai North have open spaces which are privately owned and under the operation of the private entities.
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Wan Chai North have open spaces which are privately owned and under the operation of the private entities. The private sector of the urban area has the complete rights in the management of the space under the ownership. As a matter of fact, there are open spaces are managed by the government and they impose restrictions on them such as ban on pets and limited hours of opening.
Most open spaces in Wan Chai South are not under the management of the private entities.
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Most open spaces in Wan Chai South are not under the management of the private entities. The management of the spaces mostly falls under a government-public partnership.
There is difficulty in the management of the area due to the high density of living population in a compact urban layout and mixed land use and the ambiguity of the demarcation lines between private and public spaces.
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There is difficulty in the management of the area due to the high density of living population in a compact urban layout and mixed land use and the ambiguity of the demarcation lines between private and public spaces.
As a result, the urban spaces and streets in Wan Chai South are complicated and untidy.
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As a result, the urban spaces and streets in Wan Chai South are complicated and untidy.
The road design focuses on facilitating efficient and fast automobile traffic circulations. The network also has wide and straight traffic lanes with rare at-grade crossings. As a solution to the Vehicle and pedestrian separation and minimizing the waiting time of motorists, more footbridges are built to replace the at-grade pedestrian crossings.
ln Wan Chai North, people walk or drive long significant distances to fulfill needs like shopping and dining.
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ln Wan Chai North, people walk or drive long significant distances to fulfill needs like shopping and dining. Thus, the pedestrian flow increases at certain times such as lunch hours and morning hours. ln Wan Chai South, there is slow pedestrian movement and traffic flow as the roads are shared by all users; pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. People cross freely, anytime anywhere as long as there is no vehicles on the roads. The level of social interactions and relationships in Wan Chai South are significantly more than in Wan Chai North.
The availability of space is significant to the development of social capital in urban areas.
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The availability of space is significant to the development of social capital in urban areas. There is greater cohesion, solidarity due to the opportunities to participate in different levels and types of socialization.
However, there has been a criticism on development of modernist urbanism as a doctrine that leads to the disintegration of the urban areas. Considering the continued expansion of the urban fabric, the scale of pedestrian urban blocks and open environment has been increasing to reaffirm the traditions in the modern industrial cities. The current design solutions depend on the urban forms from the past European cities including the spatial typologies.
From an ideological perspective, modernism is a formal response to the complexity of the European urban centers.
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From an ideological perspective, modernism is a formal response to the complexity of the European urban centers. This led to the significant economic change through the mechanization of the different agricultural and industrial processes. The recent advancements in technology have helped to improve the urban designs through allowing for the transformation of the safety and the transportation networks.
However, the modernism has affected the shape and overall character of the urban cities as well. The current urban life cannot be attributable to the transformation of the physical urban life only. There is a common behavior of blaming the dysfunctionalities of the major cities on the urban modernism design and the modern planners as well. Such blames was recorded by numerous writings and professionals including Jane Jacobs. For example, Kate Bristol made effort to show the relationship between the arguments on Pruitt-lgoe public housing project for demolition and the potential failure of the modern architecture, which is a core myth. Most people placed the failure of the public housing projects on the designers. This shifted the scrutiny from the institutional and structural issues that affect public housing.
Fig. 1: Pruitt-lgoe Public Housing Project Fig. 2: High Rise Pruitt-lgoe Public Housing Project. An example of the project that relied on the urban modernism design is Pruitt-lgoe project that was committed in the construction of high rise buildings to give people quality housing. With the advent of technology and new construction designs, it was possible to construct high rise buildings that occupies less space and creates more capacity for people. However, the project failed because of other reasons than the design. The designers were blamed for the implosion of the project, which was unfair and unnecessary.
Conclusion ln conclusion, modernism design describes a modern city as a place whereby a person can walk easily while living, working, enjoying leisure time and moving around. The success of the modern depends on people being able to plan their cities effectively and understand the needs of their people effectively. Modernism understands the future needs and creates a clear vision for urban planning that incorporates the long-term sustainability of the communities. The urban design of Wan Chai can illustrate both the traditional and modernism urbanism. The explanation of the factors that can identify Wan Chai under modernism principles; buildings and facilities, public facilities, pedestrian and traffic flow and social capital shows the adherence and defiance of the Wan Chai urban Design from the modernism principles. The modernism principles include the geometrical aesthetics, purity of form, and the formal ideal of utopia that helps to improve the current design of developments. However, there were significant criticisms of the modernism urban design because of the failure of some projects such as Pruitt-lgoi project, which failed because of other reasons. The emphasis on open spaces and sustainability has been brought into light because of the styles of modernism in the urban design. As such, the urban modernism design has helped to create a more sustainable society through structuring public construction and developments in a way to allow for expansion and environmental protection as well.

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