So its probably time I updated my reading so far and got a little bit of brain activity on here. Next on the reading list is Sean Lally/Weathers and Tschumi's event cities.
First, bibliography so far with some thoughts/annotations:
Koolhaas, Rem. Delirious New York: a Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan. (New York: Monacelli, 1994). Print.
Summer reading. Agree with Rem's assertion that architectural manifestos or thesis need to be supported with rigorous evidence. Not strictly mapping/urban design, but shows the subjectivity and power of mapping and how perspective/aim influences the act of mapping.
Tuan, Yi-Fu. Space and Place: the Perspective of Experience. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1977). Print.
More summer reading. Wide ranging book, nice to read something not written by an architect once in a while. Applicable take-away is that mapping reflects the personal or cultural experience of space (ie. big satellite maps in the space age). That maps are subjective.
Gissen, David. Subnature: Architectures Other Environments. (New York: Princton Architecture Press, 2009). Print.
'Subnatures' are defined here as latent conditions in cities, usually with negative connotations, in contrast to 'desirable' natures. Good grounding in historical writing and thought contrasted with interesting contemporary thought and practice. Locates the subject of 'clean' nature in modern and contemporary discourse. The interest here is in creating a contextual architecture and not separating architecture and 'nature', one which draws on the latent opportunities of a given site.
Bunschoten, Raoul, CHORA, ed. Institute for Cultural Policy. From Matter to Metaspace: Cave, Ground, Horizon, Wind. (New York: Springer Publishing, 2005). Print.
Goes into the process of CHORA's work. Heavy on the work, light on the theory. Projects looks for a previous or outside context (historical object or event, some sort of universal geometry overlay) to situate the project. The project is then created around the intersection of local conditions and the global overlay (or historical event). I think the methodology could be very useful, but by using existing geometry as opposed to 'phantom' geometry. Also going beyond the 'deconstructionist' output which is carried throughout their work.
Bunschoten, Raoul, CHORA. Public Spaces. (London: Black Dog Publishing, 2002). Print.
Public space as instruments of change for a society, public space = playground for society. Talks about the use of diagram and operational mechanism to create architectural space and urban dynamics. Good understanding and importance of public space in the city.
Bunschoten, Raoul, CHORA. Metaspaces. (London: Black Dog Publishing, 1998). Print.
Posits that the city is an expression of actions, of individuals and collectives organized by rules. The dynamic nature of the city leaves traces and that these traces become urban characteristics. Urban space is a result of the intersection of local and global conditions. The theory here is more useful than the output. The question becomes how to extend the thought and process of CHORA beyond their fragmented output.
Corner, James, “The Agency of Mapping: Speculation, Critique and Invention,” in Mappings, ed Denis Cosgrove. (London: Reakton Books, 1999), 214-252.
(see previous post)
Bracken, Gregory, Heidi Sohn, “Mapping Urban Complexity in an Asian Context” Footprint 2: Mapping Urban Complexity in an Asian Context 2 (2008): 1-4.
Acts an an introduction to the issue, introducing mapping and the special issues of the Asian context. It goes over some history of maps, as tools of navigation and power, as forms of analysis, and the philosophical background. The problem that this jounal issue sets out to examine is the translation of mapping theory to meaningful practice.
Robin Visser, “Diagnosing Beijing 2020: Mapping the Ungovernable City” Footprint 2: Mapping Urban Complexity in an Asian Context 2 (2008): 15-30.
Looks at the relation of historical Chinese planning in Beijing to current city and how this relates to governance. Critiques the massive city model built to showcase Beijing in 2020. More about the role and affect of governance on the city and urban design. Not particularity useful.
Qiang, Sheng, “Spatial 'Complexity': Analysis on the Evolution of Beijing's Movement Network and its Effects on Urban Function” Footprint 2: Mapping Urban Complexity in an Asian Context 2 (2008): 31-42.
Focuses on the movement network of Beijing in an attempt to find the middle ground between the overly architectural study of urban fabric, or overly sociological study of economics or social structures. It begins with a study of pre-industrial Beijing and how the street network was planned and analysis of programmatic use. The changing patterns of regional/metropolitan scale urban functions are analyzed and how changes in the transit network are related. A good example of more a scientific approach to urban analysis, 'mapping' is not particularity evident.
Karandinou, Anastasia, Leonidas Koutsoumpos, “Performing Mimetic Mapping: Non-visualisable Map of the Shuzou River Area of Shanghai” Footprint 2: Mapping Urban Complexity in an Asian Context 2 (2008): 53-66.
The project is set on the premise that 'mimetic mapping' is actually the reperformance of the experience and exploration of the mapped area. Both the philosophical underpinnings of mimesis and the process of the mapping are discussed. The result is not a map but a multilayered model. The process of creating the map (or game-board rules) are informed by the experiences from the trip and creative input from the designers. The mimetic mapping allows a certain amount of neutrality in the making process and final product. A good piece detailing the process and production of the mimetic map, and the philosophical underpinnings, useful.
Lucas, Raymond, “Getting Lost in Tokyo” Footprint 2: Mapping Urban Complexity in an Asian Context 2 (2008): 91-104.
A mapping project with the initial assumption that, as a microcosm of spatial complexity in Tokyo, understanding and mapping the subway system will reveal insight about Tokyo in the largest sense. The author maps Tokyo in a partially mimetic manner, creating diagrams from navigation of complex transit stations. An installation is created from the mapping excersize showing the diagrams, resulting axon drawings, and locations of similar morphologies in Tokyo. The mapping exercise is not particularly applicable, but the installation could be.
Shannon, Kelly, “The 'Agency of Mapping' in South Asia: Galle-Matara, Mumbai, Khulna” Footprint 2: Mapping Urban Complexity in an Asian Context 2 (2008): 105-119.
The article looks at mapping in the 'ad-hoc' urban context of South Asia, as understanding and intervening in a complex context. The mapping largely relies on topographical maps and figure ground maps to looks at different morphologies. Some good analysis ('stan allen-ing') of the maps but remains largely descriptive.
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