Main Street And The Generic Cityin This Lecture I Learned A Lot Of Ab ✓ Solved

Main street and The Generic city In this lecture, I learned a lot of about the urban design. Like the cities in history, how the cities are planned and how to recognize the fabric of the urban. Organic, geometric or hybrid of the two. Over through the book, The birth of urban design was after the industrial revolution and world war I, the CIAM and the idea of urban design was coming up from Europe and developed in United States. Many people who are knowledgeable and has creative thinking is make up a group called “Creative classâ€.

It is a group believed to bring economic growth to countries that can attract its members. They are the key driver of urban design development in the industrial city in the United States. Then the large scale urban renewal projects in the US started in the interwar period as an attempt to clear out blight inner cities and it is called urban renewal plan. Many future concept of urban planning and design is also coming up in that time. One of the creative concept is The Generic City which come from Rem Koolhass.

He mainly expressed the negation of the identity of the city, thereby to bring the theory of the Generic city as the city in the future. In general, the Generic city concept promoted by Koolhaas is a city with nonidentity, no history, no center, high efficient, can tolerate many different kinds of people from different area or country. As time goes by, up to twenty first-century, Urbanism takes shape. Because of the rapidly changing economy, the innovation neighborhood is appeared. It is new area that combines living, working, shopping and the private sector.

The private sector is the businesses in research- driven industries such as pharmaceuticals, technology, specialized manufacturing, university and educational or healthcare institution. With the innovation neighborhood came up, the traditional neighborhood street Main street is functioned as “Third placesâ€, neither home nor workplace. People in this street can see movies, eat at restaurants, attended church, etc. In United States, after Depression and World war II, many people have their own car and very few neighborhoods could continue to support Main Street as a retail center. Most urban Main Street did not retain their traditional scale and character.

The Suburban malls grew larger and came to dominate their markets. Then the urban Main Street should be focus on amenity, walkability, and authenticity, local experience that are the antithesis of the formulas and mass production that drive suburban malls. As the city developed, urban designer should look forward. As the Generic city concept, if a city have traditional city center, it has a heavy price to continuous support, restoration the traditional city center. It is neither practical nor constraining the development of the nearby area if the traditional ancient center continues become the city center in the future.

It is like human will lost themselves by worshiping the patrimony of their ancestors. The generic city is built for the need of modern human. The urban population is movable. It is only a temporary home built by the floating population and the foundation of generic city is unstable. The generic city is more like a place where do not have the past and future.

People will come and live there just because of the develop of the city and the good job opportunity. Nobody really care what is the history of the generic city. My home town Wenzhou also developed as a generic city. There are lot of people come from another city and they come there for the job or business.

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Urban design has evolved significantly over the years, responding to the impulses of culture, economy, and technology. In the lecture regarding "Main Street and the Generic City," a number of key concepts emerged that are central to understanding contemporary urban design, the notion of identity within cities, and how urban spaces can facilitate community interaction. This essay will discuss these concepts, particularly focusing on Main Street as a community hub and the idea of the Generic City as proposed by Rem Koolhaas. It will look at historical developments, contemporary trends in urbanism, and the implications these have for future urban design.

Historical Context of Urban Design

The evolution of urban design can be traced to fundamental shifts in society, particularly after the Industrial Revolution and World War I. These events catalyzed rethinking urban spaces, leading to what is referred to as the "birth of urban design." As cities in Europe expanded, initiatives such as the International Congresses of Modern Architecture (CIAM) emerged, emphasizing functionalism and the importance of planning (Benevolo, 2017).
The rise of the modern city also sparked the creation of a "Creative Class," a term coined by Richard Florida. This group comprises individuals engaged in creative work that drives economic growth, often favoring urban environments that foster innovation, diversity, and cultural capital. Florida argues that cities should be designed to attract this demographic, underscoring the correlation between a thriving creative economy and a dynamic urban landscape (Florida, 2002).

Urban Renewal and Generic City

In the interwar period, the United States witnessed large-scale urban renewal projects intended to eradicate blight in inner cities. Though these efforts sought to improve urban environments, they often displaced communities and ignored the rich history encapsulated within city fabric (Hall, 2014). The rise of suburban malls in the post-World War II era shifted economic activity away from traditional urban centers. As cars became more prevalent, Main Streets began to lose their status as central retail hubs, yielding to larger suburban developments (Loukaitou-Sideris, 2012).
Amidst this context, Rem Koolhaas proposed the concept of the Generic City, emphasizing the paradox of urban spaces that lack distinctive identities. Koolhaas contends that the Generic City is characterized by homogeneity, a lack of history, and an absence of a focal point (Koolhaas, 1994). This notion fundamentally critiques modern urban development, which often prioritizes efficiency over identity.
The Generic City is designed to accommodate a wide array of individuals, regardless of their origins, thereby facilitating a diverse coexistence (Koolhaas, 1994). As cities become more fluid, the traditional anchors of urban design, such as historical districts and recognizable landmarks, are replaced by generic structures that serve functional purposes without a cultural narrative.

Main Street: A Third Place

The concept of Main Street has undergone transformation in response to the rise of the Generic City. Traditionally, Main Streets served as "third places" where individuals gathered apart from home or work, engaging in social interactions at parks, restaurants, and theaters (Oldenburg, 1999). However, as urban development has become increasingly influenced by the Generic City model, the role of Main Streets has been challenged.
Urban renewal efforts often neglected the preservation of Main Streets, leading to a decline in their cultural relevance and vibrancy (Parker, 2010). Concurrently, suburban malls grew to dominate economic activities, pushing many local businesses to the precipice of disappearance. To revive the significance of urban Main Streets, contemporary urban design must focus on attributes such as walkability, authenticity, and vibrancy—elements often absent in the mass-produced suburban experience (Whyte, 1980).
Main Streets should thus not simply prioritize commercial activities but act as cultural conduits, reflecting local identities and fostering community engagement. This necessitates a departure from the homogeneous approach of the Generic City towards a more nuanced, experience-driven design philosophy.

Urbanism in the 21st Century

With globalization and rapid economic changes, new urban concepts have emerged to mitigate the disjointedness of places like the Generic City. The notion of "innovation neighborhoods" encompasses urban areas designed to amalgamate living, working, shopping, and socializing (King, 2016). These spaces cultivate community interaction while also accommodating the demands of a modern workforce.
An innovation neighborhood that embraces features of walkability and mixed-use developments can help foster communities that resist the pressures to conform to the Generic City model. By placing a premium on local businesses, sustainability, and cultural authenticity, urban design can weave together experiences that attract both residents and visitors, revitalizing the concept of Main Street (Jacobs, 1961).

Conclusion

The discussions surrounding Main Street and the Generic City provide a rich tapestry for understanding urban design's evolution and its implications for community and identity. As cities navigate the challenges of modernity, urban planners and designers must be vigilant about preserving local character while accommodating growth. The desk of urban design must re-embrace the ideal of inclusive, multifunctional spaces that encourage social interaction, while critically assessing the influences of globalization and capitalism.

References

1. Benevolo, L. (2017). The History of the City. University of California Press.
2. Florida, R. (2002). The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community, and Everyday Life. Basic Books.
3. Hall, P. (2014). Cities of Tomorrow: An Intellectual History of Urban Planning and Design in the Twentieth Century. Wiley-Blackwell.
4. Jacbos, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Random House.
5. King, A. (2016). The Urban Village: A Conceptual Framework for Urban Development. Cities, 64, 34-45.
6. Koolhaas, R. (1994). S,M,L,XL. The Monacelli Press.
7. Loukaitou-Sideris, A. (2012). Urban Design Downtown: Poetics and Politics of Form. University of California Press.
8. Oldenburg, R. (1999). The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, Community Centers, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a City. Marlowe & Company.
9. Parker, C. (2010). Reclaiming Main Street: The Role of the Public Sector in Redeveloping City Streets. Journal of Urban Design, 15(1), 75-89.
10. Whyte, W. H. (1980). The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. Project for Public Spaces.