Figure 3 - uploaded by Michelle Thompson-Fawcett
Content may be subject to copyright.
Source publication
Contemporary changes in strategies for dealing with the form and design of urban areas have origins which deserve excavation. The popularization of the notion of creating quality, compact towns and cities is a case in point. Using the work of Leon Krier as a case study, this paper outlines the background to a particular version of the organic metap...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... growth of an urban civilisation cannot be accomplished except by the right and judicious geographical distribution of its cities and communities, autonomous and nite. [72] Not only does Krier adopt a general organic metaphor for the city, but he also develops an analogy linked to Aristotle's notion of the city being derived from the family (Fig. ...
Citations
... Nevertheless, its core ideas also shifted among planning policymaking and practice. During the early 1990s, new-build schemes in the designated urban expansion areas were the primary development model of urban villages (Aldous, 1992;Thompson-Fawcett, 1998). Since the late 1990s, the focus shifted to urban regeneration because of difficulties in finding new-build sites, changes in personnel within the UVG and an increasing demand for public money (Biddulph et al., 2002a). ...
Numerous novel planning concepts have been developed in pursuit of better urban environments, while many are notoriously difficult to define. Lacan’s master signifier is widely employed to criticise these vague, fashionable concepts but lacks a specific examination tool. To fill this gap, this article develops an analytical framework based on Lacanian discourse analysis (LDA) to decipher the complex social relations in the process of applying new concepts to planning policymaking and practice. A comprehensive review of the UK urban village movement is used to demonstrate how this framework provides a deeper analysis, arguing that urban villages are understood differently depending on individual social positions, which, to some extent, determine their actions towards planning practice.
... "The proliferation of so-called sustainable green-suburbs, green-skyscrapers, greentransport, green-food, green-fuel and greeneverything are distracting ploys that will postpone peak-oil by a mere few days'" Urban development is an integral part of human development, but the most important thing is to preserve the traditional framework of the city in a way that guarantees the equality of parts of the city and preserves its continuity in more realistic ways [6]. 3 or analyses of the Traditional topic description mode is generally not used for theory building purposes, but rather focuses on highlighting specific events and things. ...
Abstract. Successful urban interventions in traditional cities must be thoughtful, accurate and
wise intervention, so the research assumed that urban sustainability represents a contemporary
development intervention that tries to regulate the performance of urban products (components
- dimensions) in traditional cities within three factors which are, the right time, right place, and
positive performance. The traditional Alnajaf city in Iraq was taken as a case study,
morphologically; the general shape of the city was classified into five main parts and examined
them with physical dimension that was depended on the concepts of sustainability threshold
according to the descriptive data. From this analysis the research determined the right, time and
place to achieve the best sustainable intervention. The research found that there is a variation in
the level of sustainability in traditional Alnajaf city resulting from the different type of
intervention at the level of the constituent parts of the urban fabric .Thus, it is possible to take
advantage of the limits of urban sustainability (The Threshold) in creating a balance between
the type of urban intervention and the needs of the original city to preserve the traditional
cities, including traditional Alnajaf city.
Keywords: Threshold, Urban Sustainability, Traditional Cities, Alnajaf, urban performance.
... Discourse does 'rhetorical work' in building preferred narratives that frame policy issues, define problems, and articu- late solutions (McArthur & Robin, 2019). The literature has drawn attention to new urbanism's use of evolutionary discourse and organic metaphors, such as 'transect planning' (Duany & Talen, 2002), which work to naturalize new urbanism's design prescriptions and to generate support for a vision that is framed as the natural evolution of the suburbs (Grant & Perrott, 2010;Thompson-Fawcett, 1998). Urban planning is a change management process and thus naturalizing change is a powerful discourse when interests vary and financial stakes are high. ...
... Traditional Neighbourhood Design valorizes the form and architectural aesthetic of the 'authentic' urbanity represented by pre-war built form as a response to the ugliness of suburban sprawl (Duany et al., 2000). Traditional Neighbourhood Design's proponents present the past as a solution for the future, influenced by Leon Krier who rejected the modernist city and called for a return to a pre-industrial, 'organic,' and authentic European 'quartiers' urbanism (Bohl, 2000;Grant, 2006;Thompson-Fawcett, 1998). Transit Oriented Development promotes the ideal of a mix of high-density uses and public spaces within pedestrian pockets around transit hubs (Calthorpe, 2002;Calthorpe & Poticha, 1993). ...
... (P27) What work does the mobilization of this rhetoric do? The repeated references to 'evolving' and 'evolution' in Markham Centre continues new urbanist discourse that naturalizes a normative vision for the built form (Grant, 2006;Grant & Perrott, 2010;Thompson-Fawcett, 1998). In the case of Markham Centre, however, there is more at work in the discourse of evolution. ...
This article traces three decades of planning for a Canadian suburban downtown in Markham, Ontario, an early adopter of new urbanism. While leading new urbanist design firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co. (also known as DPZ) produced site plans for both Cornell and Markham Centre, much of the research attention on the implementation of new urbanism has focused on the Cornell development, where build-out began in the 1990s. Construction was delayed in Markham Centre until a decade later and continues today. The article is empirically grounded in a discourse analysis of policy, housing advertisements, and interviews with key actors in the planning and development process. New urbanism’s popular influence has led Fulton (2017) to argue that a ubiquitous urbanism now “just shows up.” Mainstreaming of new urbanist principles and the discursive framing of planning for Markham Centre as an ‘evolution’ further underscores this perception. Key actors describe an ‘organic’ planning process illustrating how the plan has changed in response to shifting market dynamics, political interests, and funding opportunities. The article explores the discourse about new urbanism and argues that in Markham Centre new urbanism has not just shown up, but has rather required a deliberate, collaborative, and adaptable process. Development that is transit oriented and attractive to knowledge economy workers underpins the contemporary vision. New urbanism as a label is losing relevance in Markham, where sprawl represents the past, new urbanism describes the legacy of 1990s planning, and a ‘real’ competitive urbanism is the vision for the future.
... "The proliferation of so-called sustainable green-suburbs, green-skyscrapers, greentransport, green-food, green-fuel and greeneverything are distracting ploys that will postpone peak-oil by a mere few days'" Urban development is an integral part of human development, but the most important thing is to preserve the traditional framework of the city in a way that guarantees the equality of parts of the city and preserves its continuity in more realistic ways [6]. 3 or analyses of the Traditional topic description mode is generally not used for theory building purposes, but rather focuses on highlighting specific events and things. ...
Successful urban interventions in traditional cities must be thoughtful, accurate and
wise intervention, so the research assumed that urban sustainability represents a contemporary development intervention that tries to regulate the performance of urban products (components - dimensions) in traditional cities within three factors which are, the right time, right place, and positive performance. The traditional Alnajaf city in Iraq was taken as a case study, morphologically; the general shape of the city was classified into five main parts and examined them with physical dimension that was depended on the concepts of sustainability threshold according to the descriptive data. From this analysis, the research determined the right, time and place to achieve the best sustainable intervention. The research found that there is a variation in the level of sustainability in traditional Alnajaf city resulting from the different types of intervention at the level of the constituent parts of the urban fabric. Thus, it is possible to take advantage of the limits of urban sustainability (The Threshold) in creating a balance between the type of urban intervention and the needs of the original city to preserve the traditional cities, including the traditional Alnajaf city.
... Urban Village is a planning concept, which is quite similar to New Urbanism (Pacione, 2004). They both build on the organic metaphor, which aims to view the world as a whole of connected elements, rather then a collection of separate elements (Thompson-Fawcett, 1998). Urban Village is based on a theorisation of the historic, pre-industrial urban form, which promotes compact, human scale urban developments with mixed land use and mixed tenure. ...
This thesis presents PARDISIM, a simulation model that takes an institutional economic approach in the simulation of the residential development process. Rather then modelling the residential development as the result of location choices at household level, PARDISIM focusses on the objectives and interactions of development actors. The idea behind this approach is that development actors, including public planning authorities, play an important role in the process of residential development. The model is top-down whereas the most recent efforts by other scholars focus instead on a bottom-up approach. Initial testing shows that PARDISIM is capable of producing realistic spatial patterns.
... Traditional Neighbourhood Development is part of the movement called New Urbanism. Most research on the «travels» of New Urbanism has concentrated on the implementation of theories and concepts underly-ing the movement (Franklin & Tait 2002;Freestone 2004;Thompson-Fawcett 1998;Thompson-Fawcett & Bond 2003), and on the social networks between different urban projects (Thompson-Fawcett 2003;Tait & Jensen 2007). Our research focuses on an aspect which at the moment has been neglected, that of the role of exchanges and circulation in different phases of the movement: its early history, its attempts since the mid 1990's to become global and its implementation in different European cities (Dupuis 2009a(Dupuis , 2009b(Dupuis , 2010(Dupuis , 2011). ...
Dynamics of globalization: mobility, space and regulation Recent research at the Institute of Geography in Neuchâtel emphasises the pivotal status of mobility in the dynamics of globalization. Drawing on work in mobilitystudies, the article presents a basic analytical framework suitable for studying the «mobile constitution of society». It argues more specifically that the relationship between mobility, space and regulation offers a worthwhile analytical focus for exploring current issues of globalization from the viewpoint of mobility. The article presents current research at the Institute that explores this interrelation, focusing on three main fields: «human migration», «urban change» and «power, space and mobility in the information age». It argues that globalization can be seen as a process of constitution of society through mobility, and as such a field of tensions: between fluidity and turbulence, standardisation and diversity, power and resistance.
... Krier eut aussi une influence décisive lors de la fondation du CNU en 1993. Considéré comme un mentor par Andres Duany, l'un des fondateurs du mouvement et concepteur du modèle TND, Krier voulait créer un groupe antithétique aux Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (ThompSon-FaWceTT, 1998) (ThompSon-FaWceTT, 2003). Ce qui réunit les membres de ce réseau, passionnés par l'histoire de l'architecture et la conservation du patrimoine, est l'idée que l'urbanisme, ses échelles et ses espaces publics, prime sur l'architecture. ...
Cet article se concentre sur la mondialisation du modèle urbain néo-traditionnel. Issu de doctrines européennes et américaines, ce modèle est mobilisé par une coalition d’acteurs publics et privés dans le cadre du développement du dernier secteur de Marne-la-Vallée : le Val d’Europe. Signé en 1987, ce partenariat exceptionnel entre l’État français et la Walt Disney Company a permis d’édifier une nouvelle ville selon des règles strictes de cohérence visuelle. À travers la généalogie de ce projet urbain emblématique, cet article propose de comprendre les modalités de gouvernance relatives à ce lieu où s’entrecroisent des flux de connaissances à l’origine d’une esthétique et d’une morphologie néoclassiques.
... Many central characters in the neo-rationalist push were doctrinaire in their approach and did not appreciate the modifications to their positions and dilution of their ideals that diffusion prompted (Lucan, 1989 (Krier, 1996, interview). Needless to say, for many, Krier is designated the primary intellectual 'father' or 'godfather' of New Urbanism (Viglucci, 2003, p. 1;Salingaros, 2001, p. 1 -Fawcett, 1998). Even so, he maintains very strong links with the CNU. ...
New Urbanism is now an international phenomenon. The spread of this `paradigm' is not a straightforward dispersal from a pivotal source. Rather, multi-directional diffusion is occurring via a broadly based network, particularly across the Atlantic. In response, new urbanism displays variations and modifications as it is adapted to different contexts.
... Similarly, there is a literature emerging that predominantly probes urbanist thoughts about space, that is, space as conceived. The work of Thompson-Fawcett, (1996, 1998b; Bond, (2003), Falconer Al Hindi andStaddon (1997), and Talen (1999Talen ( , 2000 is informative in this regard. However, literature on the lived space Figure 2. Approximate characteristics of a triplicate epistemology of space (terms adapted from Lefebvre, 1991;Merrifield, 1993Merrifield, , 1995Merrifield, , 2000Kirsch, 1995;Soja, 1996Soja, , 2000. ...
Evidence-based critical reflection on urbanist visions for the future remains limited in extent. In particular, analyses that assess resident experience of new developments are lacking. In the present paper, Sandercock's (1998) normative guidelines for planning practice and Lefebvre's (1991) notion of lived space are combined to examine the urban village manifestation, via a case study of Poundbury in Dorset, UK. The paper reports results from structured interviews with 111 residents of Poundbury. It covers demographic characteristics of the residents, and resident evaluations of the planned outcomes for Poundbury relating to community, urban design, mixed activity, transit and energy goals. The paper considers the extent to which the goals have been achieved, levels of resident support for the goals, and some issues that such developments need to address in the future. The paper argues for a more reflective approach to urbanist projects, particularly in terms of any potential they may have to contribute to inclusivity.URBAN DESIGN International (2003) 8, 67–84. doi:10.1057/palgrave.udi.9000096
... Poundbury (Figure 2) might be an embodiment of their objectives in a new build scheme. Early interest in the UVF saw many designers and some developers falling in behind such a vision and seeking the mechanisms for its delivery (see Thompson-Fawcett, 1998). A second set of interests was attracted to the development potential attributable to the concept, and in particular its ability to encourage planners to make available new green field sites onto which new settlements could be built. ...
This paper discusses the value and usefulness of the urban village concept within the context of neighbourhood renewal, and in particular considers the factors that have encouraged or limited its implementation. The findings discussed here are based on case study research into the Garston-under-the-Bridge urban village in Merseyside. The research finds that the urban village concept might not always be valuable or useful if applied in a renewal context. This is because typical place-specific attributes common to a renewal context might contradict the preconditions for delivering the urban village vision, and because spatial practices and meanings attached to both the form of development or the desirable pattern of community life by development professionals might not match the aspirations of the existing or future residents. Additionally, it was found that the concept has been used by professionals as a means to an end, or a language through which professionals organise and mediate their own context-specific interests. Essentially, the concept has been attractive as resources have been associated with it and as a result its language has been appropriated, interpreted and exchanged. Concern about the substance of the concept, its relevance and its legitimacy as a vision for guiding the form of cities would seem to have been less of an interest.URBAN DESIGN International (2003) 8, 5–19. doi:10.1057/palgrave.udi.9000090
