Ingrid King (1) (–1937)

A group of students, lead by Ch. Alexander, run a simulation on planning and developing an area of San Francisco (where the old waterfront highway ran). They apply more or less the patterns described in previous works to grow a city. It makes interesting points, like in how to choose the projects, and triggers some surprising results, like a mostly neoclassical look.

It doesn't offer anything radically new, but is nice to read and gives more thought about the piece-meal growth. It is well illustrated and explained, and it hints that maybe patterns are not the tool to generate live spaces. I haven't read the following books yet, but I feel this is a step towards whatever is explained in "The Nature of Order" books.… (altro)