HM, The Horizontal Metropolis : A Radical Project

Paola Vigano

ISBN 10: 3038600628 / ISBN 13: 9783038600626

Published by Park Books Jan 2020, 2020

About this Item

Neuware - Two contrasting terms are joined to conjugate the traditional idea of metropolis with horizontality; to combine the center of a vast territory-hierarchically organized, dense, vertical, and produced by polarization-with the idea of a more diffuse, isotropic urban condition, where center and periphery blur. Beyond a simplistic center versus periphery opposition, the concept of a horizontal metropolis reveals the dispersed condition as a potential asset, rather than a limit, to the construction of a sustainable and innovative urban dimension. Around 1990, Terry McGee, an urban researcher at University of British Columbia, coined the term desakota, deriving from Indonesian 'desa' (village) and 'kota' (city). Desakota areas typically occur in Asia, especially South East Asia. The term describes an area situated outside the periurban zone, often sprawling alongside arterial and communication roads, sometimes from one agglomeration to the next. They are characterized by high population density and intensive agricultural use, but differ from densely populated rural areas by more urban-like characteristics. The new book The Horizontal Metropolis investigates such areas alongside examples in the US, Italy, and Switzerland. The study highlights the advantages of the concept and its relevance under economical, ecological, and social aspects. The concept reflects a vision of global urbanization that does no longer allow for 'outside' areas and that will test the urban ecosystem to its limits.; Metropole und Horizontale sind sich widersprechende Begriffe: Der eine steht für vertikales und dichtes Bauen, der andere ist Synonym für Weitläufigkeit und fehlenden Zentrumsbezug. Dieses neue Buch untersucht Siedlungsstrukturen, die weder der Stadt noch dem ländlichen Raum zugeordnet werden können, die aber auch mit «Vorort » nur unzureichend umschrieben sind. Der um 1900 vom neuseeländischen Stadtforscher Terry G. McGee geprägte, dem Indonesischen entstammende Begriff Desakota beschreibt genau solche Räume im erweiterten Umland von Grossstädten, in denen urbane und landwirtschaftliche Nutzungs- und Siedlungsformen nebeneinander vorkommen und stark miteinander vermischt sind. Solche Räume kommen typischerweise in Asien, insbesondere in Südostasien vor und sind, neben Gebieten in den USA, der Schweiz und Italien, Gegenstand der vorliegenden Studie. Das englischsprachige Buch hebt die möglichen Vorteile horizontaler Metropolen hervor und belegt deren Relevanz hinsichtlich energetischer, ökologischer und sozialer Diskurse. Das Konzept steht für eine Vision der globalen Verstädterung, in der es kein «Aussen» mehr gibt und die das urbane Ökosystem auf eine harte Probe stellt.

Seller Inventory # 9783038600626

Bibliographic Details

• Title: HM, The Horizontal Metropolis : A Radical Project
• Publisher: Park Books Jan 2020
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3038600628
• ISBN 13: 9783038600626
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 242W x 172H x 23D millimeters 242 millimeters width by 172 millimeters height by 23 millimeters depth
• Weight: 662 grams

About this title

Synopsis

• Urbanisation processes in the larger surroundings of metropolises are a major challenge in spatial and infrastructural planning around the world
• Presents latest research on settlement structures that belong neither fully to metropolitan nor to rural spaces
• Explores the sustainability and potentials of desakota, or horizontal metropolis, as a concept

Two contrasting terms are joined to conjugate the traditional idea of metropolis (the centre of a vast territory, hierarchically organised, dense, vertical, produced by polarization) with horizontality (the idea of a more diffuse, isotropic urban condition, where centre and periphery blur). Beyond a simplistic centre vs periphery opposition, the concept of a horizontal metropolis reveals the dispersed condition as a potential asset, rather than a limit, to the construction of a sustainable and innovative urban dimension.

Around 1990, Terry McGee, an urban researcher at the University of British Columbia, coined the term "desakota", deriving from Indonesian "desa" (village) and "kota" (city). Desakota areas typically occur in Asia, especially South East Asia. The term describes an area situated outside the periurban zone, often sprawling alongside arterial and communication roads, sometimes from one agglomeration to the next. They are characterised by high population density and intensive agricultural use, but differ from densely populated rural areas by more urban-like characteristics.

The new book The Horizontal Meteropolis investigates such areas alongside examples in the US, Italy, and Switzerland. The study highlights the advantages of the concept and its relevance in economical, ecological, and social aspects. The concept reflects a vision of global urbanisation that no longer allows for "outside" areas and that will test the urban ecosystem to its limits.

About the Author

Chiara Cavalieri is an architect and urbanist. She works as a researcher and lecturer at Università IUAV di Venezia and as a post-doctoral researcher at EPFL in Lausanne. Paola Viganò is a co-founder of the Milan-based urban design firm Studio 015. She also teaches as a professor of urban theory and design at Università IUAV di Venezia and at EPFL in Lausanne.