1. What is an intervention?

…a change, addition, or perceptual paradigm shift which alters an existing construct with a new and distinct element. –AH

…the addition of a new element into and existing environment. The intervention somehow changes, confronts, or amends (intervenes) some aspect of the existing environment. An intervention brings something brand new to change the environment. –SG

…the addition, or subtraction, in attempt to change the characteristics of something. It is to interfere; to get in the way of an existing condition. In experimenting with my own manifesto, I made an intervention on the MACBA in Barcelona. This was an attempt to try out my own ideas of green space, and change the way the MACBA is perceived and used. –SB

…an insertion or application of something new to a thing, with intent to give that thing a certain quality or characteristic. –CW

…an action where there’s interference in some course of events to modify a process or a situation. Any political figure can create an intervention to improve an urban environment. For instance, in the early 90´s Times square was an area full of drug dealers, prostitutes, and gang members. An intervention was made and its now a famous tourists destination. –AQ

…an action taken to alter or improve a situation. It does not change the function of something. It does alter the approach or perception of which it is intervening with. For example, a garden can either be natural or a human intervention. An organic garden, untouched by anyone or anything except Mother Nature is natural. However, a garden, which is tamed and kept up, is an intervention upon the earth in which the garden sits. –SW

…an action made with the deliberate attempt to change present circumstances or the direction present circumstances will take. ie. The MACBA was an intervention into the fabric of the city in an attempt to improve the conditions of the surrounding dilapidated neighborhood by introducing visitors and culture. Interventions can also be inserted into social situations. ie. If a group of friends discovers that one of their companions is an alcoholic, they may conduct an ‘intervention’ in order to confront the problem and enact change. –MH

To intervene is to induce a schism is a previously-stable system. The act of intervention is particularly difficult because this rupture must address the former configuration while establishing its own identity. Interventions which do not accomplish both of these tasks are subject to future interventions which use their intervention as the context, creating a split in their work and rewriting that space. For this reason, the act of intervening, physically or non-physically, is perhaps the most challenging task for the Artists of a city. –MZ

…is an intentional, abrupt interference by one circumstance into a different existing circumstance in an attempt to permanently change its character. For example, an intervention takes place when the family and friends of an alcoholic approach the addict and firmly state that the addict is in desperate need of help, sometimes even forcing them to get help. In this case, the current state of addiction is intervened by the concern of family and friends. –KI

An interruption in a situation that could either be physical, social, or political. It is an occurance that alters the entire composition. –DS

…inserting an outside entity into a place or thing. This entity changes the way that place or thing works or is perceived. They can range from small scale to large scale thought they don’t seem to take on the environment, they seem to be an entity unto themselves. –DJ

The cognitive definition of an intervention depends greatly on the person being asked, which in part makes the act all the more interesting. A person, outside of the architectural realm would be more likely to define an intervention as an attempt to confront an individual to “get help,” and absolve their life of the root problem. As a result a change would be proposed and worked into that persons life. An architect’s definition would be void of a personal connection, but rather one on the scale of a building or area. Although the same concept would be applied, a problem and/or condition in an area is isolated and treated. –CS

2 What is a transformation?

…would be the result of an intervention. A person’s life is turned around because of rehab or an artist’s installation aids in dissipating typical patrons and brings in a population of skate boarders. Both instances describe an intervention played out to the point that results were achieved, but the process of reaching an effect would be considered a part of the transformation. –CS

…is the alteration of a thing, which was once defined by a certain set of characteristics, but becomes defined by now a new set of characteristics. This set of characteristics may in an extreme case be the complete opposite of the former set. –CW

…an altering of an existing element within an environment. The alteration primarily uses the existing elements to bring about a change or changes to the environment. A transformation is not bringing something new to the environment but uses or reconfigures the environment to provide a change. –SG

…a change, alteration or addition resulting from a paradigm shift in the existing conceptual underpinnings of an environment or construct. –AH

…the altering of a place or thing which encompasses more than a single entity. A transformation may be sparked by an intervention, but takes on more context than the intervention. A transformation can range from a country down to that of a person. A transformation can be physical or physiological. –DJ

…a change in appearance or character especially for the better. There are many abandoned city blocks that are transformed into beautiful neighbourhoods. This doesn’t only transformed the neighbourhood, but it transforms, the districts, the city and its region. So at the end this can be a chain of transformations. –AQ

…a process in which one entity completely changes into another entity. A metamorphosis. A transformation implies that the end product is justified by its past. It exists as a result of the process of transformation, and its original existence. –DS

…a change that occurs over time. The character or nature of the circumstance is altered, but it may not be intentional. It can succumb to outside forces which may result in change, but the circumstance does not lose its true identity. –KI

…differs from an intervention because it utilizes the extant conditions as its point of artistic departure, rather than forging a gap in this context (as an intervention does). A transformation seeks to establish a new vision for a system (which could be political, fiscal, aesthetic, etc.) but it does so through layering or manipulating information, not erasing it. –MZ

…change. If something has transformed it is in a distinctly different form than that previous to the transformation. ie. A tadpole transforms from a fish-like creature with gills into a frog, with lungs and four legs. Neighborhoods transform through the process of gentrification from slums to wealthy districts. –MH

…a dramatic change upon an object. This metamorphosis may be in any form whether physical, structural, compositional, functional or conceptual. For example, a once fortified castle is transformed into a historical museum. The physical space is not altered but rather the program is completely transformed. A drawbridge once used to prevent unwelcome visitors is now a setting for tourists to capture a memory. A mote once filled with water to create a physical barricade is now a luscious garden. A bell tower overlooking the surrounding panorama once used as an observation post now provides a spectacular birds eye view of the city below. –SW

Contrary to an intervention, a transformation is changing the state of something. It is taking one thing, tweaking it, and making it something new, whether for better or for worse. The reasons behind a transformation vary – why a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, why a male would want to transform into a female, or why a city transforms from a stagnate state into something thriving. The outcome of a transformation is not always known. There are always preconceptions, which are or are not met. A transformation is rooted in time – once something transforms, it can be difficult to change it back. In the case of a city, Barcelona has transformed itself into a modern marvel desired by people around the globe– this was done by developing waterfront, erecting many new buildings and public spaces, and having a continuing attempt to keep the city very clean. Barcelona continues to transform with support from its government and people, and has continued to push forward in a positive way. –SB

3 What is a playground?

…any space or structure, which someone may entertain himself/herself on, in, or around. A playground may involve running, jumping, swinging, laughing, climbing, and/or even stumbling. It is more than just a space for living in. A playground provides physical amusement, recreation, enjoyment, relaxation, and pleasure. It may be anything with these qualities from a tree good for climbing, to a jungle gym, to a city forum. A movie theatre is not a playground because the theatre does not provide the user with any physical entertainment. –SW

At a very young age the word, playground, packs a great deal of meaning. The act of going might be considered a reward of sorts, or in some cases a punishment if the weather was not conducive for outdoor activities, but in either situation the particular location was known for companionship packed with all the freedoms of the outdoors. As a child, a typical playground consists of swings, slides, etc. in a place dedicated for these activities, but as an adult the equipment is not necessary and fixed acreage is a mental hindrance. The idea of a playground applied at the scale of a city makes the psychological leap from childhood to adulthood, and for good reason, the slide is a form of transportation, perhaps a motorcycle, and the swings are the strategically placed outdoor cafes that let the wind blow lightly blow through afternoon conversation. –CS

…a place where fun is had. A playground is a place where many normally binding rules are suspended or ignored to allow for a greater freedom of actions and ideas. A playground tolerates mischievous thoughts because it knows that some of these thoughts will spread and eventually become accepted as new and exciting ideas. –SG

…a built environment constructed OR used for the purpose of physical and mental exercise through unique and/or challenging circumstances. A playground is a consensual environment - those participating therein do so of their own choice. –AH

…describes an area within which someone plays. Playing may include a wide range of activities which involve some degree of experimentation and interaction. Ex - a scientist’s laboratory - a young child within a sandbox –CW

…a place for fun and recreation. It is a place that allows one to be free of the rules from the outside world. It creates a possibility of imagination. Once one is free of outside rules they allow themselves to open up and find their true selves. –DJ

…a common place for people to gather and play freely. Within a playground, there is enough entertainment for one to keep themselves occupied – however, the company of others is always welcome. A playground is most often noted as a designated area that includes free pieces of fun, such as a slide or a swing. On a much larger scale, one could say the city is a playground, as a city also has many designated areas that include pieces of fun. Though not always free, the city of Barcelona is a playground in itself – including areas to gather, to watch, to shop, to skate. –SB

…a space allocated to the purpose of play. People choose to play in different ways, thus a playground could be any place where people engage in an activity that is related to liesure or physical experience. (Football field, basketball court, cliff, yoga room, road, city…) –DS

…a romping ground. It serves as a place for leisure activity for those with energy and creativity. It usually contains some sort of surmountable, yet fun, feat for those willing to tackle it. –KI

…a loosely connected series of spaces, each with its own identifying rules, attitudes, and people. Although these spaces occupy a common territory, they can either be understood as isolate elements or as parts of a coherent and sequential procession. This understanding is based entirely on ones’ position in the Playground: some are able to move freely to its different areas without obstruction and will enjoy each and every one, whereas others have constraints which prohibit them from enjoying every part and will therefore enjoy only those which they are able to. –MZ

…a large open space, usually a facility or an environment where anyone can play and enjoy themselves for amusement. Usually all worries are forgotten and one can relax and enjoy themselves to do as they please. A playground is usually designated for children but adults use them to release stress. –AQ

…an area set aside for playing (playing is an activity which amuses or diverts one). ie. The swing-set and jungle gym behind Parker Hall in Buffalo is a playground for the Catholic elementary school kids. There are many such playgrounds dotting the city of Barcelona – one is located in our site for studio, Placa de Sant Miquel. The term ‘playground’ can also be applied abstractly to refer to the area in which an individual or group of individuals plays. ie. Manhattan is the playground of the rich and famous. –MH

4 A city is…

…a permanent, high-density human settlement. ie. Boston, Chicago, New York, Paris, London, Seoul, Beijing, Barcelona … though other animals also settle permanently in high numbers, different terms are applied to their settlements. ie. hive, ant colony. –MH

… high density melting pot of people and business. It combines work; commercial enterprise, business enterprise, living, and leisure. A city could be said to be man’s escape from nature. In its very invention man is trying to get away from the wild but brings moments of it into the city with parks. Thought these parks are controlled unlike that of the wilderness. –DJ

…the framework of an urban environment, characterized by a dense conglomeration of buildings and public space. It is the familiarly contemptible environment in which people carry out the necessary tasks of everyday life. Often the subject of utopian aspirations, a city will often bear the markings of several periods of time, each trying to optimize the urban environment; oftentimes adjacent periods nullifying their collective efforts. –AH

A city, in the context of the 21^st century, is a melting pot of cultures; architecture and different ways of living together make the powerful organism. It is an environment for working and playing, in a poetic sense, very different from similar activities in the suburbs. The people are as much the city as the buildings and the location on which they rest. The city has a symbiotic relationship with its residents who offer more life with every move. –CS

…an unfinished artwork. The Artists are the architects, planners, and (far more importantly) the ordinary citizens of the city. The role of these artists is to add layers of material – social, cultural, economic, environmental – in both physical and metaphysical mediums to the city’s canvas. The resulting piece of art is perceived differently by every Artist of this guild; ones’ reading is based on his or her contributions to the canvas and its relation to those implemented by others. For this reason, the definition of a city does not have anything to do with its size, location, or population. What places an urban center at the pinnacle of human existence is this participation in the form making of the city by people with such diverse readings of the canvas. Only when there is a desire to engage in this creation process does a city come to be realized. –MZ

…a place to live, work, and visit alongside thousands of other people. A city is large enough and diverse enough to allow many different kinds of people to find a niche that suits them. Cities allow people to identify themselves. This is because cities are tied to geographic and meteorological conditions, cultural and social conditions, and the political conditions of the region and country that the city is located within. For those who consider a city as their home, they can identify the conditions that they are used to simply by stating their city. –SG

…a group of people with a set of common municipal living conditions or characteristics. Every city includes a form of authority, which creates and controls these common civic living conditions. A city has a history and a future. A city differs from a town in that a city offers a greater number of public features. Inhabitants of a city have different objectives and perceptions on life than inhabitants of a suburb or any smaller community. A city is a life form just as any living organism. Its interdependent parts work individually to create a whole. A city may be anything from a metropolitan area to jungle to an anthill. –SW

…a conglomerate of ideas, directions, industries, people, cultures, places. Typically characteristics of a city exist in quantities and scales greater than that of a town. For example, diversity in a city is generally wider than that of a town. Population of a city is higher than that of a town. Infrastructure of a city is usually more complex than that of a town. A city contains a greater number of different places than a town, for example, commercial districts, housing districts, transportation zones and points of interest. –KI

…where large amount of peoples settle down. There’s commerce, culture and it has a significant size and importance. There inhabitants are considered part of a group. A city is an urban settlement which includes transportation, living, work, and leisure. Many cities can be as big as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago or as small as Las Vegas or Buffalo. A city is usually distinguished by land area and population. –AQ

…a product of the growth of the human species. Various factors could cause a city; strategic location for military or economic opportunities, plentiful natural resources, religious significance. Cities are the most densely populated human occupancy condition, which catalyzes social phenomona. It is a place in which changes happen faster. A city also implies a more direct governmental role. More people in a smaller place allows for a government to assert itself more efficiently then sparsely populated people over a broad countryside. Therefore, political awareness is more likely in a city then in a rural context. –DS

…describing a densely populated urban area, with all the essential parts to promote and enhance the lives of its residents. Ex- a large settlement along a river, containing sufficient food supplies, hospitals, schools, transportation … –CW

…a large collection of people living and working together in a compact space. It is contrary to the country, where areas of development are much more spread out. By compacting businesses and living within a city, decisions are made quicker and developments occur faster. A city is where technological advance occur first, which is why they operate at a quicker speed than suburbs or villages. A city is a place of work, communication, transportation, and play. –SB

5 What does a city do?

A city provides all the necessary means and beyond for living. A city ideally conforms to the public majority preferences. A city evolves and grows, thrives and withers, builds and tears down. As any living organism it lives and prospers, becomes injured, heals itself, as well as forms scars. –SW

A city provides a central locale for the convergence and transformation of commodities, people, and events through the inherent interactions of such a wide range of elements. –AH

A city can either bring family together or displace people. It can segregate people according to beliefs, nationality or industries. It has advanced organizational systems for sanitation, utilities, land distribution, housing and transportation. –AQ

A city is a canvas on which the Artists can perform, and their actions can be evaluated and reacted to. It provides a symposium for these Artists to converse, judge, and react. –MZ

A city contributes. It contributes goods and services that tend to be more designed and processed then the goods and services that might come from densely populated places. It contributes knowledge. Ideas and thoughts collide, combine, and affect to create new ideas that are capable of addressing more complicated dialectics and polemics that are likely to be generated out of an urban condition. A city contributes environmental destruction. Pollution and habitat destruction are the result of overpopulation… Cities are home to the most productive industrial infrastructure. Cities contribute technology and science because they cities cause new problems which require new solutions. –DS

A city serves its residents in such a way as to not only allow for and provide the necessities of life, but also to enhance and improve the life of its residents. Ex- a local gym allows residents to exercise regardless of the conditions outdoors.- a large market allows residents to by all necessary groceries in one store. –CW

Every city functions differently, thus creating a certain lure to each, but all have innate goals and characteristics that are relatively similar through the changing locales. Included in these attributes are usually advanced organizational systems for sanitation, housing, utilities, and transportation, and the streets are the networks of veins that facilitate and coordinate these structures. The city is an urban corral. People are herded through the streets like animals to a barn while its seemingly autonomous inner-workings could be compared to a farm. A city attempts to keep its residents within its limits by providing, in close proximity, nearly every human need; although dependent on other towns or cities for survival the commodities of places near and far are availed to inhabitants. It is a container where recourses and skills are concentrated and bottled for use in bettering the city. The more recourses and skills compacted within the area the more power to implant an influence on the world. –CS

A city compresses our daily needs to make them more accessible. It brings people closer together. It allows for easier connections business or otherwise for friends and work. The people in the city work in order to better their lives while the money they spend goes back into the city. –DJ

A city functions to facilitate interactions between people and/or factions of society in order that the population can act coordinately. ie. Factions of the city meet at City Hall to discuss problems, and delegate tasks in order to meet the needs of the population. Plumbing, electricity, education, fire-protection, police-protection … all are organized through the coordination set up through a city’s government seat. Cities allow for the specialization of occupations and create opportunities for economic transactions. ie. People perform a small task market it to the populace, and are able to purchase the remaining tasks and items necessary for daily life (one could not do this living in isolation … all immediate needs would have to be provided for by oneself). Over time all of these small daily activities and interactions create a culture and identity for the city. Thus … A city creates society. (or maybe it is reversed) –MH

A city provides individuals with everything they need to live. Food, water, and shelter are present in cities. Most cities also provide services that enhance and ease the lives of those who live within the city. These services can include water, electricity, sewage, medical facilities, and avenues of transportation. A city provides a social spider-web. The nature of a city brings people close together. This allows and almost forces social unique social interactions to occur. –SG

A city produces, and keeps the world moving forward at a fast past. It is a hub of development that keeps the people of the world connected. A city also sets current trends and status for its surrounding areas. –SB

A city performs. This performance varies from city to city. Generally a city provides the basic necessities for its inhabitants to survive. Some cities go beyond this basic requirement and provide cultural, leisurely and social outlets for living and visiting there. A well functioning city provides means of economic gain for its economy as well as the economy of its residents. This consists of producing goods and services for residents as well as visitors. A well functioning city also provides adequate means of transportation for those with and with cars and those with or without legs. –KI

6 How is a city made?

A city is made by opportunity. The city is a promise of a better or richer quality of life. Jobs, entertainment, people, shelter, amenities, love, luxury, technology, money, fame, knowledge, experience, friends, possessions, recognition… The city is made by the people who have chosen to migrate there, and those who have chosen not to leave. The combination of many people densely populating a specific place results in a significant growth in population, which consequently results in the growth of the city. –DS

Cities are formed as central places of trade for the benefit of the people living there. Its people would benefit from reduced transport costs, exchange of ideas, and sharing of natural resources. Present day cities can be a product of the industrial revolution. The most commonly seen pattern is the grid. –AQ

Most cities are made over a long period of time. They begin usually with a location with easy access for transportation and trade, near a river, ocean, lake, railroad, highway. Over time more and more people are drawn to it and the city expands to accommodate people and business. –DJ

There is no single recipe for making a city. Each city has its own needs which must be adequately accommodated. Different industries, cultures and current circumstances require different means of expansion, transportation and development. The needs of its occupants and it as a whole are met differently in every city. For example, Los Angles was expanded during the rise of automobile. This led to the development of mass highway systems and widespread suburban-like residential areas. On the other hand, when Paris redeveloped to accommodate the automobile, they tore down buildings to create wide boulevards for motor vehicle circulation. They did not immediately expand outward. –KI

The formation of a city is a process, which entails time, energy, and occupants. The making of a city coincides with the making of history. The location of a city usually generates from a geographic attribute. From a successful environment, habitation by nature prospers and reproduces. Evolution and reproduction leads to the need for organization and governing. Established authority then institutes the public characteristics, defining the city. –SW

Cities are generally formed in desirable areas, where there is access to waterfront or other important resources. As groups of people gather, they set up places of production and once these places begin to prosper, more people look to these areas for job opportunities. –SB

Within the history of a city is routed one of life’s most ancient concepts, and rightly so with histories dating back thousands of years. The best restaurant, price and food, will always have people flocking to partake in the cuisine, just as a plot of land on a trade route, land or water, is a viable choice for establishing a healthy economy. Money is, as always, a driving force, and in turn location is a very important consideration, one that is based on existing routes, other cities, and the condition of the land. The original inhabitants, naturally a large part of the equation, determine the difference between a thriving metropolis and a sinking ship. –CS

A city is made through extremities. Artists begin to paint and sculpt a part of the canvas and will undoubtedly encounter other Artists. At this point, many things can happen: compromises, invasions, displacements, annulations, war, surrender, peace. Only one fact is clear: the canvas is not formed through acts of timidity but through acts of assuredness and resolution. With so many conflicting agendas by people attempting to forge a space of the city, a clear focus and desire to implement are absolutely critical for such changes to happen. Imagine the situation of The Raval. An urban Artist conceived of altering the socio-economic and aesthetic definition of that part of the Playground, working against layers of opposition from other Artists who capitalized from the red-light image of that space. Both the urban planner and the heroine dealer had articulate agendas for that space, and had the first Artist not been absolutely determined with this proposal, the transformation of that space would never have been resolved. –MZ

A city is made by a snowball-effect of commercial, social, and political gravity: as nodes of commerce, society, and politics combine, they will always draw more of the same, creating an increasingly larger sphere of urban influence, until an equilibrium is reached between the city and the created vacuum around it. –AH

A city is made gradually over time. People conglomerate at advantageous sites (near water, power or food). A settlement is formed. As time passes, the population increases either through birthrate and/or immigration. The settlement becomes a city. ie. Barcelona began as a Roman retirement settlement, grew steadily throughout the Middle Ages, gained power, commerce and population, continued to expand and remains an important city to this day. –MH

A city is formed when a large enough group of individuals develop and interdependent relationship to one another and recognize and embrace that relationship. Ex - a larger area containing several small communities, each of which has been designated a specific type of job (fishermen’s quarter, food quarter…) –CW

A city is made around a particular space. For whatever reason (natural resources, strategic trade position, advantageous military position, beautiful setting, proximity to other dwellings) a space is chosen to populate. A city is grown by placing enough people within the initial starting space. For the people to live effectively, the people must have a diversity of roles and skills to provide for the needs and the wants of the entire group. –SG

7 What is a citizen?

A citizen is an element which has a measure of control or power to impose its own will upon the urban environment. Citizenship can be imbued through residence, ownership, production, or influence on the city, but not simply through residence. –AH

A citizen is a person title given to a person for having documentation for living in a certain area. Citizenship determines where one must purchase a passport from and where to pay taxes. It is solely a legal record of one’s identity based upon where he or she has lived at one point or another in his or her life. –SW

A citizen is a member of society. A citizen receives certain services and rights, but is also expected to obey society’s laws and regulations. ie. While a United States citizen receives certain rights and freedoms defined in the US Constitution, they are likewise expected to respect and obey the laws and regulations set up therein. Citizens give up certain rights to receive others – usually this is a bond they are born into. ie. All those born in the United States are citizens of the United States. One not born in the United States may become a citizen if they choose by going through various legal procedures; obtaining a green-card, etc. Usually this means they must give up their former citizenship. –MH

A citizen is a registered member of a particular municipality, state, province, republic, country, etc. For example, in the United States, if one is not a registered citizen of the United States, he or she is an alien. He or she may be a citizen of another nation, but not the United States. –KI

A citizen is one who contributes to the city. Every person who is in a city at a given time is a citizen, because everyone contributes, regardless of whether or not they are a permanent resident. Tourists contribute money, energy, enthusiasm, life. I think that sometimes the wealthiest citizens in a city are the most detrimental to the life of that city. I think that there is a disparity between the citizens who are very wealthy and those who are very poor, in some places more then others. This polarization is potentially dangerous and those with unnecessary amounts of wealth in most cases aim to acquire more wealth. A citizen contribution to the city is predicated on several factors, wealth being one of them. Unfortunatly, a lack of wealth may mean that the extent to which a citizen is able to contribute is far less then a citizen with a great amount of wealth. Therefore, the ability for a citizen to control their environment may be significantly diminished as a result of a lack of wealth. So the few citizens with most of the wealth may be also find themselves with the majority of the control, which seems quite distant from an environment where every citizen is capable of a meaningful contribution. –DS

A citizen is a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection, usually by birth. A citizen is entitled to vote and enjoy the privileges from its nation. A popular day in the United States for many immigrants to become citizens usually occurs on the nation’s Independence Day on the 4^th day of July. –AQ

A citizen is one who participates in a country. A citizen lives in a place, they have a certain amount of duty to that place, whether it be taxes or voting. –DJ

A citizen is someone who is permanently tied to a specific country. It is possible for a citizen to be born in one country, but gain citizenship in another, due to the amount of years they claim residency. Someone who was born and raised in one area will most likely follow all customs and culture of that country. Whereas, someone who has had citizenship in more than one country will be more likely to follow customs of the previous and current country. –SB

A citizen is an aforementioned Artist who participates in the fabricating and refabricating of a polis. Their actions, in speech and stone, continue to inform the construction and deconstruction of the urban realm. All citizens are Artists, for their participation fuels life into the organization of a city. Whether it is constructing a skyscraper, voting at a presidential election, or selling good at the market, they are all contributing to the canvas of the city (the layers that they add or manipulate, of course, can take as many forms as the citizens themselves). The decision to be a Citizen (versus an Inhabitant or a Consumer) is made when one decides to approach the canvas and begin their contributions in a productive way. –MZ

Most simply a citizen is considered to be a member in a political community, and with this status carries the right to political participation. This summation, although correct, is a benign one void of any sense of attachment to the country in which citizenship is maintained. With the idea of citizenship comes comfort and a sense of belonging which hold far more importance than a political affiliation. –CS

A citizen is a member of a community who is dependent upon the community and who in some way helps to give shape and form to that community. Ex - a skateboarder in a park, who is providing entertainment for a couple sitting on a bench; - a baker who earns his living by selling his bread to the community –CW

A citizen is someone who is recognized by a government to be a legal resident of a designated place. A citizen has all the rights that the government deems necessary for the legal residents of that place. Furthermore, a citizen may have responsibilities (such as taxes, civil service, or military service) that they must fulfill for the benefit of their legal place of residence in order to maintain their citizenship. –SG

8 What is an inhabitant?

An inhabitant is an element which performs some or all basic daily activities in the city. –AH

An inhabitatnt is an occupant of a space. An inhabitant will in someway be informed by a space, and will in some way inform a space. Ex - a skateboarder, grinding along a bench - a person sitting at a table in starbucks drinking a coffee –CW

An inhabitant is a living organism which has made a decision about where its habitat will be. The habitat may require a specific type of inhabitant. Or the inhabitant may require a specific sort of habitat. Often both a habitat and an inhabitant rely on eachother, in which the relationship between inhabitant and habitat is symbiotic. A crocodile allows the plover bird to land on its back because the myriad of insect life on the back of the crocodile is not only a detriment to the crocodile but a meal for the plover bird. –DS

An inhabitant is the individual in the awkward grey area between a citizen and a tourist. This person has been living in one place for a relatively extended period of time but is still unsure about becoming a resident. The inhabitant might be faced with a language barrier, not having a strong network of friends, and/or a myriad of cultural differences enhanced by the general tribulations involved with being a new place. –CS

An inhabitant is a person who simply lives somewhere for a period of time. An inhabitant can live in a place legally or illegally, for a minute or for 100 years; either way, a place is inhabited. An inhabitant can take advantage of the things that a particular location has to offer except for the specific benefits that are only available to citizens of that location. –SG

An Inhabitant is the Non-Artist. He watches and critiques yet does not bring his own voice to the guild of citizen Artists. He is quiet and hidden, and while he does not deplete the city of its making, he does not participate in it either. Inhabitants are scare, for most human beings become Citizens or Consumers. –MZ

An inhabitant is one that lives in a place but may not participate in it. One may live in a city but may not pay taxes or vote, they are less tied to that place than a citizen. –DJ

An inhabitant is any person or thing that lives anywhere. To inhabit is to occupy space so anything that occupies space is an inhabitant. A flower is an inhabitant of a garden, a table is an inhabitant of a kitchen, a person is an inhabitant of a city, a city is an inhabitant of a country, a country is an inhabitant of the earth. An inhabitant must live according to which it inhabits. If a table inhabits a kitchen, the table’s dimensions must not exceed the extents of the size of the kitchen. If a city inhabits a country, the city must exist within the country’s federal limits. –SW

An inhabitant is that which inhabits. ie. The inhabitants of a tidal pool could include starfish, sea anenomies, hermit crabs and barnacles. The tidal pool is where these animals make their home; it is where they reside. The inhabitation can be permanent or temporary, but while in residence, the entity is referred to as inhabitant. –MH

An inhabitant is someone who is living in a specific place for a given amount of time. An inhabitant is less permanent than a citizen, yet much more permanent than a tourist. The duration of time an inhabitant may spend in a country varies, but is not enough for them to want or gain citizenship. As a study abroad student, I consider myself an inhabitant of Barcelona. I have been living, eating, and sleeping in the city for two months with the intent of returning to my native country. I have been here long enough to pick up on some customs, however not long enough to fully understand the politics, religion, language or all areas of the culture. As a U.S. citizen, I have a much clearer understanding of what goes on within the country and culture. –SB

An inhabitant is one who is present in a given space. An inhabitant is not necessarily human. For example, Chris White can inhabit an apartment at Sant Pere Mitja 66 as well as the City of Barcelona. In the same way, a mouse can inhabit a wall in Chris White´s apartment, as well as Sant Pere Mitja 66, as well as Barcelona. –KI

An inhabitant is a person or it can be an animal that resides in a place, especially a permanent residence. We are all inhabitants of our own cities. I have always been an inhabitant of the city of Buffalo, but now I am currently an inhabitant of the city of Barcelona. –AQ

9 What is a consumer?

A consumer takes in - in some manner - commodities, people, or events which are present in the city. The consumer is the perceived purpose for the city; without the consumer, there ceases to be a need for the city. –AH

A consumer is one who purchases goods and services for personal use. Anyone who is not self-sufficient is a consumer. A consumer may be driven solely by necessity or a consumer may purchase excess for the sake of leisure, entertainment, popularity, greed, etc. Not only does a consumer take in products but also provides something in exchange for them. A consumer may be anything such as a mosquito, a human, a company, a city, or a country. –SW

A Consumer is a predator. Far more potent than an Inhabitant who dwells but does not participate, a consumer is the most detrimental virus to a city. He takes from the city but does not give back. Consumers are fueled by greed and lack of understanding their role in the social matrix of a metropolis. Consumers should be either kept from urban centers or encouraged to transform into Citizens (difficult but not impossible), by realizing that it is through creating, not possessing, that life is revealed. –MZ

A consumer is one who takes part in the process of consuming, which is part of a cycle which involves transformation. In a perfect world, consuming is a point along a circular path. The cow consumes the grass, the grass is transformed into milk, which is consumed by humans. The humans die, and the body is transformed to earth. The earth is consumed by grass, etc. So in this ideal situation consuming is part of a natural process that is about the same energy manifesting itself in different physical forms which are then consumed again by various other consumers. There are less poetic forms of consuming. A car consumes gasoline, which then becomes carbon monoxide and is released into the atmosphere, where it is unable to continue in a process that contributes to the rest of life on earth. Although the dissipation of a carbon monoxide molecule in the atmosphere may be a natural process, its affects are harmful and somehow seem to be the result of a human behavior which serves an immediate purpose. –DS

One of the most integral pieces of any economy is the consumer; defined most simply by a broad demographic profile that expresses simply the buy/not buy decision. Consumers hold the power, without parents fueling the Tickle Me Elmo fad of 1996, production would have ceased shortly after its initial introduction to the market, as is the case with all trends. The amount of advertisements shown at a certain time of the day depends entirely on the projected consumer population watching, so during Saturday morning cartoons there will inevitably be an inordinate amount of toy commercials, or daytime midweek would be a large number of Betty Crocker pitches for the stay at home mom. –CS

A consumer is one that acquires goods or services for direct use or ownership rather than for resale. We are all consumers of food, utility, nature; animals and plants are consumers as well. –AQ

A consumer is one who consumes. A consumer may be a user, tenant, buyer. –KI

A consumer is a user who in someway takes from a place, effecting or changing the place after taking from it. Ex - a girl walking through a park who picks a flower from a bush; - a bird within a neighborhood who eats bugs or food scraps –CW

A consumer is one who consumes. In political terms, a consumer is one who consumes the products of society. ie. I am a consumer. I buy food, clothes, books, pencils, etc… all products of society. –MH

The consumer is the customer, or the user. To consume is to use something, and the consumer either uses things they desire or uses things they need. Without consumers, nothing would be used - consumers are necessary for the world we live in today, as they keep the economy alive. Though they are needed, consumers can be evil in many ways. They control what is desired, how much is desired, and at what cost. In a cultural point of view, the consumer is the reason why there are six Starbucks located within a city block, or why entertainers with little talent stay on top. The tangible items that are consumed the most will be produced the most. However, consumption of natural resources is more dangerous, as there is only so much of the natural earth that can be consumed – no matter how much it is desired. –SB

A consumer is one that consumes products or resources. Without them business enterprise would not work, there would be no monetary exchange and therefore no possibility of growth in a city or company. Business target consumers for their products or resources in hopes that they may buy what they have to offer. –DJ

A consumer is someone who uses materials and resources for themselves or for their own benefit. To label someone a consumer is to understand that person as someone who uses more material things than they provide. The United State is a consumer society that produces very little material goods in relation to the amount it consumes. In exchange for the use of material good and resources, consumers often use money to pay for the goods and resources. –SG

10 What is a worker?

A worker is one that does physical or mental labor for someone or something. Workers rely on work to make a living and survive. Business rely on workers, without them the business would not function and nothing would get done. –DJ

The other half of the economy, in laymen’s terms, is the worker; goods cannot be produced for the consumer otherwise. A worker is a person, by today’s standards, who is paid for labor. This person is not just categorized by the goods produced but also for services rendered. The CEO of Kelloggs is undoubtedly not in the factory packaging boxes of Rice Krispies, just as the factory worker does not have the skills to head a multi-million dollar corporation. In an effective economy a workers ability to climb the corporate ladder is directly correlated with capability and education. –CS

A worker is one who intentionally changes or manipulates a space, with some sort of goal or reasoning. Ex - a gardener who plants shrubs and flowers, trims bushes, and cuts the grass; - a city worker who washes down the street each night –CW

A worker is a Citizen who does not contribute to the artmaking of the city for the correct reasons. There is an incomprehensible magnitude of the number of ways in which one can participate in the city; to act but not willingly or positively is a crime. To work is to have abandoned a dream of the “what if” or “the other,” that which could be but is not. Workers are far less productive as Artists of the city because only when you give life to what you do is when you become what you are. –MZ

A worker is anyone or thing who puts mental or physical effort into something in order to achieve a purpose or result. A worker is driven by incentive whether money, status, prestige, or personal achievement. A businessman is a worker driven by the desire and obligation to provide for his family. A bee is a worker contributing to the production of the entire hive. A city is a worker preserving, constructing, and governing for a people. –SW

A worker is one who works, either performing some service to society or creating products. ie. A worker ant will gather food for its colony. Workers in human society can be farmers, police force, construction workers, or craftsmen, etc. –MH

A worker is an element in the city which contributes to the proliferation of an element which in turn contributes to the functioning of the city. –AH

A worker is a person or machine that expends energy to create a necessary good or service that would have otherwise been unattainable. A human worker usually expends energy to acquire something for him or herself, often times money. Other workers, with less complicated motives work for the benefit of the species (a worker bee that leaves the nest to collect pollen, to convert to honey to feed the larvae). Some workers do work without any motives, these are called machines. –DS

A worker performs tasks large and small, which generally result a product or service. These tasks are usually attempts to better the situation of oneself and/or the community. For example, a worker bee collects pollen from flowers and brings it back to the hive in order to produce honey. This helps the other members of the hive as well as the individual bee. On the other hand, pickpocketers study passer-bys in order to find an easy wallet, purse or bag to steal. They take it and run, or pass if off to another pickpocketer also involved in the scheme. They plan and act according to what will help themselves alone, not the community as a whole. –KI

A worker contributes to the development of something in order to gain a certain result. Workers are needed for the development of any society, as an area can not flourish if their inhabitants are unwilling to work. There are many different skills and classes of workers, and there are those who choose not to work. –SB

A worker is one who does manual or industrial labour. It is a person engaged in a particular field, activity or cause. We are all workers as well. We can work in our studies, hobbies, and activities. I have worked as a summer camp counsellor, a mediator and as a cashier. –AQ

A worker is an individual that performs a task or multiple tasks to produce goods or provide services for others to consume or use. A worker may use his body, mind, personality, or a combination of any of the three to produce his goods or services. Workers are essential parts of group societies. Without workers, societies would not have the food, materials, and resources they need to survive. –SG

11 What is a human?

One who is capable of understanding a thing. Understanding what something is; how to use it, and imagining what else it may be. Ex - a baseball player with a bat also understands that bat may be a weapon to hit someone with, or as a tool to smash something with –CW

A human is the basic tectonic element of the city. –AH

A Human is a shrinking subspecies of a homo sapien. A Human differs from a Non-Human by possessing a self-constituted comprehension of its role as an Artist in the city. With the role of artmaking comes the understanding of participation, responsibility, and sustainability. Only Humans contain the mental and psychological capacity to gauge their vital role in the ecology of life. –MZ

Academics are quite sure in saying that humans developed from primates some 200,000 years ago, but it is not the physical development that makes Homo sapiens so unique from other animals; it is the acute cognitive ability. Humans have a highly developed brain capable of abstract reasoning, language, and introspection. Monkeys, like humans, with opposable thumbs, have the capacity of holding a pencil, but a discontinuity remains between the species; monkeys do not the posses the ability to use the object as a device for communication. Humans create complex social structures, competing and unified groups, and laws upon which their lives are governed. One of the most unique characteristics is the aptitude for appreciating aesthetics, which has been the driving force for developing art, literature, and music in civilizations around the world. –CS

A human is an animal that is capable of altering the carrying capacity of its environment. It is capable of exploring deeper, more complicated realms of thought. A human is obsessed with catogorizing and classification. A human ants to understand the world around it. A human competes with other humans for reasons other then territory or aggression. A human behaves with a wide array of motivations. –DS

A human is a being that has the capability of questioning its own existence. Unlike other animals or beings humans can understand that they are exist. A dog my be alive but doesn’t question it, he just goes on living doing what comes instinctually where a humans conscience and mind get in the way of what my be instinctual. –DJ

A human is a member of the genus Homo and of the species H. Sapiens. We are primates that belong to the mammalian species. We are characterized by superior intelligence capable of articulate speech and erect carriage. Humans are social by nature and tend to understand and influence the world around them. –AQ

A human is perhaps the only known animal capable of questioning his own existence. Like all animals, a human must go through basic tasks in order to survive and reproduce. Unlike any other creature, humans, as a whole, have a desire to better themselves. Humans go out of their way to become more knowledgeable, more devout, and more creative. These things do not directly contribute to a human’s survival or their desire to reproduce; instead, these actions speak to a human’s desire to leave a record showing that he has improved and bettered himself through his life. This is what makes a human a human. –SG

Any member of the species Homo-Sapien is human. ie. Titusz is a human. A chimpanzee is not. It does not matter if one is a member of human society or not. Tarzan was still human, though he grew up outside of society. –MH

A human is the title for a person as being distinguished from an animal, plant, alien, or machine. A human has distinctive physical characteristics as well as a conscience. A human differs from any other living organism in that it can distinguish between right and wrong, ethics and immorality, decorum and misconduct. A human is mortal; a human is physical; a human is bodily; a human is flesh and blood; a human is weak; a human is frail; a human is vulnerable; a human is susceptible; a human is imperfect. –SW

Humans are descendents of homo sapiens. They are the most intelligent and capable creatures known in the existing universe today. The human body acts as a machine –it moves, works, produces, and is capable. The human mind is what gives the machine character and emotional feelings. The mind tells the machine what to do, where to go, and how to feel about situations in everyday life. A human is more in control of their environment than elements of nature, such as plants and animals. –SB

A human is a mammal, specifically Homo sapiens. It is most likely that humans evolved from apes. Chris White is a human; the mouse in his wall is not. Most humans have a higher ability to reason than do most other mammals. Also, a human is not necessarily humane. –KI

12 How does Barcelona work?

Barcelona is a rather egocentric city, perhaps more noticeably than others; it is not known for being a great exporter of goods in the world market despite its prime location on the Mediterranean, but it has capitalized on its location for tourism. The Olympics were an excuse to refurbish the city just as the Cultural Forum was years later another attempt to attract more people. As a result of the tourism, presentation is a large part of the daily routine in the Gothic Quarter; streets are hosed several times a day and garbage is collected every night with great disruption to its residents. –CS

Barcelona works as a functioning city with a balance between work and consumption. ie. Tourism is major industry for Barcelona. Barcelona caters to tourists by providing restaurants, shops, hotels and attractions. Tourists consume these and thus bolster the local economy. –MH

Barcelona works because of people (humans). People attempt to acquire wealth with varying degrees of success. Some people attempt to help those who have been unsuccessful in the attempt to acquire wealth. Some contribute wealth. Some people acquire wealth and us it to contribute more people to the city. These processes are possible because Barcelona has a complicated transportation system that stitches everyone and everything together. Communication helps information travel faster, which speeds these processes up and causes people to behave in specific ways. In many cases those who permanently reside in Barcelona acquire wealth from those who are just visiting. –DS

Barcelona provides a place within which people may live, eat, sleep, play, and meet other people; the city is a comfortable environment within which a person feels free to do a number of things. In certain instances the city begins to promote each of these things and in some way forces users to act certain ways Ex - the MACBA provides a place where skateboarders can accumulate and meet, and begins to cause a skateboarder to want to skate there; - the warm days and nice weather leads people to the beach where they may tan or swim –CW

Barcelona works by being in a very comfortable climate on the Mediterranean Sea. Its setting and climate attracted retired Roman soldiers in the first centuries CE and the same conditions attract tourists and ex-patriots to Barcelona today. More recently, the improvements to the city generated by the Olympics have improved the seafront and improvements since then have cleaned up many of the most dangerous neighborhoods. These factors, Barcelona’s unique sites, the addition of a cruise-ship dock, and the inclusion of Barcelona in many budget airlines’ destinations have caused tourism to boom and bring new growth and an international recognition to the city. Even before the most recent tourism boom, Barcelona has sustained itself on sea commerce. Today, the commercial port is larger than ever with plans to expand. The two factors of tourism and sea commerce are how Barcelona works best. –SG

Barcelona works like any other city, it has its inhabitants and consumers. It has its central places of trade for the benefit of the people living there. It has a good transportation system, sanitation system, utility, and an economy full of working class members, not to mention a vast amount of tourists. –AQ

Barcelona works much like any other city, with business and commercial enterprises. The gothic corridor and beach front are mainly for tourist enterprises to bring money into the city, so they rely heavily on tourists. The outer towns are for the locals that work in and around the city. They provide an area somewhat free from tourists and visitors. –DJ

Barcelona was formed based on the same elements that exist in any other city, which would be thriving businesses, a growing population, public transportation, and recreation. It wasn’t until recent years that the city became a modern marvel, along with one of the more desirable places in the world for people to visit. Tourism is one of the main aspects that keeps the city thriving, along with trade with other countries. –SB

Barcelona works like any urban environment; cause begets effect, pressure forces release. Interactions which are catalyzed by such specific elements as tourism, fashion or industry drive the daily circulation of people and goods through the urban organism. –AH

Barcelona provides goods and services that support its inhabitant. It has a thorough public transportation system that allows residents to reach work and leisure activities. This transportation system is also easily discernable for one of Barcelona’s main industries – tourism. Barcelona also provides a service as one of the Mediterranean’s largest port cities. This port serves as a gateway to the city for goods and services as well as employment to its residents. Barcelona used to work as a host of the 1888 World’s Fair, the Olympic Games and the Cultural Forum. These events contributed to the tourism industry, the redevelopment of the city and to the rise of job opportunities in the city. –KI

Barcelona is the Playground City. Its canvas is populated by toys on the playground which can work as independent playthings or as part of unified toybox. The reading of the Playground as unified versus fragmented is one of complete subjectivity; some are able to play on all parts of the playground, while others can only make their artwork on certain parts. Consider the housing projects surrounding the Diagonal. To these citizens who leave their mark on their sector of Barcelona’s canvas, the installations to the Playground City near the Diagonal Mar, the Forum, and the reprogram of Glories is neither desired nor appreciated. They will continue to make Art on their part of the city’s canvas but will not leave marks on these near additions because their situation does not enable them to do so. Another example is the huge number of housing units under construction in the vicinity of Norman Foster’s hotel. Seemingly separated from the mainstream city, the future residents will clearly need to venture into other parts of the Playground. Isolated from commercial resources, they will make connections to other spaces, or, the other option, those resources will begin to sprout up in their part of the Playground. By this simple difference, the new toy on the Playground has the ability to become an isolate part of the city’s canvas or one which forces connections and urban porosity. –MZ

Barcelona works as any city does. However, where she puts in her effort is what distinguishes herself as Barcelona. Barcelona works by preserving the past, maintaining the present, and anticipating the future. She protects her history and soul for authenticity. She takes care of her infrastructure by keeping it clean and well kept. She is uses sustainable technology and constructs contemporary fabrication. Barcelona’s efforts put into the past, present, and future strive for genuineness and discernment, international recognition and respect, individuality and ingenuity. –SW

13 Which places does Barcelona have?

Barcelona appears to segregate its architecture into relatively strict time periods. The beach, although a mere stone throw away from the Gothic Quarter, is dated hundreds of years apart, and where the Gothic ends to the north the Eixample begins with architecture from the 19^th Century. This segregation makes traveling through the city an interesting experience especially mapping the areas of growth. More recently El Raval is being injected with some contemporary architecture, hotels, which further illustrates the immense influence of tourism on the city. –CS

Barcelona is composed of a multitude of special circumstances that combine to create a whole. The Gothic Quarter is built upon existing ruins of the ancient Roman town of Barcino. It is cluttered with small winding streets and swamped with tourists. Beyond the Gothic Quarter is L’Eixample. This is an expansion that is regular and wide open. Beyond L’Eixample are what used to be suburbs, but have been engulfed by the growth of the city limits. These are hilly areas with winding streets. Surrounding the city are mountains such as Monjuic and Tibidabo which alone hold a wide range of places. The coast of Barcelona is lined with beaches and ports and dotted with other businesses. –KI

When describing Barcelona the major things that one points out are the mountains and the sea. Everything in between is a mix of neighborhoods and parks. Near the sea are the touristy area. The water front and the gothic corridor contain the most amount of foreigners. The Example comes next which holds the major business area laid out with the Cerda grid. Following that is the outer towns which house the locals. Mixed in are public parks, including Parc Ciutadella, and park Guell. –DJ

The city has public places, private places, tourist places, resident places, day places, night places, upscale places, down and dirty places, fun places, poignant places; places for everyone and no one. These places are always present, but shifting and changing for every person who comes to the city - there is no constant. –AH

The toys of the Playground City are the areas where Artists have participated in its development (building or destruction). The Diagonal and The Raval are very popular toys at the given moments (the Artists grew tired of the Forum plaything, and Montjuic went out of vogue ages ago). They will continue to perform their artmaking on their toys until newer and more attractive toys are installed in the Playground. –MZ

Places for tourism to work: Barcelona has several new beaches along its coast. There is a new cruise ship dock. The Rambalas, perhaps the most touristed strip of Barcelona, extends from the waterfront, through the old city, to the beginning of the expanded Barcelona. Barcelona has places of architectural significance, most notably the works by Antoni Gaudi. Places for commerce to work: The commercial port is the largest area of commercial exchange in Barcleona. A growing number of office buildings and corporate headquarters are appearing along the Gran Via, a major avenue that connects the airport to central Barcelona. Offices are appearing in this area because of its proximity to the airport and the cargo port. Barcelona’s airport is becoming an easier place to reach thanks to a greater number of inexpensive airlines that include Barcelona as a destination. This helps both tourism and commerce. –SG

Barcelona has places that are old and new. She has places of outward attractiveness, as well as places of hidden splendor. Barcelona has Barcino, the Cathedral, Montjuiic, the Exiample, Placa Reial, Camp Nou, Parc Guell, Sagrada Famila, Port Olímpico, the beach, the cultural forum and Torre Agbar. She also has Carrer d’en Tripo, Placa Milan, churettes, the CCCB, the Biomedical Sciences Research Center, the MACBA, Pati Manning, and the Botanical Gardens. She has cafes and tapas bars, plazas and sculptural public seating, shopping malls and authentic boutiques. –SW

Barcelona is subdivided into several parts: Barri Gotic or Ciutat Vella, Eixample, Sant Marti, Montijuic, Gracia, les Corts, Horta Guinardo, and Nou Barris. These areas are separated by geographic formations or large cuts through the city – the diagonal, passieg de Gracia, Las Ramblas, the mountain, historic city walls ... etc. There are further subdivisions in Ciutat Vella itself, but I will not go into those. –MH

Barcelona is made up of tourist sites, places to eat, places of relaxation, places of play, places of worship, sites for cultural events, places for study, places for shopping, and places for working. Ex - Sagrada Familia; - tapas bars, kepab restaurants; - beaches; - Camp Nou; - Barcelona Catedral; - Cultural Forum; - Joan Miro Foundation; - La Rambla; - Torre Agbar –CW

Barcelona’s waterfront and port are vital pieces of the city and help contribute greatly to the economy. The port is not only important for the trading of goods, but it is an important stop for tourists cruising throughout Europe. Those who prefer to travel by air or land also come to Barcelona for the same reasons – a clean, modern city packed with historic landmarks and exciting areas to visit. From the many monumental works of Gaudi, the 1929 World’s Fair, the growth of the city during the 1992 Olympics, to recent developments, there are more than enough places that are desirable. –SB

Barcelona has that which is design (cerda plan) (via liatana) and that which is the result of growth of many layers over centuries of reaction to the needs of each subsequent era (gothic quarter). It has parks. It has transportation (subway, roads, sidewalks). It has places of commerce (malls, shops…) It has the coast of the Mediterranean where there are ports and beaches. It has Montjuic, which was redesigned for the Olympic games in an attempt to erase the stigma that was associated with the events that once occurred on the mountain. –DS

Barcelona is like any other city full of rich history. It has the 1992 Olympic structures. It has the 2004 cultural forum. Gaudi structures are very significant to this city, such as colonial Guell, Casa Milan, Parc Guell and the Sagrada Familia. For leisure it has the beaches, museum, parks and hundreds of plaças. I can keep on going with the numerous places Barcelona has to offer. –AQ

14 What is the Cerda plan?

The Cerda plan was a proposal for the expansion for Barcelona proposed and implemented by Illdefons Cerda in 1859. The plan called for an increase in ventilation and, a better waste disposal system, and the integration of efficient transfer of goods, people, and information, among other things. The plan was the result of a competition. –DS

The Cerda plan was an idealized design for the use of urban space that was scarcely achieved off the drawing board. His aim was to overcome social problems by using quadrangular blocks of a strict size with height limitations. This recreational open space with open sides to the blocks was to guarantee the houses the maximum amount of sun, light and ventilation. He studied the problems of El Raval before designing his scheme thus sparking his concern with cramped streets and overcrowded housing. The “manzanes” of Eixample, as built, are much higher than the planned heights and many of the blocks have been enclosed with few inner gardens surviving. The most characteristic feature of Cerda’s plan, the 45°-chamfered corner of each block, remains. The idea behind this decision was to ensure more fluid traffic movement in all directions; the steam tram had a long turning radius thereby determining the angle of the corners of the buildings. –CS

The Cerda plan was an urban planning mechanism for controlling circulation and building patterns on the newly-formed Eixample. It is characterized by a Cartesian grid with chamfered corners for ease of automotive and pedestrian circulation. The Cerda plan is alien to the spirit of the Playground. It attempts to enforce a regulated order on the Playground City, but by its inherent nature, the Artists on the Playground must be free to decide when and where they wish to play. Cerda was an active Artist who participated in the making of the city in a very physical way, but it is important for people today to consider that his brushstokes are like any of those put on the canvas today: permanent only until another Artist paints his layer over them. –MZ

The Cerda Plan is an intervention on the city, which connects the gothic corridor to the outer towns of Barcelona. It works by filling in what was once undeveloped with a perfect geometric grid. The grid contains chamfered edges designed to accommodate for the turning radius of a trolley car. The perfect grid makes it possible to organize the city in a more efficient manor than that of the gothic corridor. –DJ

The Cerda plan was enacted in the 17^th century to organize the construction of Barcelona’s extended city limits. How does it work? The plan proposed a square grid of roads and blocks with a central road running south-east, divides the city in two. A short axis is provided by the Passeig Sant Joan. The corners of the blocks were chamfered to provide for vehicular turning. What does it do? It divides the city into social units consisting of wards, districts and sectors. A ward consists of 25 blocks. A district is four wards. Sectors are formed of four districts. Each sector is serviced by at least one of the main arteries passing through it. The old city counts as one sector. –MH

The Cerda plan is the organizational method of the Exiample, the area of Barcelona outside the Gothic Quarter. It is consisted of a grid plan running at a 45° angle from north/south-east/west. Each corner of the Cerda plan is chamfered for smooth circulation of turning tramcars. A Cerda plan module included only two of the four blocks to be built up. Therefore, allowing for green space and circulation through each block. It also includes the Diagonal, which runs north/south allowing for easier circulation from one corner of the city to the other. Instead of creating passageways to major monumental sites of the city, the Cerda plan creates other concealed gems of the city. Unfortunately, many opportunities for an abundance of these disguised parks, sitting areas, pathways, have faded due to fabrication and greed. The spaces within the Cerda plan grid that do exist are few but precious. This orderly plan organizes the rest of the city outside the Gothic Quarter so that users may get from point A to point B with ease. Giving and receiving directions within the Exiample is much more simple than in the Gothic Quarter. –SW

The Cerda plan is also known as the Eixample, which is Catalan for extension. Designed by Ildefons Cerda, the Eixample is a grid like expansion of the city of Barcelona. The Eixample stretches from Barcelona’s old limits to the edges of the towns that circled old Barcelona. The Cerda plan works by creating a grid of streets and square blocks. The grid allowed the plan to be easily laid out and for property within each block to be easily sold. The Cerda plan creates an easy to navigate network of streets that connect old towns to old Barcelona. The Eixample effectively turned the old Barcelona, the Eixample itself, and the surrounding towns into one big city. –SG

The Cerda plan imposes a grid on the urban map. By forming a consistent and coherent system of movement and transport throughout the city, it enables large amounts of traffic, people, and goods to move in and out of the city, regulating the pressure of kinetic elements as they filter through Barcelona. –AH

The Cerda plan is an extension to the city referred to as the Eixample. The plan is made up of a perpendicular grid with chamfered corners at each intersection. Cutting through the grid are several diagonal lines, most notably Diagonal Ave. The plan connects the Gothic Quarter to its surrounding neighborhoods, and the Diagonal specifically connects two opposite corners of the city, one containing the Cultural Forum and the other Zona Universitaria. –CW

During the industrial revolution Barcelona became a large port city, its population skyrocketed with new residents and the city needed to expand. The solution to this need for expansion was the Cerda Plan. It was developed by Ildefons Cerda in the mid 1800s. How does it work? The Cerda plan works by creating a regular gridded system of streets with chamfered corners to ease circulation of street cars. The majority of its use is residential. What does it do? The Cerda plan provides housing for all classes in society as well as easy operation of public transportation –KI

The Cerda plan is a city grid with chamfered edges. Each city block is composed of four sides of building use, with the center left open for small gathering spaces. The chamfered edges were used to make traffic more efficient, as the turning radius of the trollies fit within those edges. –SB

In the 1850´s Barcelona was able to expand with the long awaited demolition of the walls. The plan was made to connect the city of Barcelona with Gracia and the outlying towns. Ildefons Cerda central aim was to overcome social problems by using quadrangular blocks of a standard size, with strict building controls to ensure that they were built up on only two sides, to a limited height, leaving a shady square or garden in between. This recreational open space with open sides to the blocks was to guarantee the houses the maximum amount of sun, light and ventilation. The most characterized feature of his plan is the 45 degrees angled corner of each block, to ensure more fluid traffic in all directions. –AQ

15 Which film could take place on your chosen site?

“Crash”. The movie includes a series of plot lines and characters which all intersect and relate due to a car accident. My site includes the intersection of several main streets and the resulting traffic circle. What else could happen there that would be worth remembering? Viewing the Torre Agbar light show on New Year’s. –CW

(Poble Nou) The Science of Sleep. Poble Nou is a place that provokes questions. It makes my imagination run away. Why has Poble Nou changed into what it is now, given what it was. Is it necessary for a place to fall into disrepair before it is able to rediscover itself. What is learned on a journey like that? Like the film it is more interesting once you breach the surface. It is about what if. –DS

The Diagonal would be the perfect site for a European Fast and Furious; the bustling boulevard provides a constantly changing backdrop with areas ranging from affluent to underprivileged. The vehicular traffic is already moving at a relatively rapid pace and the drivers in this particular area seem more aggressive than in other parts of the city. It is also very interesting to have such a great disparity in classes along one road, being able to use this, as a basis of plot would also be an attractive application; perhaps an abundance of people from the “other side of town” begin to inhabit the area around Christian Dior and the Bank of Zurich. –CS

Jumanji Why? Jumanji has a relatively calm opening, and then it is slowly becomes a wild jungle with large animals. This can be translated into the site of the 1888 World Fair. The promenade after the Arc di Triomf would contain the calmer beginning of the movie and as you move farther into the park, the jungle atmosphere becomes denser until you eventually reach the zoo where it climaxes. And if you continue on you eventually reach the beach which is calm again. What else could happen there that would be worth remembering? Given its extraordinarily important past, a monumental event would have to occur that for it to be worth remembering - something along the lines of a revolution or uprising of the Catalan people. –KI

A film on my site could show the world after the “fall” of humanity to post-modern ideals: Idealized conditions, built environments, and multi-use pubic spaces have culminated in those people left in the city staying in their private space. No one leaves, no one interacts in these highly contrived, highly choreographed spaces that have spread across the city. Activity can be seen far in the distance, in the illusive green space of organic freedom, but in the Forum, nothing happens until there is an event, and there is never an event until something happens. How long will the stagnant cycle continue unimpeded? Concerts, festivals, gatherings of all sorts come and go, but the empty space in the Cultural Forum reigns supreme. Like darkness in a closed room - as soon as the light is put out, it indiscriminately sweeps across the face of the microcosm, leaving room for nothing. –AH

Rumble in the Bronx. Why? Both the Bronx and La Barceloneta are close-knit, working-class neighborhoods. What else could happen there that would be worth remembering? The demolition of the Mercat Barceloneta would be worth remembering. –MH

While I’m embarrassed to having seen Final Fantasy, the scene where the rollercoaster exploded and everyone on it died would have been so much more dramatic at the cantilevered amusement park ride had they all tumbled off Tibidabo. The site also reminds me of a much, much better movie: The Mission. This movie takes place in colonial South America where the Portuguese and the Spanish are contending for control of a mountain, on top of which was a thriving Jesuit mission. The issue was that if the Portuguese took control of the mountain, they would enslave the priests and converting Indians. What struck me about Tibidabo was the great climb to the top of this cliff (the climb is one of the most memorable scenes in the movie), and then there’s the church. Granted, it’s not an authentic church, but just imagine if it was: a small mission located on the outskirts of the city, ready to welcome in any converters and non-believers from the neighboring mountain communities. It could have been really nice. –MZ

The chosen site was a very political one, which is why I feel a more political movie would take place there. A film about a revolution, or an uprising, of the people would take place. Since the Pavilion was originally meant as the reception hall for the King and Queen of Spain, the clean lines, simple ideas, and purpose of the pavilion were far too perfect. It would be fitting that the Pavilion would house another reception with very important key figures of the city. Figures that may have gone corrupt and caused much grief amongst the people of Barcelona. If the pavilion was stormed and taken over by the people, with the key figures being executed, I feel that this revolution would be such a dramatic twist to the original meaning of the pavilion – where the materials would reflect a new meaning to the people of the city, not just ideas of Modernism, but ideas of freedom of the people. –SB

I would say that the movie ‘Amsted’ took place on my site. In the movie the protagonist is shipped from his homeland in Africa to be enslaved in other countries. He spends months on a ship traveling across the ocean only to be put to work. The story is his battle to get survive slavery and get home to his family. This relates to the history of Mont Juic in that the Spanish Fort atop of it is a symbol of Catalonians slavery toward Spain. For years Catalans have been trying to break free from Spain much like the protagonist battle to be free and go home. The shipping yard below the mountain also speaks of the shipping of slaves. –DJ

Many films can take place in Camp Nou, films that demonstrate leadership, pride, loyalty, teamwork and championship. Even tough, this movie is an American football team, rather than the futbol; I have to go with ¨Remember the Titans¨. This film demonstrates that a sports team can change the heart of a city, and as much as I have heard this city have die hard fans with the FC Barcelona soccer team. Most city gets its pride from its sports team and championships, as a result its always worth remembering especially if they are the best of the best and you had a seat in the stadium. –AQ

The Gran Via in its current state could appear in a scene of the film, Independence Day. The end of the Gran Via towards the airport appears desolate and hollow similar to the aftermath of the alien attack in Independence Day. Pieces of buildings are standing with openings where windows were blasted out. The few survivors roam around attempting to comprehend and accept what has just happened. The Gran Via’s present condition possesses the same incomplete qualities as the affected cities in Independence Day, from the buildings, to the population, to the vegetation. There is even an unfitting spaceship on top of Foster’s 5-Star Hotel that must be the shipwrecked UFO that Will Smith fought. Another memorable event that could take place along the isolated end of the Gran Via could be an unfortunate domino effect of all the buildings in the area. Because of the poor-quality, speedy construction, the fall of one building would trigger a domino effect of failure. A strong gust of wind came from the north one day and tipped over the first building of the series. The first fell on the second, the second on the third, and so on. That would be an even that architects, engineers, contractors, carpenters, and residents would never forget. –SW

Chosen Site: The Raval, Robocop could have taken place in the Raval. The movie Robocop is set in the future in Detroit, Michigan. In the future, areas of Detroit are filled with crime, prostitutes, drugs, and gangs. Robocop, who is part human part machine, comes to the rescue to reclaim the neighborhoods from the criminals. From what I understand, I think this story suites the Raval. The Raval was once one of the seediest neighborhoods in Europe. Only a decade ago, it was not safe for all types of people to walk through the Raval alone, even during the day. Like the character Robocop, the city planners of Barcelona stepped in to make changes. In a budgts that included 9 billion dollars to improve Barcelona’s neighborhoods, 60% was put into the Raval. Urban clearings such as the Rambala del Raval and cultural interventions such as CCCB or the MACBA have brought new crowds and new interest into the Raval. The image has begun to change from a slum to a diverse and tight nit community. The investments in the Raval have also helped to make the neighborhood a much safer place than it once was. –SG

16 Describe your chosen site. How does it work? What does it do? What is it made of?

Placa de les Glories; How does it work? A traffic circle accepts the intersection of several main streets. What does it do? Controls traffic flow, directs users travel into and through the city. What is it made of? Roadways, sidewalks, green spaces (parks), shopping centers, and an office building What takes place there? Travel by car (commuting), pedestrian traffic, shopping, tourist site-seeing; How big is it? It is a large traffic circle, approximately 300m diameter, and about 100m of the immediate surroundings. What is its history? The surrounding area is still largely under construction, but the area was previously made up mostly of low-cost housing and industrial sites. –CW

The Cultural Forum is a gathering point for cultural events to be injected into this pseudo-urban reclamation. It siphons people from elsewhere in the city to the central gathering place, where no one naturally goes. The sordid, industrial history of the site - garbage dump, sewage processing plant, and industrial facilities - and it’s massive scale only do more to discourage the regular use of this beautiful, if uncomfortably solitary, space. –AH

Tibidabo is located on a mountain to the Western edge of Barcelona. It provides spectacular views of the city, and many cafes and restaurants are built into the steep slope that gives Tibidabo so much of its identitiy. The procession to the top of the mountain is even more interesting than finally reaching the top; it offers a series of modes of transport (subway, then bus, then furnicular) and with each stop, it offers different views of the city. The top of Tibidabo is currently occupied by a trashy amusement park whose claim to fame is the couple of rides which cantilever people over the cliff’s edge (though they are moving at a glacial pace and I fail to see how this could be that enticing). The other focal point of Tibidabo is a large church at the pinnacle of the mountain. This church is not an original historical construction as it may seem, but it is a newer, artificial building that today serves to delight Tibidabo’s massive hoards of tourists. The population of Tibidabo, from what I could decipher, was almost entirely tourists. It seems unfortunate to me that this space, perhaps the most advantageous in the city in terms of views, has been dedicated to a dumpy amusement park. This could have worked as a nice outdoor public space with a more tactful program. The size of Tibidabo is very humble, maybe only about a square kilometer. This is, of course, only my definition of Tibidabo. Tibidabo is the name of the mountain, so I cannot determine whether it is appropriate to describe the entire mountain, or just the small pocket of space that has been populated. –MZ

Barceloneta is a small triangular neighborhood that boarders the eastern edge of Gothic Barcelona. Its construction began in 1751 on a spit of reclaimed land edging out into the sea. It was the first large planned extension of the city outside the medieval walls. What does it do? Originally a fishing neighborhood built for those displaced from the Barri when the Ciutadella fort was constructed, it now houses 15,892 inhabitants. Though Barceloneta’s demographic is generally older, working class locals, the neighborhood is currently under the process of gentrification. What is it made of? Barceloneta is made of blocks of narrow housing laid out in an elongated grid pattern to allow for maximum air circulation. What takes place there? The activity in Barceloneta is largely domestic. There are a few shops and restaurants, but these are generally located towards the Passieg Joan de Borbo where constant parades of tourists make their way towards the beach. How big is it? Approximately 27 square meters. –MH

The Gran Via is a focal major street running through Barcelona. It runs from the northwest end of the city to the southeast end almost parallel to the sea. It decongests the city circulation. It is pedestrian accessible but not welcoming. Its width and numerous lanes make it difficult to cross from one side to the other. Rather, the Gran Via is automobile friendly, allowing smooth commercial travel across the city. It gives the businessmen and women an excluded path through the city with few pedestrian or tourist obstacles. Currently, the Gran Via is in a state of development. Exhibition space, residential housing complexes, and corporate edifices exist and are being built progressively. It is an unfortunate circumstance because the impending buildings lack any design quality at all. It is the commercial and housing complex form of the typical cookie cutter, McMansion residential neighborhood. They are building the office buildings in masses, each one the same as the one before and after. The only differentiation is the color of the material of the façade. Box form, grid patterned, rectangle windows, no decoration and an adjacent crane carry throughout. Gran Via is solely functional in the sense that it provides office space for the incoming businesses as well as some green space. There are places for people to sit and spend their lunch or take a break from work, nothing anymore extravagant. Despite the area’s disregard for architecture or design, an old façade with bricked windows still stands. Is this an appreciation or preservation of the previous structure which once stood on this site? Or is it just a barrier between the road and building during construction? Despite its vandalized state, it begins to portray a story of its past. Perhaps the big, repeating windows of the remaining façade were part of a storefront. With the graffiti and half-torn down posters over the brick infill from afar they appear as movie advertisements outside a theatre. –SW

The German Pavilion, designed by Mies van der Roehe, is located in Placa Espanya. It was the site of the reception for the King and Queen of Spain during the 1929 World’s Fair. The Pavilion is constructed with simple planes of lavish materials. Though it is not very large in size, the Pavilion is packed with ideas that helped mark the revolution of Modern Architecture. Simple and minimal planes make the pavilion, with the chosen materials constantly playing off reflections. –SB

The site is the home of the 1888 World´s Fair. It begins at Arc di Triomf. Past the Arc di Triomph is a promenade which leads to the Parc de la Ciutadella, the site of the Fair. It begins at the There are also several pavilions still standing such as the hivernacle and the umbrenacle and a zoological museum. It has a man-made lake, a Catalan government building, and a zoo at the west end. How does it work? The site works as a park for pedestrians an bicyclist. On its south side there are a series of straight, almost gridded paths that control circulation. However, as the user heads north, the paths begin to meander around a man-made lake. The combination of the Arc and the parc attract tourists, and the zoo attracts even more visitors. And don’t forget the ping-pong tables. What does it do? The park provides relaxing shady environment for its visitors a virtually automobile free place for activities. What is it made of? It is made of concrete, trees, grass, stone, metal, water What takes place there? Relaxing, sunbathing, bicycling, walking, running and site seeing take place at the site. How big is it? The park is 17.42 hectares What is its history? Arc di Triomf acted as an entryway into the World Fair. Past the Arc di Triomph is a promenade which leads to the Parc de la Ciutadella, the site of the Fair. A restaurant and hotel were built for the occasion. The restaurant has been turned into a zoological museum and the hotel has been demolished. –KI

Camp Nou is the stadium for the home ground soccer team of FC Barcelona. Its name is from the Catalan word ¨New Camp¨. It has a capacity of 98,787 people. The stadium was built between 1954 and 1957. It was designed by architects Francesc Mitjans-Miro, Lorenzo Garcia Barbon and Josep Soteras Mauri. The stadium consists of facilities such as a memorabilia shop, mini pitches for training matches, and a quaint little chapel for players to seek divine assistance before matches. At the stadium stands the most visited museum at Catalonia: El Museu del Barça receives about 1,200,000 visits per year. Important events that have taken place outside the field of futbol are concerts by Michael Jackson, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Josep Carreras, Julio Iglesias. Pope John Paul II celebrated mass with a congregation of over 120,000 and the inauguration ceremony of the 1982 World Cup was held there. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the stadium, the club is currently calling for an international tender for architects to develop a project for re-modeling the stadium. The aim of the project is to turn the stadium into an integrated and highly visible urban environment. Whilst not aiming for a substantial increase in seating capacity, proposals must accommodate a minimum of 50% of seats to be under cover. Reconstruction plans are being considered. –AQ

Mont Juic is a mountain close to the sea. It looks over the gothic corridor and the sea. It is full of green space and is very much separated from the city. One of the first major events to happen to Mont Juic was the construction of a Spanish fort, built to look over the Catalan city. It would ensure Spanish power over the Catalans who wanted to break free from Spain for centuries. The site was also used as a place for assassinations of rebels and persons against the Spanish government. In later years it was used as a worlds fair, in 1929 pavilions and the palace were built to house the event, some of which still remain. In 1992 the site was used for the Olympic games. Large stadiums were built on the site to accommodate the events, the stadiums still remain though don’t get much use. The site also holds a cemetery for the city, it provides an area separate from the city that overlooks the sea, which makes it a sacred place. So the site has had a mix of feelings tied to it. –DJ

Poble Nou is a place that used to be predominantly industrial and housing which was allocated to those who were employed by the industrial district. The industries fell into disrepair, and consequently the area was struggling for several decades. Recently an affluent and progressive crowd has repopulated the areas, and breathed new life into Poble Nou. It works because something happens there that is unable to happen anywhere else. It sets a good example. It is made of a recycled city. It used to specific purpose which is no longer necessary for the life of the city. There is retail, art, yoga classes, restaurants, dances, love, families. It is fairly small, it is roughly the size of 8 city blocks long and 6 city blocks wide. The Rambla del poblenou is a main street that is near the middle of Poble Nou and happens to be especially colourful with life. –DS

The Diagonal is a spectrum of different classes, radiating from the top of La Rambla, a very wealthy section resides but then moving in either direction, towards Zona Universitaria and Besos del Mar, the populous levels to middle class. Around parts of Glories the residents are impoverished, but not much farther the spectrum changes again. The Diagonal was the orginal proection of Cerda as a part of his plan for cutting the Eixamplei in two diagonally; it is a consistent 50m wide and about 11km long. The avenue has four cinemas as well as four main shopping centers, several schools, and housing and shops peppered throughout. –CS

The Raval is primarily a very dense neighborhood of five story buildings; Residential apartments above a small business, restaurant, or bar. The Raval is made up of many kinds of people. It is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Europe. Its major population is not of Spanish decent but Pakistani. The Raval is a large area to consider one neighborhood, but has a small footprint when one considers how many people live within it. The Raval was populated as an extension of the old Barcelona. Outside the protective walls of the Gothic Quarter, the Raval did not grow until Barcelona expanded beyond its Gothic limits and built a new wall around the extents of the present day Raval. For a long time, the Raval was home to small commercial and manufacturing operations. This made for crowded and polluted conditions. Drugs, prostitution, and crime have been recent problems, but a large effort was made within the last two decades to restore law and order to the area while also combating a bad reputation with new parks and public spaces. –SG

17 What is a world fair?

A world fair is an event that is meant to exchange new ideas from different parts of the world. It is hosted by a city who invites those with the desire to advance on a global perspective. –KI

A world fair is a display of new developments in the world, where each country attempts to explain the types of improvements or advances they have achieved. Ex - Mies’ Barcelona Pavilion, as experimentation with new materials in construction –CW

A world fair is a grandiose event, an exhibition of sorts that greatly impacts the host countries economy and cultural influence. As such, the affair influences the development of society, most notably tourism. The main attractions at World’s Fairs are the national pavilions created by participating countries, and often with landmark designs and ingenuity become staple testaments to past fairs. –CS

A world fair is an event where countries of the world gather to show their most recent technological advances. At a world fair each country is expected to have a national pavilion, which is an important and in some ways competitive part of the fair. At the 1929 Worlds Fair, the German Pavilion designed my Mies Van der Roehe was important for its function and its contribution toward the Modernist movement. –SB

A world fair is an exhibition where different countries come together to show off their technological advances. It was an event to learn more of the possibilities of technology as well as to make business connections. The majority of world’s fair were held during the industrial and technical revolutions of the late 19^th century and early 20^th century. A worlds fair also gives a city a reason and the resources to revamp their city. In most cases the structures meant to house the fair were temporary or now serve a new purpose. –DJ

A World Fair is a very exciting thing for the Artists on the Playground. New toys on the Playground are now part of the canvas of the city and the Artists can once again be active in the fabricating and refabricating of the polis. In some ways, it is like a grant or capital for the Artists: he can now buy new paints, plaster, and pencils and approach the newly-formed patch of canvas with enthusiasm. –MZ

A world fair is the name for various large public exhibitions held since the mid-19^th century. They are now the third largest event in the world in terms of economic and cultural impact, after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. The main attractions at World Fairs are the national pavilions created by participating countries. –AQ

A world fair is an international celebration of technology, industry, and “consumable culture”. It is an event that is hosted by a single city, but includes displays from countries all over the world. The goal of a world fair is three-fold: Countries wish to show off the exciting new developments they have, the inventors of the new products wish to advertise the new products to an international audience of consumers and corporations, and the entire event recognizes good spirited competition between countries and cultures. Some of the goals of a world fair are no longer as hard to achieve as they once were. International trade shows in more specific fields are held frequently across the world. Globalization, international corporations, and the internet have made it easier than ever to learn of new technologies and developments when they happen wherever they happen. –SG

A world fair is a showcase for countries to display their most innovative industrial, scientific, technological, and artistic achievements. It is an opportunity for the prominent countries of the world to congregate and learn about what the other countries have been up to for the past few years since the previous world fair. It is an event for exhibiting as well as gathering knowledge of the rest of the world’s progress. A world fair also provides the host city with international recognition, tourism business, and an excuse to build a revolutionary structure to conceptualize and house the fair. It encourages the engineer to experiment with forces. It motivates the architect to use innovative materials. It drives the artist to find a new inspiration. It stimulates the craftsman to master his or her skill. –SW

A world fair is an exhibition held to celebrate industrial or technological advances. Other countries are invited to build pavilions in which to demonstrate inventions and ideas. ie. Barcelona’s 1929 world fair was held to celebrate the electrical industries. Various countries contributed, including Germany with Mies’s famous Barcelona Pavilion. –MH

A world fair is an exposition of national technology, natural beauty, and cultural richness. It is similar to an Olympic game by bringing worldwide attention to a particular area, increasing tourism and regional awareness. –AH

A World fair is a compilation of technologies and achievements that often occur in an especially significant city. It is the result of pride, and a desire to showcase the positive attributes of the human species and our achievements. It is generally a means for generating wealth and the city in which the worlds fair is held usually gains much recognition and development as a result of the worlds fair. –DS

18 What is an Olympic game?

An Olympic game is a face off between the best representatives a country can present. It is a showcase of intelligence, hard work, athleticism and grace. The objective is to triumph over other nations and win as many medals as possible. –KI

An Olympic Game, aside from the obvious, is a springboard for cities, a catalyst and missing ingredient to propel its economy. A large amount of money is invested in revamping the city, updating transportation, housing, public space, and creating areas and buildings for holding the games. These developments are lasting additions that spark a remembrance of the games more so than any one event or athlete. –CS

An Olympic game is a competition between countries. Where each country is selects its representatives in an attempt to prove its superiority or dominance.Ex - a 100 meter race between 6 runners each representing a different country –CW

An Olympic game is a competition in which each country sends its best athletes of every sport to represent the country. The Olympic Games are separated into summer and winter games based on the nature of the sport. The Olympic games usually result in a massive contribution of wealth, growth and development in the city in which the Olympics are held. The Olympics are widely broadcasted so the city in which they are held generally displays itself to the whole world. –DS

Olympic games is an international multi sport occasion. It is divided between the summer and the winter Olympics, held every two years apart. Currently, the Olympic program consists of 35 different sports, 53 disciplines and more than 400 events. Nine sports were on the original Olympic program in 1896: athletics, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, weightlifting, shooting, swimming, tennis, and wrestling. Barcelona held the 1992 summer Olympics. The next Olympics are scheduled for 2008 in in Beijing China and in 2012 in London. –AQ

An Olympic game is an international celebration of sport and athletic competition. An Olympic game recognizes the best individuals in the world at their respective athletic events. The actual event is hosted by a single city every two years. At each game, the finest athletes from all over the world come to compete in front of an international audience under a fair set of internationally recognized rules. The Olympic Games pride themselves as an area for peaceful and respectful competition between countries despite any international or political tensions that may exist outside the games. –SG

The Olympic Games provide a venue for the best athletes from countries around the world to compete against each other. Cities compete to hold site for the games, which serve as an excuse to revamp public infastructure. ie. Barcelona’s successful bid to host the 1992 Olympics lead to extensive improvements including the upgrading and tunneling much of the coastal motorway, and the construction of the outer ring road which skirts the base of Tibidabo. The old stadium on Montijuic was renovated and the area to its north was laid out as a promenade. Campo de Futbol was consolidated as the sporting center and an entirely new sporting area was built at Vall d’Hebron. Many new buildings and public gardens were commissioned as well, including the village on the coast to house Olympic athletes. –MH

An Olympic game is a cultural, athletic, and diplomatic series of events which highlight the people, region, and cultural flavor of a particular area. It is, in many ways, an incarnation of the world fair, in its prestige and benefit to the chosen city. –AH

An Olympic game is the celebration of the world’s best athletes. It is a chance for all countries to leave their disputes behind and come together to compete. The Olympics give each country a sense of togetherness, where the people can gather and cheer for their flag. Preparing a country for the Olympic Games is a great amount of work, as adequate transportation and sporting complexes are needed. An Olympic Game is not just a competition of the best athletes; it is a competition amongst the cities of the world. Gaining an Olympic bid will help elevate a cities status, as much clean up work and new developments will be necessary. By 1985, Barcelona had gained the bid for the 1992 Olympics. Development began quickly and the city would become transformed forever. Barcelona is now a modern marvel amongst cities in the world, and is frequently visited by people around the world. –SB

An Olympic Game can be either rewarding or detrimental to the Artist. Some artists are able to leave very permanent marks on the city’s canvas because their interventions or transformations are favored. Examples in Barcelona include the many opportunities presented for young artists in the Olympic Village, the merchants who capitalized on the Olympic tourism, and the athletic community. Others are not only ignored, but harmed by being marginalized to the fringe of city (physically, socially). This is very visible by observing the high-end housing available near Port Olympico: where did the pre-Olympic inhabitants disappear to? This is only of the riskiest mechanisms for the city, as these displaced Artists will likely become Inhabitants. –MZ

An Olympic game is quite similar to a world fair. However, instead of countries exhibiting artifacts, physical ability is on display. It provides the host city with the same attributes of a world fair as well as an entire professional sports complex. The stadium, track, gyms, pools, etc. constructed for this event may be used for future national events. However, for the most part after their construction they can be taken advantage of by turning them into museums, exhibition areas, or public gathering spaces. An Olympic game is what every athlete strives for. It is a reason to push oneself to the ultimate physical and mental extreme. It is the reason for a swimmer to get back in the pool day after day, it is the reason for a gymnast to get up after a serious fall, it is the reason for a runner to run until his/her legs are numb. It sets the stage for dreams to be made and hearts to be broken. It is a test of individual as well as team potentiality. It is a feeling of accomplishment or defeat, splendor or failure, strength or weakness. –SW

An Olympic game is an event held every four years. It that brings many countries together on a city to have their best athletes compete in different sports events. An Olympic event also gives a city the capability to revamp itself, from transportation systems to housing to public parks. –DJ

19 What is a cultural forum?

A cultural forum is a public space of assembly for the people to experience different cultures. Barcelona had their cultural forum in 2004. –AQ

A Cultural Forum is a collection of significant cultural qualities in an attempt to educate those who visit the forum about other cultures and help to create a definite identity associated with each culture. By experiencing a cultural forum a person can not only gain a better understanding of other cultures, but also gain a better understanding of his or her own culture by better grasping the cultural context in which their own culture exists. –DS

A cultural forum is showcase of cultures from around the world. Countries come together to show off their cultures and to sell their goods. Barcelona held the first cultural forum in 2004. Other countries saw this as an odd thing, thinking that Barcelona was just using it as an excuse to fix up their city. Plans were made to hold cultural forums every two years, though it hasn’t seemed to work very well. –DJ

A cultural forum it an attempt by a city or country to host an event which brings together multiple cultures, and provides those cultures with a opportunity to boast or display their achievements Ex - Barcelona’s Edifici Forum containing exhibits which explain new growth and development within the city, explaining the city’s attempt to revamp its under developed areas –CW

A cultural forum is similar to a World’s Fair in that in adds patches to the city’s canvas (much like new toys on the playground) for the Artists to manipulate. Unlike a World’s Fair, a cultural forum may also enable Artists of all types through the city to learn artmaking techniques from people of other cultures. This provides a double incentive for Artists: new spaces and (possibly) new techniques for participating in their city. –MZ

A cultural forum is an exhibition which bears striking resemblance to the Olympic game or world fair, without any “false” or ceremonial processes implied - it is a show of culture from many diverse world civilizations, for the purposes of increasing globalism and tolerance, and creating a more culturally rich world for everyone. HAH. –AH

There is no direct definition of a culture forum since every culture embraces different societal aspects. However, in general, it is a space in which people congregate and socialize. A cultural forum sets the stage for people of similar interests to gather and converse with each other. It is a flexible space in that it can host organized events or just attract groups of people to hangout. In a culture, which embraces art in the form of music, the cultural forum may host open mike nights in which local musicians are able to share their sound. The same space may be taken over by groups of young people playing guitars, singing, drumming, and mingling during the day. To a certain extent, the space outside the MACBA is a cultural forum. It attracts a group of people of the same interest, skaters. They come to skate, sit, talk, learn tricks, hangout. –SW

A cultural forum is the third runner up in the line of attempts to boast a cities economy; with an artistic guise it is another excuse for money to be pumped into a particular locale. The exhibitions deal with global issues such as communication, urbanism, and humanism; and the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona were no different. Exhibits included support for peace, sustainable development, human rights and respect for diversity. The displays, despite being relevant topics, were merely a rouse for promoting the city’s burgeoning tourist industry in the wake of the Olympics. –CS

A cultural forum is an invented event to celebrate and bring attention to a particular city. Barcelona held the first ever cultural forum in 2004. The city needed an excuse to bring interest and money into an area of the city chosen to be developed. The idea of a cultural forum was created to generate buzz and attention. –SG

A cultural forum is a chance for countries to gather and exhibit what they have to offer at that given point in time. They show recent developments and interests within their culture, in an attempt to learn about and compare themselves to other countries. In Barcelona’s case, the Cultural Forum 2004 doubled as a way to show off their culture, along with developments within the area the Forum took place. The site for the forum was a fading area within the city, and the government used the Cultural Forum as an excuse to develop this area. –SB

A cultural forum is an opportunity for various cultures to come together and exchange unique ideas from different parts of the world. Similar to a world fair, but on a much smaller scale. As a regularly held event, it did not have the longevity that the world fair had. –KI

A cultural forum an exhibition held to celebrate culture. Other countries or cities, depending on the scale of the forum, are invited to share items (art, music, styles, ideas or architecture … etc) of cultural significance. The exhibition is intended to enrich the host city’s cultural value/appreciation. ie. The 2004 cultural forum in Barcelona was held to celebrate cultural diversity. It invited artists and speakers to share their ideas about prejudice and racism, and how to work towards a harmonious multicultural world. With this forum, Barcelona aspired to confirm its place as the cultural center of Cataluña. The forum was also an excuse to revamp a struggling area of the city. Various architects were invited to reshape (using sustainable technologies) an abandoned industrial in the Besos area, close to the coast. –MH

20 What is a bullfight?

A traditional Spanish event, matching the symbol of Spain (the bull) against a man, where the attempt of the torero is to kill the bull, and the bull attempts to do the same to the torero. –CW

A bullfight is packed with historical significance and riddled with tradition but presently because of animal rights activists, chalk full of controversy. The whole experience is a performance featuring professionals executing various formal moves attempting to gracefully wield power of the bull. The show climactically ends with a well-placed sword in the side of the bull, but the procession of dancing between human and beast is what truly deserves an artistic applaud. –CS

An event where a bull and a matador act out a sort of choreography. The matador temps the bull into attacking him while the bull becomes more and more enraged while trying to gorge him. The fight ends in the death of the bull, and is soon after eaten. The matador is judged on his ability and easy of kill. The bull is also judged on his strength and stamina, the bull may be left alive if he shows an enormous amount of valor. –DJ

A pageantry of tradition, danger, spectacle, and machismo. A carry over from ancient cultures, today bullfighting is deeply associated with Spanish tradition and culture. A traditional bullfight occurs in an arena filled with spectators. A matador, accompanied by a team of brightly colored helpers, squares off against a bull. The matador spears the bull over and over while dodging the bull’s charges. After the bull is spent and wounded, the matador thrusts his sword into the bull’s neck to kill it. This antiquated show of bravado is both controversial and celebrated in Spain. –SG

A gathering of Consumers. Populated almost exclusively by tourists and others who absorb many of the metropolis’ resources but do nothing to participate in the artmaking of the city, a bullfight is perhaps the extreme manifestation of the predator. As time and resources (monetary and human) that could otherwise be allocated for the advancement of the city are squandered on a wasteful depletion of life, the consumer is saturated with the resources that he has taken from the city and left nothing. –MZ

An old Spanish tradition that involves matadors who execute formal moves with the goal of appearing confident in front of a bull. Many bull fights end with the death of the bull by a sword thrust at the finale. Bullfighting comes with controversy. Supporters of bullfighting argue that it is a cultural tradition while opponents such as the animal rights groups condemn it as a bloody sport because of the suffering of the bull and horses during a bullfight. –AQ

A cultural activity which epitomizes the human triumph, and glorifies the beauty of nature. Killing such a powerful animal is not seen as cruel, but as a tribute to the strength and majesty of the bull through the battle. –AH

A cultural event in which a person and bull enter a circular ring. The bull, acting on territorial instincts, attempts to maim the person with its horns. The objective of the person is to anticipate the charges of the bull and dodge the assault to avoid physical harm. In the past bulls were tortured before the bullfight, and eaten afterwards. In some cases when the bull displays an extraordinary amount of grace and agility, the Bull is spared. –DS

A public event in which a bull is tantalized in a skillful manner and then usually killed. Most common in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, it is a cultural form of entertainment. It is one of those events that tourists or non-locals can attend just for the experience and to be able to say that they have been to a bullfight. –SW

A remnant of Roman spectacle entertainment, like those held at the coliseum. It seems a bit cruel to me; I wouldn’t care to watch one. ie. Animals (and people) would be carted into the coliseum daily, to be fought for the entertainment of the populace. These fights were popular across the empire. Rome fell, but its influence is still seen everywhere. The bullfight – still held in a coliseum-like stadium – is an example these residual Roman influences. –MH

A battle between man and beast. It is a challenge for the individual, a matador, to fight and slay the challenging bull within a circular ring. A bullfight takes place as a celebration of the bull – though the bulls are generally killed by the matador, they are able to put up a great fight. If there are fights where the best matadors can not slay the bull, its life is spared as it is truly a great opponent. –SB

A demonstration of man against beast. It involves a matador and a bull, and it is usually assumed that matador, or man, will triumph. This, however, is not always the case. Seldom, the beast, or bull, rises the occasion and defeats the man, which is basically why they are so interesting in the first place and what you should hope to see when watching. –KI

21 What is a pavilion?

A pavilion is a free-standing structure sited as a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in its intended use. The Barcelona Pavilion was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, was the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona. It was an important building in the history of modern architecture, known for its simple form and materials, such as marble and travertine. –AQ

A pavilion is a structure, whose original intent is only temporary, that houses a specific public event. Ex - a large, open, tent providing shelter for a party on a rainy day; - Mies’ IBM Pavilion, intended to house a display of new technology in several host cities –CW

A Pavilion is usually a freestanding structure that is meant to exist some distance away from a main residential structure. The Barcelona Pavilion was designed my Mies van der Rohe. The Barcelona Pavilion is a symbol of a specific approach to modern architecture that involves simplicity of form coupled with extravagant materials. –DS

A pavilion is a semi enclosed space that is usually used for temporary events. Showcases, exhibitions, shows and fairs are all possible uses for a pavilion. After the event the pavilion is either taken down or given another use. Examples in Barcelona are the pavilion of the 1929 worlds fair, and temporary and permanent structures for the 1992 Olympics. –DJ

For much of my life I had a very ignorant definition of a pavilion, one that solely encompassed structures in a park that roofed picnic tables, but after studying world’s fairs I have a much more enlightened scope. Pavilions were the main event, indicating a sense of nationalism and a specific image that country wanted to exude. Whether its presence displayed an innovative use of material or a unique design it was a well-calculated insertion on foreign soil. –CS

A pavilion is an independent building that often works in conjunction with other buildings. Often, a pavilion is only meant to stand at certain times or for a limited amount of time. In almost every case, a pavilion is meant to serve a pleasure or leisure related role. The activity meant to occur within the pavilion can be less important than the image of the pavilion itself. Pavilions tend to represent the spirit or desired image of those responsible for the pavilion’s construction. –SG

A Pavilion is a layer of artwork on the city’s canvas (an intervention) that is quickly erased, guised, or manipulated by another Artist’s agenda. While most people would automatically think of the Barcelona Pavilion, other pavilions in the city’s dense history include the 2004 Forum site and the Olympic Park on Montjuic; both are areas where the longevity of the intervention was compromised by the bold works of other Artists on other parts of the Playground. These are only physical pavilions, but a pavilion can take a metaphysical form as well: one need only to think of the number of psychological stigmas that have been implemented, forgotten, and then rearticulated of Montjuic’s dark and seductive history. Similarly, the current “purging” of The Raval will become a Forum if the passion to implement the project fades after the early successes of that urban agenda. –MZ

A pavilion is a structure which serves to pavilion an ideal. This ideal can be physically manifested inside the pavilion, or can be represented simply by the presence of the pavilion to said ideal’s credit. i.e. Mies’ Barcelona Pavilion, which was technically a pavilion to the German ideals of mechanization and industry. –AH

A pavilion is a structure. They vary in type. For example, a pavilion can house cultural points of interest at a fair, or it can provide shelter from rain and sun at a state park when there is a large family reunion. Pavilions are not mean to be a place of residence, but a place for people to pass through and possibly stay very briefly. –KI

A pavilion is an architectural spot designed for large gatherings. A pavilion differs from a plaza or a park, as it casts a roof over ones head. The Barcelona Pavilion is a great example of a place for people to come together, as it was the reception area for the King and Queen of Spain during the 1929 World’s Fair. –SB

A pavilion is a configured space used for a specific program or function. The term is fairly general. However, the actual space created by a pavilion is specific to a particular event or set of similar events. A pavilion can be a decorative shelter in a park or large garden; a pavilion can be an attractive space used for performances in a show or fair; a pavilion can be a temporary structure used for display in an exhibition; a pavilion can be a subdivision or semi-detached section on a building complex. –SW

A pavilion is a structure built for the purposes of housing an exhibition of some sort. Generally these structures are temporary, but occasionally, if popular, become permanent fixtures. ie. Germany’s Barcelona Pavilion was built for the 1929 world fair. It was dismantled soon after, but due to its popularity as an architectural icon, was rebuilt in the 1980’s. It now acts as a permanent fixture on Montjuic. –MH

22 What is visionary architecture? What is avant-garde?

Visionary architecture is the name given to architecture which exists only on paper or which has visionary qualities. Avant-garde represents a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the normal, or the status quo, primarily in the cultural realm, with respect to art, culture and politics. –AQ

Visionary architecture is a proposal. These proposals are not meant to be constructed in reality, they are only meant to be on paper. Visionary architecture hypothetically constructs a new way of living, moving, learning or even partying. For example, anything proposed by Archigram is not meant to be realized, it is only a ¨what if¨ situation. What is avant garde? Avant garde means ¨vanguard¨ in French. This means that the avant guard is at the forefront of new ways of thinking and doing, especially in the realm of the arts. Bauhaus architecture was considered avant garde, as well as cubistic art. –KI

Visionary architecture is about new ideas and planning the future of architecture. These ideas generally only exist on paper, such as Cedric Price’s Fun Palace. Avant garde is also about new ideas, where the boundaries of architecture are pushed passed the norm. Avant garde is a movement that includes artists and architects sharing and practicing their ideas. –SB

Visionary architecture describes a form of architecture where the main goal of a project is to promote an idea of what something should be. The idea may be explained in such a way where it may completely impractical, but the feasibility of the project is not as important as displaying the idea. Ex - Superstudio: Continuous Monument What is avant garde? Avant garde is a form of architecture which begins to push the boundaries of what is acceptable in current architectural circles. This type of architecture only pushes the boundaries so far as current restraints will allow for the thing to still be a possibility. Ex - Antoni Gaudi: Casa Batllo –CW

Visionary, meaning unusually acute foresight and imagination, when applied to architecture describes an inventive style free from the constraints of time and popular influence. Avant-garde, similarly, refers to works that are pioneering and experimental in nature, perhaps ones that push the envelope and the accepted norm. Avant-garde is a temporal condition and in order to maintain a distinction as avant-garde the design must mark a historical point in artistic conception. –CS

Visionary architecture is architecture that has been imagined by pushing the boundaries of conventions and is possible to produce through these intelligent explorations of constraints and ways to confront them. Visionary architecture is unprecedented, inventive, and provocative. One of the best examples with which I am familiar with is The Peak Club, Zaha’s Hadid’s competition-winning scheme for a nightclub in Korea, a competition which made her an overnight celebrity in the design community by presenting her visionary recontextualization of Soviet Constructivism in an ultra-modern Asian setting. Although this design was tragically never built due to funding cuts, it is significant that this scheme was intended to be constructed and fully able to…beautiful, seductive, and brilliant, but also very real. Avant garde architecture, translating to “before ones’ time,” is one whose design intentions occur at a period when it is not possible of physical realization (due to material, technological, or ideological constraints). While they share many qualities of visionary architects, they are fully aware that their work is impossible to produce (though this certainly does not mean it is not useful). Vladmir Tatlin’s Monument to the Third International (better known as Tatlin’s Tower) is a perfect example. A 400-meter tower with spirally-orbiting programs, this architectural work is entirely impossible to produce due to structural and material limitations. While it stands as a valuable artifact of early Constructivism and had a tremendous influence on the design scene of early twentieth-century Europe, there is simply no material which would enable this tower to be built….yet. –MZ

Visionary Architecture is an architecture that is predicated on a new system of thought that is derived from a physical, social, or political situation that is probably fairly new. Avant Garde architecture is architecture that responds to a situation or condition that tends to be widely accepted in an experimental way. Generally this experimentation is involved with social or political conditions. –DS

Visionary architecture is architecture that looks beyond what is already in existence, to take ones vision of the future and put it into architectural terms. Visionary architects don’t look for what may be coming but what they believe needs to come. Avant-garde comes from a military term, to attack from the front, this can be compared to a way of thinking, to think of what is coming up. So avant-garde is means to be looking forward or think of the future, much like the futurists in the early 20^th century. In contrast to visionary architects avant-garde foresees what will be coming not creating something totally new. –DJ

Visionary architecture explores new ideas unencumbered by the constraints of reality or constructability. These ideas tend to be utopian in nature and are presented as proposals about what architecture could be. ie. Hans Hollien’s Aircraft Carrier City places an aircraft carrier in a landscape, implying that the carrier itself is a city and thus is architecture. What is avant garde? Avant garde (meaning advance guard) was used to refer to ideas that were forward thinking, and broke with the old ways of doing things – that challenged the status quo. ie. Marcel Duchamp´s urinal, which he displayed as art, was avant garde at the time because no one had ever such things as art before. If someone attempted to propose the same idea today, it would not be avant garde. –MH

Visionary architecture is a proposal that is not practical but more so imaginary. It stems from a source of inspiration and develops into an architecture that could never work but sparks thought and questioning. Visionary architecture appears to be planning for the future with imagination and wisdom. Avant garde is new and experimental. Visionary architecture prepares for the future by coming up with solutions to prospective problems. Similar but different, avant garde is more investigational, testing the limits of materials, theories, and ideas and creating new ones from the results. –SW

Visionary architecture looks forward to the future - not in a linear sense, but in a way which overlooks the common architectural conventions of the day, to a concept beyond what is built; to a future beyond material constraints, social constraints, political constraints - an architecture which is beyond critique, for the lack of qualified critics. The avant-garde is a visionary architecture of the past - a view of the past that still looks to the future, in spite of its context. Though often synonymous with “revolutionary”, “progressive”, and “daring”, avant-garde is only a well-preserved example of a phenomena that has reoccurred and reinvented itself through history. –AH

Visionary architecture is design that looks towards the needs, wants, and practicalities of the future. It is architecture that may not be easy to accept in the present due to its price, practicality of construction, or esthetic qualities. Visionary architecture attempts to foresee the needs and the problems that are in the future and provide an answer for them even before the problems and needs are widely accepted. Today, visionary architecture in the United States includes green construction and LEED rated buildings. This type of building addresses the growing problem of global warming, pollution and the limited supply of natural resources even while most of the United States continues to ignore the problems. Visionary architecture often originates from the designs of an individual or a small group of individuals. While the designs produced may please their thoughts of the future, designs are often not accepted in later years by society as a whole. Avant garde is the leading edge. It is a term assigned to ideas and designs that are cutting edge and brand new. Truly avant garde appears as if it has had no previous works to draw from for inspiration. It is new and has never been seen before. There is a problem with calling something avant garde. Architects, fashion designers, writers, artists, people who consider themselves to be creative all want to invent something new and different. When something avant garde appears, many creators quickly try to copy it and reproduce it as their own in an attempt to be a part of the cutting edge. This results in things that are not avant garde at all, but just poor copies. This often ruins or waters down the appeal, clarity, and originality of the original and turns something that was once avant garde into a fad. –SG

23 Describe your chosen project.Explain the elements you see. Explain the political model inherent: which kind of society would unfold? Explain the ideology: reconstruct the ideas of the project.

Archigram’s “Walking City” is an urban proposal of an infinite number of giant roaming pods containing different urban and residential areas within. These massive, self-contained living pods are constituted of intelligent buildings or robots. The giant, reptilian structures literally glide across the globe until its inhabitants find a place where they want to settle. This modular approach was presented through a set of cartoonish drawings. The pods could be connected by retractable corridors and, together, form a conglomerate metropolis if desired by its inhabitants. They are independent yet parasitic because they can plug in to stations to exchange occupants or replenish supplies. Therefore, the citizen is a serviced nomad similar to today’s executive cars. The “Walking City” was one of a series of 6. –SW

The Potteries Thinkbelt by Cedric Price is a proposal for a section of North staffordshire, England which had fallen into disrepair after world war two. Price proposes to build a “thinkbelt” which is actually a sort of university that would serve to provide those in North Staffordshire the opportunity to achieve a higher education. The term thinkbelt was proposed by Price because he thought that the term university had a connotation that was too associated with a wealthy aristocratic class that typically is the only one able to afford a higher education. The political model is revolves around the idea that all are deserving of the same amount of opportunity. It also strives to bring positive change to those areas that are especially in need. A society generated from this political model would be constantly improving, because the majority of attention would be focused on the weaker parts of the society. The project is about utilizing education to help a struggling place lift itself up. It is a noble theory. –DS

The project I researched was entitled, “New Bablyon,” conceived by Consant Nieuwenhuis. Alluding to the biblical utopia of Bablyon, this project combined the seemingly-converse ideologies of gypsy culture and communism. In this city, residents are unconstrained to move around as they please (a parallel to gypsies). The plan of the city is one of confusion and ambiguity – a Didyimus scheme which affords total interpretation of the various elements that one would encounter (Is this a bed? A desk? A studio?). The city survives by a joint responsibility of its participants of production, industry, and maintenance (here, the reference to communism). The resulting society would like be classless and very Bohemian in style. The resolution would either be a total utopia or a hellish dystopia. This hinges on the idea that everyone must participate in the organization and fabrication of the city. Should this succeed, this manifesto might actually be possible, yet historical precedents suggest that such experiments are often failures due to a lack of a unified cooperation. –MZ

Superstrip is an urban phenomena. Elements actualize the potential of the current city by enabling them to interact in a more authentic way. The political underpinnings of such are in many ways a fascist base, due to the plurality of ways in which the city interacts with itself. Ideas which are the sub-stance for this iteration are based on the concept of turning that which is three-dimensional into that which is linear. Understanding of the entire system is contingent upon the activation of this singular idea. –AH

Archizoom: No-Stop City; Explain the elements you see. A large open field containing no center, but multiple repeated points of focus, furniture is scattered about unorganized as if no one element is related to any other. Explain the political model inherent: which kind of society would unfold? This project describes a situation where the city contains no great distinguishable characteristics or qualities. This place accommodates a consumer society, where inhabitable furniture becomes the only feature which defines a housing unit. Explain the ideology: reconstruct the ideas of the project. No-Stop city describes a city with no distinguishable qualities. The architecture within a metropolis begins to fade away, and the conditions of living, sleeping, and eating are created as a free individual activity. –CW

Villa Contemporain by Corbusier is a plan for transforming Paris. Paris along with other older cities had a problem with congestion and disorganization, Corb’s plan called for leveling the existing city to layout a more organized and well working city. He calls out the four main points of urban planning; living, working, leisure, and circulation. He separates these different points within his plan. He breaks circulation down into smaller components; walking, high speed traffic, low speed traffic, public transport. Corb doesn’t separate the different levels of the social classes. He is working toward a socialist way of organizing a city where everyone lives equally. Corb believes that if he reorganizes the city in a way that is more efficient as well as breaking social barriers that society will be forced to adapt and change for the better. –DJ

Exodus, or the Voluntary Prisoners of Architecture, is a series of eighteen drawings, watercolors, and collages produced by Rem Koolhaas, Madelon Vreisendorp, Elia Zenghelis, and Zoe Zenghelis. The illustrations are animated by a text that is intended to read as a simultaneously factual and fictional scenario for the contemporary metropolis. The title “Exodus” alludes to Cold War West Berlin, a restricted commune encircled by a forbidding wall, a prison on the scale of a metropolis, and one in which people sought refuge voluntarily. This image becomes the stage for a new urban culture revived by development and insurrection. In The Strip, a pencil–drawn aerial view of the walled city, with its corridors cutting through the existing urban fabric, is superimposed on a photograph of London. Exhausted Fugitives Led to Reception depicts the verbal narrative's opening scene: a dark wall, tank traps, and trenches mark the threshold of the captive city, with its somewhat ominous skyscrapers rising above the wall, while the “exodus” of “voluntary prisoners” marches toward a checkpoint into what Koolhaas describes as “a continuous state of ornamental frenzy and decorative delirium, an overdose of symbols (moma.org/collection).” –CS

My project was the 1972 Planet as Festival by Ettore Sottsaas. He believe that landscapes depicts buildings as a tribute to conserve memories, provoke smiles, boredom and eroticism. In his drawings he states that the end of urban problems is the creation of a solution, which then causes new problems. Buildings and urban planning are created as a result from changes in travel, economy, and religion which presents new possibilities of materials such as iron, glass or concrete. An example of his drawings is the Study for design of a Stadium to watch the Stars. This stadium is located in the centre of a crater in the middle of a dessert. –AQ

Superstrip by Superstudio is a grid placed over the natural landscape. It is white. Each square within the grid contains items that one would need to survive. Explain the political model inherent: which kind of society would unfold? It is assumed that a homogenized society would form. Everyone would be taking from the same ¨crop¨, so there would be no distinguishable class system. No one would go hungry, cold, wet, hot, aching, because anything that is needed is in the square and is available to everyone. The twist is if the supply is not endless. Then chaos would ensue. If someone needed food and the boxes were not adequately meeting the needs of society, hatred, theft, violence and utter pandemonium could occur. Explain the ideology: reconstruct the ideas of the project. As one wanders the earth, every need is met by lifting a square until the desired item is located, which could or could not take a while. The idea is to change the way life is lived and homogenize it, ridding society of consumerism, marketing and social inequality. –KI

Hans Hollien’s Aircraft Carrier City superimposes an image of an aircraft carrier on a rural landscape, treating it as a city in situ. Explain the political model inherent: which kind of society would unfold? The aircraft carrier implies a despotic government. Growth of the city is limited by the boundaries of the carrier. Spaces would be small and rations for living limited. The city must act as a machine. The society unfolding would be a collective; personal freedom would be limited and individualistic ideas snuffed out. Explain the ideology: reconstruct the ideas of the project. The landscape has become the site for a monumental object – the aircraft carrier. It is like Le Cobusier’s idea of architecture as an object within the landscape. Hans Hollien’s city implies a pure and absolute architecture that is not determined by technology, but uses technology. It is a machine for living. The society within has become the engine to forward a new way of life. –MH

My chosen project is Paris Spatial by Yona Friedman. The project attempts to supply new housing to the overly crowed and neglected neighborhoods of 1950’s Paris. Friedman understood what the conventional solutions to this problem would bring about. If the present neighborhoods were leveled and rebuilt, the poor would be displaced outside of the city and only the wealthy could afford to repopulate the new housing. If new housing was built outside of central Paris, the conditions in central Paris would continue to worsen. The poor would end up occupying the city while those with money would move to the suburbs. Friedman suggested a solution that would allow the current residents of Paris’s neighborhoods to remain in the city and allow the worst buildings to be raised and replaces. Friedman proposed building houses, shops, and leisure spaces above the existing city, supported by a network of thick scaffolding. This plan would have little spatial impact on the existing ground of Paris and would provide new housing before anyone was displaced. The ideology behind the project was not to exclude less wealthy people from a city they already lived in, but at the same time, acknowledge the fact that some of the most neglected neighborhoods needed to be rebuilt. –SG

Fun Palace by Cedric Price is an ideal place for people to go and have fun, in an attempt to escape the many dull, political, or stressful events that take place in their lives. The Palace includes rides, restaurants, shops, a movie theater, and many other recreational activities. A large crane is located within the Palace to move various programs about. Cities would benefit most if they had Fun Palaces of their own, as it would be a chance for citygoers to slow down for once and enjoy themselves. Fun Palace is not just a place, but an idea that should be imbedded in everyone’s lives. It is too often that people are so wrapped up within their own work; they feel they don’t have the time to have fun. In order to live a healthy life, work must not consume every waking minute of one’s day. Modern day Fun Palaces would include places such as the Mall of America, Disney World, and Las Vegas. These are all places that are able to let the user completely escape their normal surroundings. Though they are all about enjoyment, Fun Palaces have the ability to become corrupt and/or the ability to corrupt others. They can become corrupt when people at the top abuse the right to let others have fun. The market of each Fun Palace is controlled by those who rule it, and though Fun should be free, there is generally a price to pay. When the rulers of the Fun Palaces become greedy, they begin to exclude certain people within society who may not be able to afford the fun. The other negative aspect are the over abusers of Fun Palaces. They are the people who become corrupted by the fun, and become blinded by their own enjoyment. An over abuser of a Fun Palace would be someone with a heavy gambling problem. –SB

24 What is the “what if” that triggers the project?

The “trigger” for Superstrip is the sacrifice of the tangled web of the modern city for pure, unadulterated linearity. Beneath the complexity of the urban web, lies a single line. This triggers Superstrip to become the work it is. –AH

The project is derived from the idea of a city where place no longer mattered, where everything was available everywhere, and the use of any one thing depends only on what a person is willing to do with it. –CW

It seems that this project would come to be with the subtraction of a piece of an extant society. Could it be monetary currency, which would necessitate a new form of trade? Could it be transportation, which would encourage a migrant culture that requires people to pack up their belongings when they move so they can endure the extensive travel times on foot? Could it be infrastructure or architecture in general? Without buildings that can be labeled as “house, office, store, theater,” could a new understanding of social spaces be construed without conventions? While it is impossible to understand Nieuwenhuis’ specific intentions (though many have attempted to do so), there are numerous interpretations for the catalyst of this intensely avant-garde proposal. –MZ

What if you were forced to make a decision that did not guarantee a better lifelong alternative but cured your temporary woes. Is it bad enough now to risk the future? Is a 50/50 shot on an improved life worth taking? –CS

The ¨what if¨ that triggers the projects is the idea of life lived in a completely different manner than anyone has lived before. The idea is to take the everyday life, upend it, and give everyone only what they need, each in the exact same way - just to see what happens. –KI

The what if that triggers that project is, what if an old existing city were leveled in order to make it more efficient and organized. What if an old social structure and political system were demolished to create a clean slate for a new beginning. –DJ

What if Paris did not grow out into the suburbs, or grow in the places once occupied by high-density housing…what if Paris grew up? What if a structural system allowed entire dwellings to be built above the current and established ground of Paris? What is an old city was kept intact on the ground and a new method of housing and living was implemented above it? –SG

The what if is “what if” this place is not useless? What if we can reuse it for something more relevant to todays time? –DS

What if everything is architecture? What if an aircraft carrier became a city? –MH

¨What if¨ helps the project moves forward. It gives different ideologies of where the project can move. It proposes changes, it might give answers and it might suggest different ideas. –AQ

“Walking City” was driven by a few questions: What happens when the city changes so rapidly that they cannot keep up with the exponential transformation? What if the world were destroyed by nuclear war? How could life post-nuclear war exist? What if a city takes on a human characteristic such as walking? It was not so much a serious preposition for a structure as a commentary on he way in which change dominates every aspect of the modern city. In addition, the context was perceived as a future ruined world in the aftermath of a nuclear war. Each of the 6 city proposals stem from an outside characteristic (Walking City – human, Plug in City – computer, …). –SW

Price realized the depression and loneliness within cities and thought: what if there was a place that was only about fun? He believed in a place that was not about working, negative feelings, or war. He believed in a place that would promote enjoyment and leisure, keeping it secluded from all pessimism that existed in the present – what if this place existed? –SB

25 What is a manifesto? Why do architects write manifestos?

A manifesto is one’s proclamation toward a certain topic. It works by finding a problem or creating one and proposing ways of fix it. It allows for a new way of thinking or the possibility of a new way of thinking. Architects write manifestos in order to push the boundaries of what is being done and look toward to future. They are also used to assert one’s opinion on a topic or idea. –DJ

A manifesto is a public declaration of policy and aims. A person or group takes a stand on a particular issue, writes their opinion and suggestions down in a bias manner, and publishes the writing for the public to agree or disagree and create a response. The author is provided with an opportunity to make their opinion/idea known as well as receive feedback. It also allows for numerous opinions concerning a single topic to arise and be compared. Architects write manifestoes in order to express their passionate convictions regarding the philosophic and social basis of architecture. Many times in return, a movement forms from these proclamations. And eventually a new type of architecture is formed. –SW

A manifesto is a proclamation of ones feelings pertaining to a particular subject. It helps a person to organize their thoughts in a concise format so that others can better understand the reasoning and behavior for the decisions of the author. Architects write manifestos because they see a problem. The problem is one that they find particularly alarming, hence they embark on a journey to find a solution. The manifesto is the beginning of the journey. It is the moment at which the first step is taken. –DS

A manifesto is a declaration of what is wrong with the current state of architecture, art, society, etc. How does it work? A manifesto works by persuasion, inviting those who read it to consider change. What does it do? A manifesto identifies a problem. ie. The Futurist manifesto declared that architecture must not constantly look to the past for foundations and ideals, but work towards building a future. According to the futurists, architecture should be transitory, constructed only of new materials, and rebuilt with each successive generation so that the city is in a constant state of renewal. Architects write manifestos to clarify their beliefs about architecture and design, and also with the hope that a codified set of beliefs and ideals can set forth change. –MH

A manifesto is a personal declaration of one’s position on anything. It can be an insight, a criticism or an accolade How does it work? A manifesto works by letting whomever it may be get a bunch of stuff off their chest. It may also get read and taken seriously by someone or a lot of people. It works as a medium through which one can express himself or herself. What does it do? A manifesto serves as a voice for an individual regarding a certain topic he or she feels strongly about. It creates dialogue. It harbors emotions and intellect, or maybe lack of intellect. Why do architects write manifestoes? Architects write manifestoes as a way of proposing how to shape the world in the future. Through these manifestoes dialogue is created and architects work towards a new form of expression and a new way of life. They may also just want to feel smarter or better than the next architect. –KI

A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intensions. They are often political in nature. Its pretension is to discover an instant cure for political, astronomical, artistic, parliamentary, agronomical, and literary issues. A manifesto may be pleasant or good-natured, it’s always right; it’s strong, rigorous, and logical. It is mostly used for art, publicity, criticism, and advertisement. Architects write manifestoes to declare their intentions for a project. –AQ

A manifesto is a public declaration of beliefs; a strong well composed personal appeal on a specific subject. The author recognizes a problem and takes a position to rectify it, and in some cases the document can become a call to action of sorts, a written statement to affect others into feeling the same way. Architects, quite often, have very strong positions on matters effecting the urban environment and by compiling their educated proclamations to a well-composed text it affords them the ability to share and rally with others on similar topics. –CS

A manifesto is a written statement that declares a problem and a solution at the same time. It is written by one with a strong opinion on a topic. The author finds that there is a problem that exists and must be addressed. The author takes it upon himself to think about this problem and come up with a solution for it. The author’s solution can be stated in a single sentence or in an entire book. Either way, the solution is the combination of the author’s experience and instinct. A manifesto works first by stating a problem that already exists. For a manifesto to affect an audience, the audience must agree or be able to find that this problem exists in their world as well. After informing the reader of the problem, the manifesto states the solution or the course of action needed to remedy the problem. A manifesto encourages readers to imagine a world with the solution in place; a world where the original problem no longer exists. If enough people agree that the problem exits, hopefully the manifesto inspires further investigation and curiosity into understanding the problem. After acquiring a greater understanding, the author’s solution may be accepted as at least a possible solution to the problem. Architects write manifestos to state their positions on topics that they feel are important to everyone. Architects hope to inspire concern in an issue and perhaps to test the creativity and imagination of their audience with a solution to the problem. –SG

A manifesto is a way for an architect (which is a specific type of citizen Artist) to communicate their aspirations for adding information to the city’s canvas. While this is not contributing to the city’s canvas in a physical way, is it a contribution nonetheless for it shares ideas that others may use to proceed in their artmaking. A manifesto is a textual medium for communicating, propagating, and testing ideas. Because the architect mediates his intentions through text and not through a built construct, he is significantly freer to explore ideas. Some manifestos are intended to provoke a very tangible and immediate effect upon their readership (such as the early Modernist, namely Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier). Others are intended to explore ideas that may not be plausible in their context due to material, cultural, or economic constraints, yet they provide a written artifact should a time occur when their manifesto could obtain a physical reality (such as the Futurists and the Situationists.) Architectural manifestos are valuable for the same reason as “ideas competitions.” By conceiving architecture without constrained boundaries, architects are able to provide a record for a thought process that can inform other ways of thinking and building. They serve as a historical artifact that may one day be turned into a construction. It is healthy for all designers, particularly students, to test the limits of creativity and artistic production before introducing constraints; if the constraints are the points of departure, where is the room for growth? –MZ

A manifesto is a succinct statement of beliefs. It summarily describes, with all appropriate points of detail, the basic beliefs of the author. It is presented as irrefutable fact, with no space for critique or critical thinking. A manifesto is useful in architecture because it allows the views of the author or group to be set forth clearly, without immediately clouding them with conflicting philosophies, external social views, or other material extraneous to the immediate context of the manifesto. Also, many architects have their own infallible view of the world. The manifesto allows them to publish this world-view without the banal and limited perceptions of others. –AH

A manifesto is a written expression or statement of belief describing a person’s ideas about some aspect of life. How does it work? The written statement of a manifesto solidifies an idea to allow a reader to understand and interpret that idea. What does it do? Once the manifesto is circulated and appropriated by its readers it may begin to raise an awareness of the idea described an eventually lead to action. Why do architects write manifestoes? An architectural manifesto describes the impact a building can or should have on its users and its environment. Such a manifesto describes the aim or goal of an architect, even if the work doesn’t. –CW

A manifesto is a proposal; something that has been developed from a very specific idea. Manifestos are important in that they raise questions about current situations in society. When things in life become consistent, people begin to believe in that consistency. They will believe that what is occurring in society is correct, as they do not know any better. It takes someone who realizes there are other options to the constant to write a manifesto. Once written, others will see something that they had been blinded from before. In the field of architecture, manifestos are written to challenge the state of the built environment. Architects question current standards and levels of acceptance, looking for ways to improve ideas or ways of living for the people. –SB

26 How is a problem constructed?

A problem is constructed by understanding a negative quality, and then understanding exactly why that thing is bad. Ex - to understand you are hot, look at your clothing and realize you are wearing pants instead of shorts –CW

A problem is not necessarily constructed but rather formed from a series of consequential events and situations. Something that is constructed is intentional and has a predicted outcome. Everyone may not view the problem as an issue that is in need of fixing. Therefore, the problem is created by the mind of the perceiver. The preceding events and situations, which have led to the perceiver’s formation of the problem determines whether the issue is recognized as a problem or not. –SW

By saying that problems are constructed is a very sensitive way of addressing an abrasive issue. It would be more accurate to determine the problem and construct a solution in everyday thought, but in architecture, having the ability to decide on a problem is part of design. A problem might be an aesthetic decision an architect is considering. –CS

A problem is a gap between a desired condition and the potential means of arriving at said condition. It can be DEconstructed in the opposite manner, by causing the reality of a situation to meet the desired condition. Each is a function of the same process, dependent only on the direction in which the function is carried out. –AH

All problems are constructed when two Artists compete for a space (physical, temporal) on a city’s canvas. These Artists – be they politicians, farmers, merchants, doctors, or gravediggers – continually interact with each other and vie over directorship of the canvas. These confrontations are how problems are constructed. The resolution of these problems can take many forms, depending on how the two (or more) Artists chose to continue adding layers to the city in relationship to each other. –MZ

A problem is an obstacle which makes it difficult to achieve a desired goal, objective or purpose. It refers to a situation, a condition, or an issue that is yet unresolved. A problem is constructed when an individual becomes aware of a significant difference between what actually is and what is desired. At the end there is always a solution or an answer. –AQ

Problems are constructed from the process of cause and effect. An individual does not just make up a problem – they realize that there is an existing condition causing issues, and deal with that as a problem. If a city is developing and grows too fast, this may create a problem of congestion within city living and transportation. Where rapid population is the cause, density is the effect. Once this problem has been recognized, it must be solved. In regards to my manifesto, the cause is a dense city with the need to develop as much land as possible within a small radius; the effect is the loss of green space and an increase in pollution. Once recognized, a manifesto is written to propose ways of fixing this problem. –SB

A problem is constructed by recognizing a situation that may be challenging, unpleasant, unwanted, uncomfortable, unhealthy or unknown. A problem cannot be constructed unless there is a proposal for a solution of some sort. –KI

A problem is constructed by finding something that may not be working as well as it could. Calling it out and examining it brings interest to it and soon it is brought to everyone’s attention. As one begin to understand the effect of the problem one needs to dig into what the cause of it is. –DJ

A problem is constructed by creating or manufacturing evidence of a problem in a convincing fashion. The actual problem may not actually exist as it is stated, but one can be convinced otherwise if the problem is presented with compelling material that supports its existence. Much like a prosecutor presenting evidence to a judge, one can use photographs, pieces of writing, testimony, or statistics to construct a problem. –SG

A problem is constructed when forces oppose each other. The reasons for these forces finding themselves in opposition could be relevant, but often a solution is possible and can then sometimes be overlooked because the loyalty of each force is too great to see beyond its own pride in order that it might understand the validity of a solution. A problem can be constructed from negligence. A person or persons can choose to neglect a potentially critical issue in the design of a project, and at the time the project is constructed the negligence can result in a problem. A problem can be the result of power, as it is said that “absolute power corrupts absolutely…” A problem requires a solution… This would imply that a problem is constructed whenever a solution is necessary. Finding problems may be synonymous with finding situations which require solutions. A problem can be a result of unconscious behaviour. A problem can be the result of the lack of what is necessary. –DS

To construct a problem, one must (1) identify what the problem, and (2) gather evidence in support. ie. The futurists declared that looking towards the past impeded progress (1). They then cited examples of looking towards the past, and poo-poohed it. (2). “We will fight with all our might the fanatical, senseless and snobbish religion of the past, a religion encouraged by the vicious existence of museums. We rebel against that spineless worshiping of old canvases, old statues and old bric-a-brac, against everything which is filthy and worm-ridden and corroded by time. We consider the habitual contempt for everything which is young, new and burning with life to be unjust and even criminal.” – futurist manifesto –MH

27 Explain a story that could take place in your chosen project?

A woman is in an abusive relationship and wants to free herself of the problems, both in the affiliation and those that will inevitably ensue by leaving. To outsiders their relationship has a rose colored cloak, continuously masking the problems, but on the inside she is screaming for a savior. She has nowhere to go and moving in with her family only puts them in danger. By permanently joining the community above she involves herself in a society free of tribulations and emotional strife, but by doing so cuts off all ties with her family and friends. This is part of the decision, the chance. –CS

The story would have to a be a Quintent Tarentino movie, where the beginning, middle, and end are all jumbled up into a seemingly-incoherent mixture that is not sorted until the finale. The reason this is necessary is that the nature of New Babylon is that people are not immediately familiar with their present condition of their future. Decisions are made very spur-of-the-moment, with little regard to long-term planning and stress. Although I have no conception of what the plot of the movie would be, I can imagine a format of a movie that would work well: the film Traffic, which parallels the stories of 6 loosely-related people, all of whom are involved in trafficking cocaine from Colombia into the United States. The five people couldn’t seem any more different: they include a back-stabbing mercenary who works for a drug lord in the South American rainforest, a politician and his daughter who is succumbing to a drug addiction, and a tremendously wealthy Californian woman who is horrified one day to watch her husband get arrested for drug trafficking. Wouldn’t it be interesting to relocate this sort of drama into New Babylon? The characters, based on the decisions that they make while traveling through the labyrinth, may come into contact with each other periodically, may make decisions influenced by others, or may interpret the same space differently and react accordingly. It would be insightfully entertaining to witness how different people, related by one unifying theme confront Babylon. (It could still be drugs, but why not chronic disease, sex, depression, homicide, whatever?) –MZ

The aircraft carrier had been marooned since the second great flood. It had been years since the inhabitants of the ship had seen any sign of human life outside their wreck of a domain. All radio signals had ceased. For all they knew they were last remnants of civilization left on the planet. With each passing month tensions between crew members grew. The captain was, almost a complete recluse. He was barely seen about the deck. Rumor ran that he had lost his wits completely, and that the second in command was secretly running the ship... –MH

Within the No-Stop City a person could get caught in a situation where because place no longer matters, time no longer matters. A person walks for an hour and realizes that he has gone nowhere, begins to wake up in the same place every morning, and does the same thing everyday. –CW

A brother and sister head outside to the plaza to play. Usually, their mother would be worried that the temperature and sun would be too much for them in the middle of the day. But fortunately, a cloud intervention has been added to the plaza to shelter and cool it from the sun. When outside, the children play their new favorite game: airplane. They take turns being the pilot and the passenger. Today, it is the brother’s turn to pilot his sister through the wonderful cloud-like installations placed in the plaza. –SG

The story of superstrip could be allegorically seen through the journey of a man through his life. While every moment from beginning to end was a batter of choice - his free will being exercised at every turn - the life is in the end a straight line, from genesis of life, through the cumulative compilation of his life experiences, to death. A perfectly straight line, in spite of the infinite number of other choices he could have made. Superstrip is the story of this man on a monumental scale, with a million stories grafted into one, a socially homogenous monolith in a socialist city. –AH

A man lived in on the second story of a Parisian apartment. He loved it there, he had everything he needed. On the first floor he had a workshop and a store where he built furniture and sold it. On the roof he even had a rooftop garden. So everything from work, to sleeping eating and leisure could take place all in his apartment. He felt as though he could do this for the rest of his life. Then one day on his way back from the market he found a notice on his door that was notifying him that his building was being demolished in order to make space for a new, more organized, future city. It said he would be given a new apartment, so he accepted the fact that he had lost his old one. Months passed as the new city was constructed, and soon he would be in his new apartment. He soon realized that he could not deal with the new city. Everything was separated. His work space was on the other side of town as well as the park. In order to do his work or relax he would have to walk multiple blocks or take the bus. This was a big change from his old way of doing things, being able to wake up and walk down stairs in order to start work. His business fails and he becomes very unhappy. The moral of the story is that ideas of perfect organized cities don’t always seem to work out in everyone’s best interest. Its is not possible to create a utopia because everyone’s idea of a utopia is different. –DJ

Planet as a Festival deals with the landscape and the grid. It seems that the cable cars are running on the grid through the scenery. As they move through the landscape it seems they are dancing with the landscape. Many people can come and learn how to dance with this device. –AQ

Since nuclear war is currently unlikely, the world could be forced to become a Walking City due to a lethal plague. The plague attacks the earth without warning or hesitation. Its severity and speed exceeds the ability to terminate the infectious disease. Therefore, mobile pods are constructed to house the uninfected and create a barrier from the chaotic, contaminated outside world. The pods are constructed and inhabited as fast as possible. However, due to the rapid assembly, of course the first few have slight complications and alterations need to be made to the design. After several series of the pods have been issued, the design is perfected and the pods are able to accommodate up to 500 humans in a single vessel. Plants, animals, and humans are able to survive and reproduce within the mobile machine. Time and energy of the inhabitants is put towards the upkeep of their new environment. Individual effort inures the success of a pod. Appointed authority governs the craft and vote determines which direction the city moves. The pod-life becomes the normal and the new generation born within the walls of the pod only knows of pod-life. Attitude toward nature shifts to being dangerous and harmful, adulterated and polluted, untouchable and undesirable. –SW

As the Superstrip continued to provide society with its every need, people began to assume that it would keep producing everything for its needs. They took the Superstrip for granted. They never had to think about how the Superstrip worked or why it worked, they just kept taking from it. Little did they know what one day the Superstrip would somehow need to be replenished. Then one day the Superstrip ran out of the basic necessities of mankind. There was no food, no water, no protection from the cold. All the people slowly starved and froze to death because they took Superstrip for granted. –KI

Fun Palace was a marvelous construction built for the people of the city as a way of trying to forget the turmoil and troubles of their pasts. The Palace was open around the clock and included every type of recreational activity available. It was another world inside, as once someone stepped foot inside this magical place they instantly forgot all of their current worries. Even the loneliest and quietest people of the city would come and have the most fun and make the most friends inside the Palace. Everything about the Palace was picture perfect, until tragedy struck exactly one year after its grand opening. It was the one year anniversary celebration of the Palace’s success, and as everyone was enjoying a large meal, a noise shattered through the Palace that shocked everyone…it was the sound of a child crying. Everyone instantly thought: How is this possible? This was the happiest place in the world, and within was an extremely unhappy individual. Within no time, officials of Fun Palace were called upon and ran to the noise that terrified them. They couldn’t believe what they saw - tears pouring down a child’s face, as he stood next to the most popular attraction within the Palace. The Palace Guards wasted no time and quickly grabbed the child by his shoulders and ushered him out, as they did not want other visitors to feel or remember any sadness while inside the Palace. He continued screaming; as the large guards were squeezing him so hard they possibly bruised him.

All activity stopped as the guards, with faces of stone, were pushing the small, upset child out of the Palace to be brought back to the city via helicopter. Before the child was pushed onto the elevator to be taken to the landing on the roof, a woman screamed at the top of her lungs: Get your hands OFF of my child you monsters! She rushed over to grab the boy, with tears in her own eyes, and quickly ran from the guards to escape the Palace. Suddenly, everyone inside forgot about their grand party and focused their attention on the guards and how they handled the situation of the unhappy child. They remembered their own feelings and doubts, and were angered and confused by the actions of the guards – who were always so friendly to everyone. Every single visitors stormed out, as they realized they were taking advantage of this Fun Palace – they were purposely putting off more problems in their life than they should have been. For Fun Palace was never intended to make those escape the pain and problems in their lives altogether, it was meant to help them heal easier. –SB

28 Explain a story that would take place in your chosen site according to your written manifesto.

The general public regularly looks towards the homeless population very condescendingly, and perhaps without reason. Homelessness might very well be a choice that individual has made, perhaps their particular situation is a temporary period resulting from a choice intended to eventually be an improvement, but without asking dangerous assumptions are made. Through the church, above the streets riddled with judgment, is a place to stay. A community of acceptance is formed, only taking from the existing city what it needs, cutting through the urban fabric at calculated points to maximize the separation and serve as a billboard for a superior society. –CS

Within Placa de les Glories a traveler in his or her car could enter the traffic circle and immediately upon entry lose their sense of place relative to the rest of the city. In this situation a user would exit the Placa with out knowing in which direction they were heading. As if the circle simply spit them out at a convenient time and sent them in any random direction. –CW

A man that had lived in the city all his life began to become frustrated with living in it and dealing with all the congestion and people. He felt as though he relied to heavily on material items. He felt as though he had to get out of the city but didn’t want to go to far away from his family and friends. He quit his job and began looking for a place to escape to. He found that Mont Juic could provide this refuge for him but still keep him close to his loved ones. He hiked up Mont Juic with nothing more than a blanket and his clothing. He set up an area to sleep with items he found on the mountain. To survive he scrounged up food from the garbage as well as catching animals he could find. He completely dropped his old way of doing things and became happy with the way things were going, though he could never forget his family. That was the one thing that troubled him. He didn‘t miss society, nor his friends at work but he couldn‘t stand to be alone from his family. Though he was fully independent of social and economic needs he could be independent from his loved ones. This is what drove him to go home. As much as he hated the city and the problems caused by it he had to go back to be with his loved ones. –DJ

Please refer to my manifesto which is a story in itself. –SG

After considerable controversial debate, the city of Barcelona as well as the federal administration has approved a configured space to be constructed within Barcelona. The consented site is the developing area along the Gran Via in the northwest end of the city. This area was chosen because of its sparse population and lack of complete development. The experimental project was to be carefully monitored and documented. The configured space was strategically placed for the surrounding businesses. It was meant to rid of the 3-hour siesta/lunch break to make a more efficient, perhaps not so stressful workday. Each worker would still be able to take a generous break throughout the day and perform any normal siesta activity without sparing those 3 hours from the workday. So the configured space was constructed and put in place and opened to employees of the surrounding office buildings. At first people were tentative to use it. However, after a few people began use it, word spread and its popularity grew exponentially. People enjoyed going to the configured space for siesta an afternoon at the spa getting a massage, having a relaxed lunch with a few friends, or getting an afternoon workout in. They didn’t have to rush to get back to work or worry about time. Siesta was just a time to take a break and do something relaxing or recreational to ease the workday. Workers would return to work rested and ready to get back to work. In the beginning, the employees were more efficient due to the configured space. The three hours that they would normally have been taken for siesta were reduced down to the amount of time it took to walk from your office building to the configured space. The added hours to the workday increased the productivity of the company as a whole. After some time, the users began to abuse the configured space. The people began to spend excessive “time” in the new luxury machine. Despite their work was not affected; people would stay in the configured space longer than recommended. It was hard to enforce because people did not fully understand the idea that time does not exist within the space but does outside. They were blinded by the benefits the configured space added to their lives. They didn’t realize it was not healthy to use the configured space too often or too long. The administrators were forced to govern the coming and going of users. –SW

The debate over demolishing Barceloneta had been long and hard, but in the end, the fisherman won … or so they thought. The new beach-view development would not demolish Barceloneta. But with the successful introduction of the Macba into the dilapidated neighborhood of the Raval, the generalitat decided to propose a little experiment. No more buildings demolished. That was the decree. They could build in Barceloneta, so long as they did not take away anything pre-existing. Architecture must be permanent. It must last. --- When they constructed the first new development, no one batted an eyelash. Located just off the shoulder of the Placa del Mar, the floating luxury apartment complex didn’t seem so invasive. The fisherman celebrated their victory, cheering “No more buildings demolished!” But that would not be the last addition to Barceloneta. As years passed, more and more development was green lighted and a blanket of modern luxury made its way across the Barceloneta skyline. Roadways were even constructed in the sky so that those living above needn’t step down from their floating palaces to walk from one block to the next. The upper Barcelonetans prided themselves on modernity. “Everything new above the skyline,” they joked to themselves. The fishermen below were not amused. They liked the old ways. They liked their old neighborhoods. They cherished the past. But the new developments would not be put off. The pushed their way into Barceloneta anyway they could. Foundation piles dug into living rooms, bathrooms, even churches! Lobbying began again. The fisherman wanted Barceloneta back the way it was before. “Demolish! Demolish!” they shouted in the streets, but the decree was final. No more buildings demolished. –MH

On the site of the Cultural Forum, a clarity and authenticity of materials reached a critical mass, and a reaction began. The impact of the pure and clean space created in the wide promenade on the surrounding area began to spread. Neighborhoods nearby, highrise hotels, plazas, traffic circles, all began to change, to divorce themselves from any contrived materials and forced conditions. As the concept grew further away from the false facade, it crystallized as a new iteration of the city. The Cultural City. An example for the world. –AH

My manifesto deals with excess garbage been recycled and used as materials for damaged and abandoned building. One of the facilities of the Zona Universitaria is being guild of garbage materials that were derive from the soccer games at Camp Nou. Truck comes and picks up the garbage. The garbage is recycled at the end of each game, separated, classified, treated, and then used as a reusable material. –AQ

The Barcelona Pavilion has always been seen as a monumental piece of architecture for its revolutionary ideas toward Modernism. Fast forward forty years, and we are in a post-modern state waiting for the next architectural revolution. Recognizing itself as a fast growing, up to date city, the architects and government of Barcelona had decided to experiment with ideas for the next architectural revelation. It sounded like a good idea at the time – finding ways to maximize green space within cities in order to reduce energy costs. After much controversy, the Barcelona Pavilion became the site for the experiment, as it was set to now be the site of two architectural revolutions. The experiment was supposed to be foolproof: plant seedlings (that have been developed for over two years in a laboratory) and you will receive an instant green house, producing efficient amounts of oxygen and food, while keeping the pavilion properly insulated and cool. As I look down at my feet, I can’t help but laugh at the ignorance of the experiment organizers, as all I can see is a tangled web of oversized green roots. Stretching further up past my apartment, located on La Rambla, a sea of green emerges with people in panic. It was a matter of days before this “lovely greenhouse” busted through the closed off container of the German Pavilion. Once the roots of the green house reached the small pool of water in the pavilion, it was all over. The fueled plants quickly spread up to the more fertile soil of Montjuic, completely taking over the Olympic Stadium and all of its components. Once it quickly trickled down to the Rambla, the mutated plants flooded the streets and took over all store fronts. The food growing from the plants is twenty times its normal size, with fruits and vegetables as large as people, becoming even more of an obstacle within the tangled streets of the city. Though scientists are working night and day for a cure, the people of Barcelona can only hope the current state of the plants is the worst it will be. The original board of architects who also work on the experiment are frantically designing barricades and other mechanisms for tying the plants back, in order to keep them somewhat under control. After all of this chaos, one thing is for sure: the city of Barcelona got their precious green space. –SB

With my new manifesto about transportation and trade (of goods and people) with the removal of monetary currency from society, I can only imagine reprogramming the roller coaster to be a part of a city-wide transport mechanism. I am wondering what would happen if someone got stuck at the top of the mountain, and this huge transport network broke or was shut down…the survivors at the top of the mountain would have to live with only things in the immediate transport carts, which would likely leave them with an extremely bizarre collection of things. Imagine a lonely couple stranded with a cart of 12 tons of oranges, a few boxes of copy paper, and 80 feet of rope. They have no idea how long they will be there before the hub is fixed again. And little do they know, but in only a few carts down, slowly moving towards them, is a convicted felon, recently escaped from prison by hiding at the bottom of a case of pineapples…. –MZ

One quiet day in the park there was a whimsical noise. It was a wizard. He came to make the former World Fair site into a magical place where people can come to experience anything. With a flick of his wand the beach and the sea were moved to outskirts of the park. Next, he reconstructed the hotel that once existed for the Fair, because he did not want just locals at this place, he wanted everyone, and tourists need a place to stay. He brought foods and wines and beers and candies. He brought carousels and movie screens and dance floors. After creating his masterpiece he flew up to the top of the zoological museum to watch the masses come. And they did. People from all around the world mingled, got to know one another and exchanged ideas. He had created a perfect social interaction full of energy and excitement, and everyone shared in his work as one human race. –KI

29 Think of a set of images: things you have seen that would illustrate your manifest.

Please refer to my compiled 25 images. –CS

Please refer to the digital submissions to see illustrated examples of my manifesto. –SG

A good set of images that would illustrate my manifesto is the garbage from Pamplona that was dropped all over the city during the running of the bulls. One can think to the history of the garbage, where it was delivered, where it was sold, who bought it, how it got there and where is it going to end up. –AQ

Refer to 25 photos please. –SW

The 25 images that I have chosen and attached all relate in some ways to the themes of domesticity, migration, zoning of cities, and conventional identity. –MZ

Via Laietana cutting through the Gothic due to the force of traffic; Placa de les Glories forming a circle due to the forces of the intersecting streets; The built form of the subway resulting from the forces of an underground train; Chamfered corners of the Eixample due to the forces of perpendicular turns; The beaches along the sea formed by current forces; Structural design of Sagrada Familia based on gravitational forces within Gaudi’s model –CW

The 25 chosen images attached to this project represent various examples that contribute to the ideas of the manifesto. They show different aspects of green space – why it is needed, where it is needed, where and how it works, and examples. –SB

The 25 images attached in some way show my ideas of independence in the city. Independence from the energy grid, mobile/pedestrian independence, social/cultural independence, and labor independence. –DJ