Class Reflection September 25 2008

I think that Kaleigh beautifully and eloquently summarized the important aspects of our last class. Although I consistently make decisions pertaining to the colors of the clothing I am wearing, I haven’t spent much time examining color in the context of architecture. Like much of what we learn, Viake’s lecture opened by eyes to the complexity and history behind different colors. However, what I found most fascinating is color’s ability to evoke the similar emotion, or represent the same experience for many different people across different cultures.

Jae’s lecture on thermal energy was very interesting as well. Much like designing for the individual and the body, designing for thermal comfort is also important, especially a frigid climate like Winnipeg. I don’t think that I am alone in constantly feeling sweltering hot in studio and our other classes, but I know that a time will come where I will be feeling cold. I feel that finding ways to create rooms that harness the thermal energy that is being expended by its’ inhabitants, and store that energy until it is needed, is something that will soon be examined within design. Perhaps Jae’s lecture today was meant to stimulate those thoughts, if so I would say that it did the trick quite nicely.

Class Reflection September 25

This lecture revealed the complex nature of colour. Human systems incorporate colour through cultural, architectural, and personal relationships. Colour is also deeply tied to natural systems, whose landscapes we borrow for inspiration in our built environments. Vaike gave a history of several colours including ochre, which aboriginals in western Australia believed represented ancestors who rose out of the mud at the beginning of time. The dies for this ochre literally came from natural elements while the mythologies behind the colour were also tied to natural systems. The human aura demonstrates the connection between human physical and emotional relationships to colour. This lecture made me aware of the interrelationship between human and natural systems and colour, which should be considered in our designs.

Reflections for September 25th Class

The first part of the class on colours was definitely a new scope of the built environment I never really thought of. It makes sense that because different colours of light contain different amounts of energy it would definitely have varying physical effects on a person. Exploring the origins of colour was a part of the lecture I really enjoyed. We have every colour imaginable at our disposal today that we really take for granted. It's amazing to see how people actually farmed for colour and many of them were considered rare resources at the time. The second part of the lecture was equally eye opening on the subject matter of energy. Although my grasp of the terminology is still not fully there, I think it is important that we are exposed  to it early on in our learning careers.

Class Reflection: September 25th

This weeks class was lectured by Vaike. She discussed colours and their effects on people, and how they affect us in the built environment. I had a great deal of interest in the subject previously, so I found this lecture especially interesting. I had a slight amount of knowledge in the subject from a book I own, but the physical origin of where colours are naturally derived from is something new to me. It is so interesting how much history our everyday objects actually have. For example graphite,was originally discovered in the UK in 1565. The mine was overtaken by a copper mining production. Later, in 1847, a new and enormous graphite deposit was discovered close to China just as the first mine was running out. The emperors of China thus had control of the industry. They also wore yellow robes, which is the reason why we still have golden yellow pencils today! I will forever wait for a Trivial Pursuit question on this.
One thing that really surprised me, yet now seems so blatnatly obvious is the use of colour depending on where you are in the world. Vaike's example of colours used in Nordic areas, while working so well in that region, would appear dull in southern regions. It is perfectly obvious, yet something most of us surely do not pick up on.
My interest in the use of colour is what drives me towards interior design as a focus in this faculty. I have always been drawn to colour, and lots of it, and feel I am mildly in tune with the oras they produce. I enjoyed the assignment she had us do on meditating on specific colors. I was surprised that meditating on purple, gave a reaction that seemed a mixture of my feelings experienced from blue and red.... which makes purple. It really goes to show how complex colours and their uses really are!

September 25th Class Refection, Topics: Colour and Light, Thermal Energy

Our third class began with an introduction to colour and light with guest speaker Vaike Ruus. She spoke of the origins and cultural significance as well as the composition of different colours. She touched briefly on colour fundamentals, the colour spectrum, relationships between colours as presented in the different colour wheels and the two scales: value and intensity.

Vaike then brought our attention to the elements of colour in architecture, describing it as a sort of language, a story that, oddly enough has less to do with the aesthetics of architecture than one might think. Colour can express an atmosphere, a specific geographical location, a rich cultural history, as well as pure human emotion.
Since light varies in different parts of the world, in turn, so does the colour that one would consider unique to these places. How a sky can morph from place to place is something I find so intriguing. That in combination with the distinct soils and vegetation of an area can create the most beautiful palettes. The colour then found in the architecture functions in unison with the colour of the region as they play off and reflect into one another. This is why we find distinctions in light and the associated colours in Northern, Mexican and Mediterranean regions, for example. Vibrant splashes of pinks and oranges and cobalt blues are visually pleasing colours set against the backdrop of a dry, Mexican landscape. In Northern light, colours like deep matte blues, soft yellows and pinks compliment their cool skies. The unity of the natural world and the built environment in this way only reassures me that although it may not in a technical sense be “green” architecture, it is an expression of the organic world through architecture. Yet, despite this, I am going to be stubborn and say that I strongly believe the natural landscape will always be much greater than anything else we decide to force upon it.

Jae-Sung continued the second half of the class with a lecture pertaining to thermal energy. He opened our minds to the usefulness of energy and how it is essential in creating sustainable architecture. He encouraged us to think of the human comfort level and to explore how far that notion could be stressed. It was amazing to see the amount of information needed to create a flawlessly comfortable environment.
I think the most valuable lesson taken from this class was that, as designers, we must always be mindful of our parameters, be critical of design and pro-active towards the issues that are most important to us. Functionality, sustainability and beauty can co-exist in the design world. It is this hybridization that will lead us to be most successful in the future.

excuse me mr. but is that a 10,000 sq foot mushroom i see?

The coolhunter usually features fairly amazing buildings and I have been subscribing to their website for quite some time now. Never have they shown such a unique building as Shuhei Endo’s Bubbletecture H. Made entirely of steel, wood and glass the structure is planned in three sections that function as a theater/lecture hall, bookshop/gallery and a workshop.

As not to reiterate the entire article please read it for yourself. If you do… you will read that the entire structure is created with the earth in mind. I think that this notion of going beyond environmental sustainability and really appreciating the earth itself is very important as designers. Endo’s structure truly becomes one with it’s surroundings allowing little distinction between it’s surrounding natural environment and the structure itself.

A Balanced Conscience

Just because something is renewable doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for the World. When being environmentally conscious we can’t forget to be socially conscious as well because in the end, we are trying to sustain HUMAN life and culture. Products such as bio-diesel and bio-plastics made from renewable crops (i.e. corn) appear to be a great renewable source of energy, but alas there are two sides on every coin. In a world where millions of people still don't have the means to properly feed themselves can we really afford to turn food, a basic human need into items that aren’t necessarily key for our survival? We need to look beyond our own environmental egos and look at the big picture (or the full cycle). Corn is a renewable resource that can be produced in a fairly short time, but also a staple food in many countries. The raise in price of specific food items, such as corn, has caused havoc in countries like Mexico where the masses can’t afford to buy the own food they grow. Is it ethical to try to sustain the people of the future while starving the people of today?

 

Here is an alternative to bio-plastics made from corn: Maple Syrup Bio-plastic 

Maple syrup is not a staple food, but more of a luxury food item that we can afford to use as product rather than food. Trees are less energy intensive when provided with the proper climate, acts as carbon sinks, prevents soil erosion rather than causing it, etc. In short, trees are a positive element to the ecosystem, while farming crops require huge amounts of resources and energy being a negative impact on the environment. Please click on summary below for full article on maple syrup.

Scientists have discovered that an obscure type of bacteria can turn maple syrup into natural polymers that can be used to make biogradable plastic-like materials.

As designers, when creating a product that we think is environmentally friendly we also have to ask ourselves who is this going to affect? Will there be social consequences? We have to be careful not to get lost in the new fad of going “green”. When creating goals for design, we should always keep in mind that we design for people first.

Changing The World, One Designer at a Time

As design students, we are entering a massive revolution in the way we perceive the built environment, and although it is quite daunting, it is also the perfect opportunity for us to establish our role in improving the direction our world is heading. It is a responsibility, not a choice, to set a standard for the future so that “green” buildings are not distinguishable from regular ones. This idea of design as separate from “green” design is no longer the way we should be thinking at all, for ultimately, all design should be thoughtful and conscious of the environment. This is our reality as designers.

During a recent class discussion concerning these very issues, a fellow student posed a question that has resonated within me ever since. He said that if we are to preserve and protect the natural environment as much as we can, then should we not refrain from building at all? All building, no matter how ecologically sensitive you try to be, disturbs the land on which you are building. Even if your design uses energy at a net zero level, there is still the alteration of the land being used that must be accounted for. How do you even being to perceive this, especially as a design student?

After thinking long and hard about it, I came to realize that new design and new building will always happen and there will never cease to be a demand for it. So, with that being said, if we are going to put something in our already dense urban spaces or wherever it may be, then it should stand there justifiably. The main focus should be on minimizing negative impacts and simply thinking about every aspect of the design process with a critical, environmentally aware mind.

www.inhabitat.com is a website/magazine created by a group of young designers with a promising outlook on designing for today.

Recycling paper, using a refillable water bottle, and buying organic not enough to zero out your Christmas vacation to the Bahamas

A recent study exposes many of us who claim to be leading ‘environmentally conscious’ lifestyles. The report reveals that, while we may sleep better at night feeling we are ‘doing our part’ for the earth, in fact, we are not zeroing out our lifestyle choices, realistically we are not even close.

How then can we begin to go beyond recycling and Tupperware?

How can we, as first year design students, tackle environmental concerns that are admittedly overwhelming in lieu of project deadlines, lectures, and cleaning our apartments?

My proposal is just that we Start. Let’s start designing solutions. Let’s think of it as a process and let’s start taking steps. As Madi suggests let’s draw inspiration from firms like HWKN. Let’s become inspired, but then let’s go beyond inspiration. Let’s use that inspiration to motivate our projects. Let’s continue our years of education with an environmental ambition that will inspire others. Let’s remain environmentally creative well into our careers. Let’s think beyond, imagine beyond, and discuss beyond, but once we’ve done that, let’s follow through, let’s do beyond.

Class Reflection September 18

In this lecture I was particularly interested in Jerry’s suggestion that we should “love our user groups more than we love our designs”. From Jerry’s perspective a beautiful esthetic does not succeed unless it serves its user group. Van der Rohe’s Barcelona Chair, and Eames’ Molded Plastic Chair were both cited as examples of design which succeed esthetically, but which fail ergonomically. Jerry also criticized the mass production of chairs, stating that the ‘universal’ chairs manufactured by companies like Herman Miller and Ikea do not account for ergonomic differences among users. While I agree with Jerry’s user centered bias, I must admit that the esthetic of a white leather Barcelona Chair allows me to forgive its ergonomic errors! -Katie

Class Reflection September 18 2008

I have previously viewed Baraka and after seeing, at least fragmented parts, for the third time I know that it’s poignant effect does not fade. The sript-less documentary points such a startling look at society that one is awkwardly stuck in the middle of dis-comfort and awe. What is the appropriate response? I found it interesting that so many in the class found it all too disturbing to be staring at chicks being tagged but were all to comfortable to see people being herded, and killed in the same face-less ways. Perhaps it is because we are all too desensitized to the way humans interact to notice the parallels.

I found Jerry’s presentation to be extremely useful. I often get very excited by the aesthetics of a design and rarely think about its practicality and how the individual will interact with the design. As I embark upon my own design career I think that lessons such as Jerry’s will be vital to the developments of my designs.

Reflections for September 18th Class

Lindsey made a very good point about the video Power of Ten and how everything is interrelated and cannot coexist without one and other. This video also relates to how designers not only have to keep this idea of interrelated wholeness in mind, but also pertains to Jae's label of the architect as a schizophrenic. To even begin being able to see things as a interrelated whole, we have to first train our minds to be able to switch from thinking about the size of molecules and atoms, to the size of buildings and entire cities. Jerry's lecture on proxemics is also a topic I would like to explore more about. Proxemics vary from culture to culture, person to person. It is a reflection of how a specific society interacts with one another. By analyzing the proxemics of a culture one can get a sense of the amount of space available in their cities and the type of densities people live in.
-Judith

Class Reflections, September 18th

There was a noticeable distinction in the topics discussed and the themes touched on in this Thursdays class. The class began with a presentation on ergonomics and user-centered design, focusing on the body and personal space as a means to improve the relationship between humans and the spaces they inhabit. Understanding behaviors, our sensory responses and the space we occupy is imperative in designing buildings and products that will support humans.
The second half of the class did not focus on one frame of reference such as the human body, but informed us on the much broader scales that exist beyond it. We were shown the film The Powers of 10, which put into perspective our place in this world as being a part of a collective whole. Despite humans’ interest in centering ourselves on this earth, we must understand and accept that we are interconnected to so much outside of our interests.
In another more shocking approach to addressing the different perspectives and relationships between natural and human systems, was demonstrated in the film, Baraka . The film proved to be extremely effective in translating this issue through juxtaposing images of humans and machines. There was much discussion and debate surrounding the film after the class had ended, but what I personally drew from the film was this strong sense of dialogue between two seemingly opposing systems (human and natural). We are so much more apart of nature despite the offset patterns and segregation we’ve imposed on it. There were many images of people working in factories, all of them acquiring such machine like qualities, and although we are in a sense still in control of the machine, since after all we’ve created it, it is our reliance on it that makes us a slave to it as well.

September 18th: Class Summary

In our second class last Thursday we were treated to a short lecture by Jerry Weslake during the first half. Jerry opened our eyes on the topics of ergonomics, anthropometrics, and proxemics- the measure of personal space, or more simply a person's "bubble". The main focus was to show the importance of user-centered design, as opposed to designing only to please our own eye. More specifically, he used the chair as a model to show the effects of good/bad design, and the use of ergonomics when creating such designs.
Jerry also touched on understanding the senses in regards to design, and how we instinctively prefer certain lines and forms over others. An introduction to the term synesthesia- a transfer of information between the senses- elaborated the subject. For example, a slashy line makes us feel anger, although the line itself can not be "angry". So although a jagged, rigid chair just does not look comfortable in a functional sense, it may also make us FEEL uncomfortable in other synesthetic ways.

The major second half of the class was spent viewing clips from two documantary films. The first being "The Power of Ten", by design duo Charles and Ray Eames (1977), which demonstrated the concept of relative scale, size and distance. By starting with a 1m2 viewpoint of a picnic scene, every 10 seconds it zooms in or out 10 times farther, over a range of 40 positive and negative powers of 10 in increasing and decreasing perspective, taking us to the voids of outer space,or right into the microscopic world of carbon atoms in the subjects hand. These contrasting insights show how the importance of things is based on what co-exists around them at the next smallest/largest scale. Regardless of the scale or size of what we aspire to design, and how unrelated things may appear, it is our job as designers to interpret the world as one interrelated whole. As the video shows, even at such drastically different sizes, carbon atoms and the farthest cosmic reaches are a part of one whole. There is no one without the other. However, the importance of say and atom (or anything)increases when studied at a specific, in this case microscopic, scale. Again,though,this atom's importance would diminish when designing a new ergonomic chair for Jerry for example!

The second set of clips from the documentary Baraka, by Kevin Stearns, was far more contemporary. Although it was without dialogue, the experience proved to be impacting and dramatic. Scenes of urban life , factories, and nature roll past in fast forward speed. The effect is the establishment of a parallel between the systems that occur within these different environments. Seeing chicks being piled, prodded, and tumbled around was harsh for many, but in the end didn't seem far-fetched from the urban, human scenes at all. Is there really that much of a difference between these chicks' lot in life, to all of us being piled onto subways, or shuffled across busy moving streets? And, this flux of people, agriculture, and production has inherited a constant flow like that which we find in nature- continuous, and connected. Are we really separate from machines? This film gestured at the notion that mankind is so desensitized that we have allowed machines to enter, and even dominate the cycles of our lives.

forget the fad.

The trouble with hyped up "fad" diets lies primarily in their incapability of producing lasting results. However, they never tell you this when you sign up. People usually succumb to these highly unfortunate fads in similar ways: they know they need to loose a few and the tanned ultra skinny lady on the infomercial is very convincing so they say what the hell and take the plunge. Before they know it they’re eating cheeseburgers without buns and chocolate cake that tastes more like flavored cardboard.

After a couple weeks of this they decide life without real chocolate cake is not a life worth living. They flush their diet pills and devour an entire cake. One week later they’re 30lbs heavier than they were when they started.

In our hip to be green society living an “environmentally conscious lifestyle” is the new fad diet.

Everyone tries it for a day or two… we flush every second time and take quick showers, we ride our bikes to work, we eat local and we only use our cell phones for “emergencies”. It usually starts off really well… we boast about our good behavior and scoff at our colleagues who have the audacity to drive to work.

Then one day we need those extra 20 minutes in the shower, our outfit doesn’t translate well when straddling a bicycle seat, our time becomes too precious to worry about where our food came from and we can’t resist the urge to text our 15 closest friends when Lindsay Lohan finally admits she’s a lesbian. One day turns into many more similarly “bad” days and all of a sudden we’ve blown through 30 tons of gas, 30 lbs of garbage and at least 30 baths. And we don’t even want to think about the amounts of time we’ve flushed the toilet.

Like all fad diet’s going without only lasts so long and ultimately fails to yield any lasting results. Yes we have outgrown our skinny jeans and depleted our fossil fuels. Shit happens. It’s what you do with it that matters.

If you have a pre-disposition to be a bit pudgy but you reallllly enjoy your cake, you bake yourself something that’s low-calorie and then you hit the gym. You work through your self-esteem issues and you find out what’s making you over eat. You find a way to balance your cravings with your waistline.

We need to start employing that same logic when developing strategies to rescue the earth from ourselves. Human beings don’t like change. Especially if that change deprives us of something we love. Some people (most people) really love their cars, their houses and their baths. So to limit the amount of time people can spend engaging with the things they love is not only kind of mean, but highly unpractical.

Instead of focusing our time and energy on taking the prescribed route we need to think outside of what we know. We need to find ways to sustain the same quality of life we currently enjoy whilst simultaneously not taking anything away from the environment. We need to think forward instead of backwards.

Two of my favorite forward thinkers go by the name of Matthias Hollwich and Marc Kushnerand run a design firm called HWKN. Here’s a ten-minute clip of their vision for the future.

Prefab Potential

Prefab homes could potentially be the new wave of homes for the future. They consume very little time and energy in their construction, have low impacts on the environment, and can be superbly stylish. The prefab potential cannot only aid environmental ills, but social ones as well. Prefab would be better fit than our current mode of building today to keep up with the demand of infrastructure needed to house growing populations i.e. Schools. The reductions in construction time and using recyclables could also provide more low income housing for those in need. The cellophane house is an example of how a home can be recycled- where the disassembly is just as easy as the assembly, and parts can be reused.

MoMA in New York is currently displaying Kieran Timberlake's Cellophane house, a dwelling venturing into a new frontier of design and construction methodology.

Comfort and food are meant to be together!

I work for a company that has recently opened a new restaurant. It is high-end sushi. It is a beautiful space, built to awe guests, and to offer the best. In the lounge, they went with low, round tables, with swivel lounge chairs. They look fantastic. The chairs in their own right are very comfortable, but try sitting in them and eating off the table and they all of a sudden seem so wrong! The table hits just below knee height for most, and so eating requires leaning forward to reach the food. Or, as I did, bringing the plate onto your lap. Needless to say it is very uncomfortable! It definitely took away from my dining experience. It makes me think that not one person considered how it would feel to eat at these tables. This blows me away because the restaurant was designed by a respected designer in Winnipeg. In terms of all of the emphasis we are receiving on the body, and its connection to our designs, I can't figure out what goes wrong in these types of situations. Is it that you can just get lost in the aesthetic aspect of the design? Do they not care? Do they not know? It scares me to think about inadvertently overlooking details like this in my design career. It disappoints me that there are designers who don't care! One of the things that I am learning very quickly is how much the built environment really affects people. And still, something seemingly so simple is over-looked by an experienced designer. In the book Townscape(yes the one we all paid $40 for and never used!)Gordon Cullen said "The speed of change prevents the environment organizers from settling down and learning by experience how to humanize the raw material thrown at them. In consequence the environment is ill-digested." In a design gone wrong, people seem to have gotten lost in the business of it all, working within budgets etc.. Also, I think specifically in this case, everything was designed, and then the tables added in. It seems that a customer's comfort would be second only to the quality of what is served. In that case, it may have been wise to create an enjoyable space to dine, and DESIGN around that. After all, you can awe people all you like, but the experience, and how they FEEL is what they will remember most.

Class Reflection September 11 2008

Building upon what Kaleigh had said, I think that it is important to acknowledge the disconnect that exists between (wo)man and nature. We have been living under the false pretense that nature is at our disposal to be poked and prodded. Our relationship with nature consists of a lot of take and not enough give, we are now beginning to see the consequences of this mentality, our glaciers are melting and 1/3 of our wildlife species are dying. We will soon no longer have the option to think of the natural environment as separate from our day-to-day experience, instead, we will look to nature to dictate our designs.

This being said, I do not feel that our reliance on technology or, “machines”, to drive our day to day existence needs to be called into question. Technology has allowed us to progress in ways that would have been unthinkable even 25 years ago. Perhaps much of our existence is being shaped by machines, but if we are able to find a way to work these machines into the natural fabric of our ecosystems than we will really prove our human intelligence.

Class 1 September 11, 2008

Humans Today as Cyborgs

Many questions were raised in the first lecture about if humans today are more machine than natural. Upon reflection of my own life and my day to day activities, I would have to agree that I am more machine. Everything manufactured in my home was created by machines; food processed by machines, the clothes I wear sewn together with the use of machines. Instead of trying to fight against this identity of cyborg and trying to relinquish our practical needs (where in the end we end up feeling guilty about the way we live). There should be an acceptance of the idea so that we can move forward to seek solutions that are adaptive to our lifestyle. We need to seek solutions that are beyond the bare minimum of sustaining, solutions that can sustain our culture as well.

-Judith

meet me at the mall

Much like many blondes before me I have always felt some sort of a magnetic pull towards the mall. When I read this article I was in one word, jealous. Adriana Yoto and Michael Townsend awoke one morning to find their street re-named and a multi-million dollar mall being built down the street. Adamantly opposing it’s creation they decided that if they couldn’t beat it, they may as well join it. So they built an apartment in a 750 sq foot storage space that had been abandoned. Their one-week experiment turned into a four year project and what came of it was an extremely interesting first hand view of the mall.

Adriana Yoto has done a significant amount of research into malls and their new incarnation: lifestyle centers. As I mentioned in my previous post, lifestyle centers have become the new buzz word and Yoto paints an excellently satirical portrait of what these centre’s truly represent

Yoto’s website colincantread.com provides information about an eco-lifestyle mall in India and how each one of us can help the vision become a reality.

Class Reflections: September 11, 2008

A point that I found particularly significant was that of the separation between the human landscape and the natural landscape. Where does the human realm begin and where does nature end, and further, why consider the two as separate from one another at all? The separation that I am referring to is both a psychological one and a physical one, where humans have become so far disconnected from nature that instead of supporting it, we have adopted this sense of ownership over it. There is no boundary or limit as to what we can conquer, we infiltrate and transform the natural landscapes in order to support our own ever-growing needs while losing sight of the interconnectedness that both human and natural systems possess. A shift in how we perceive these natural spaces is needed, while abandoning the idea of "non-human" spaces so to acknowledge them as they really are. There is so much that we can learn from the earth simply by being aware of it's presence amongst us, and if we are to even come close to touching on the notion of sustainability, we must do so collectively with the planet.

suburban slum

A few months back (March to be precise) I read an article in the Atlantic about suburban neighborhoods in the United States that are quite literally turning into the “slums”. Graffiti is becoming rampant, vacancy is skyrocketing and homeless drug users are moving in. Thanks in large part to the sub-prime mortgage crisis, banks are foreclosing on people’s homes and the properties are remaining vacant. With the economic boom developers all over North America have greatly exceeded demand, and with the bust that seems to be following few will be in the position to purchase new real estate. The same individuals that are lacking the extra cash to purchase over-priced homes are also feeling the strain on their wallets from rising gas costs; hour long commutes are simply no longer justifiable.

Having lived central all my life I have never quite understood the magnetic attraction people have to the suburbs. The only sense that I have been able to make out of the whole situation is the stability and security that suburban communities offer. After reading this article I can only imagine what might happen if the drug users that call Main Street their home took up shop in Linden Woods… mayhem would ensue. The article suggests that the ladder may not be as far-fetched a notion as some may think, and frankly it makes sense. Like everything in life things can only be pushed so far, and cities have allowed developers to go too far in creating these suburban ‘Pleasantville’s’.

However, some developers are taking this notion quite seriously and switching their focus from designing suburban communities to creating life-style centers. Life-style centers encompass important elements of a capitalist society while at the same time focusing on pedestrian usage. Malls are no longer being built; instead commercial development is going in the direction of mixed-use walk able lifestyle centers that often include housing, office space and retail space.

The future of the suburb is very bleak. Although this is a positive for the urban context it does raise concerns about what will happen to houses that already stand. If more and more affluent individuals and families re-locate to city centers will they push out the vagabonds and drug users who call downtown streets home, forcing them into the suburbs? Or will the cheaply mass-produced houses simply decay over time? Both options guarantee a whole new slew of problems and issues that city planners and designers will have to deal with in the coming years.