Class Reflection, October 30th, 2008

We’ve had our share of presenter personalities in class, but I think the polarity of the two in today’s lecture made for an especially dynamic experience. Carmine Milatano shared with us a very logical and business oriented side of design, one that I’ve been hesitant to think about, but felt surprisingly comfortable with after listening. I found his approach forward and concise, although quite aggressive,

The second lecturer, Dr. David van Vilet, from the dept. of city planning, guided us through a presentation on the typology of land-use planning and sustainable settlement practices. Although his disposition was more of one that I myself would naturally gravitate to, his method of presenting information was a little bit difficult to follow. His own knowledge on the issue was well versed, however and thoughtfully considered. His mentioning of innovative European green cities was quite fascinating not only in their ecological initiatives, but on everything that makes for a strong urban fabric. These cities intrigue me in that they are conceived as one single unit and do not undergo any sort of major growth. They account for expansion, but that too is calculated to an extent. City planners have always designed cities based on a certain typology or pattern, but the cities that we perceive for the future seem to come ready-made and decided. I am not suggesting this is a bad way to progress, I am simply noting how much we learn from the past and apply to the future and how much we abandon for what ever reason it may be.