Time and change as ordering principles for urban design : an exploration

Abstract

Urban design proposals traditionally have tended to deal with images of a final stable state in the environment. A need for acceptance and display of the process of change which, though present in all cities, is absent from most conceptions, is essential. To the extent that environmental change is inevitable, we should at least try to make sure that it is a guided process. The main intention will be to understand the nature of change and its measurable time by exploring ways in which a portion of Boston can remain flexible and receptive to individual and group energy conducive to change. Ways of managing future changes will involve the reconception of the study area as a spatiotemporal setting based in a timechange related program, thus testing the effectiveness and relevance of time and change as guiding principles for urban design. The setting will be a block in Boston's South End, where the Boston Center for the Arts is located.