Tuning cities with life – desynchronised urban rhythms in daily urban life

A) Description of the topics
One of the major trend of evolution of our urban societies is the increasingly more individualised and desynchronised rhythms at which people live in the city, at their own speeds, at different hours, with their own lifestyle. This report will try to study rhythms in general and rhythms of life to see the impacts and interferences it may cause to see how could we really be able to live our cities 24/7 (on an actual 24 hour basis, 7 days a week). This will be done with a special drive of network thinking as an approach to bring a possible solution to it.

B) Objectives pursued
Through this report I would like to:
- explore what I think is already occurring and will even further develop: the desynchronised rhythms at which people live in the city. Yet, can we conceive and create places that reconcile each of the 3 different groups of people - the people working/the people resting/the people having fun, each successively morphing into the other throughout the day - to live along and together at any time? Is it compatible with the tidal rhythm of the River Thames?

- explore the validity and applicability of the system theory and network thinking in urbanism as an approach to bring holistic solutions.

- to be able to propose intellectually and personally satisfying answers in continuation of the Detailed UD project, both in terms of ideas, content and output.

C) Work Methodology
In line with the concept of reconciling human activities with the rhythms of Nature, I will probably create a narrative for 3 persons who have different lifestyles and develop their lives in the created environment of Woolwich area, flooded twice a day by the River Thames.

D) Anticipated content + Media
As the notion of time is very important, the media will probably include a film or a succession of still pictures and drawings. A model will probably be a good solution too.

E) Anticipated table of contents + brief outline of content

1- Acknowledgements
2- Intro
3- About rhythms
i) Life rhythms
Natural rhythms/rhythms of Nature (biological, daily, tidal, seasonal rhythm...)
Artificial/created rhythms (weeks, calendars, working hours...)
ii) The rhythms of the City
(a) The “city rhythm”: the regular and repetitive activities, sounds and smells.
(b) The City is Music:
The sounds of the city.
New Orleans=blues, Paris/New York=jazz, Kingston=reggae, London=rock/pop/punk.
“Sensing city”: influence of the rhythms of the city in musical performance
Jacques Reda: a flaneur journey through Paris to the tempo of jazz.
(c) The “secret melody”. The city: a meeting point between the “natural rhythms” of the Universe - the macrocosm, and the “created rhythms” of Man - the microcosm?
iii) The “Time” factor: the added dimension to the 3-dimensional experience of the city.

4- Mobility and “Network cities”
i) Complexity science and network thinking
ii) A user-based approach for design?
iii) Integrating time in space: zoning “temporal-spatial activities”?
Daily, weekly, tidal, seasonal... Natural rhythms: their cyclic character and their patterns.
Human activities: artificial rhythms or created, the possible influence of Man.
iv) Speed: the relationship between Space and Time
v) Different scales, different speeds. Different speeds, different transports.
vi) “Network cities”: a solution to tune people’s rhythms of life into a symphony?

5- Application: the “25-hour City”.
i) the River Thames: the Dominant rhythm that creates space and temporalities of the city.
ii) “Zoning: the temporal-spatial activities that can unfold”
The North Bank: business, offices, shopping, parks&open spaces, regional&international
The South Bank: residential, shopping, waterfront, leisure&entertainment, ecological park, regional&local
The Hub: 24-hour island with constant change of spaces, of uses and activities over time.
iii) Mobility: using the Thames Barrier & removing the Thames as a barrier.
East-West goes regional, North-South goes local.
iv) Mobility: from Regional to local - the transition from train & DLR to foot
v) To multi-beat City, multi-calendars. Events & activities different speeds.


F) Preliminary list of references/Short bibliography
Barabási, A.L., 2002, Linked: The New Science of Networks, Perseus, Cambridge (UK).
Drewe Paul, D., 2005, What about Time in Urban Planning & Design in the ICT age? , CORP, Delft, The Netherlands.

Dupuy, Gabriel, 1991, L’urbanisme des Reseaux – Theories et Méthodes, Armand Colin, Éditeur, Paris

Hoete, A. (ed.), 2003, ROAM Reader On the Aesthetics of Mobility, Black Dog Publishing London New York.
Klaasen I., Remon R., Van Schaick J., 2007, Network Cities: operationalising a strong but confusing concept, http://www.enhr2007rotterdam.nl/documents/W20_paper_Klaasen_Rooij_VanSchaick.pdf

Koolhaas,R., 1995, Cities S,M,L,XL, Monacelli PressNew York.

Miller, J., 1997, Floods, people at risk, strategies for prevention, United Nations, New York.
US, 95p.
Reda J., 1977, Les Ruines de Paris, Paris, Gallimard, coll. Le Chemin.

Saunders, D., 1977, An Introduction to Biological Rhythms, Blackie and Son Limited, Glasgow, UK.

Thwaites K., Porta S., Romice O., Greaves M., 2007, Urban Sustainability through Environmental Design – Approaches to time-people-place responsive urban spaces, Routledge London & New York.