Comments on Pretty Good City: On Masdar

surely removing these barriers to communities is a...

2010-07-02T07:18:29.295-04:00

surely removing these barriers to communities is a good thing. I think gated communities have a terrible effect on an area, they stop people getting to know their neighbours and facilitate anti social behaviour. what is gained by locking yourself away from the rest of the city, except self inflicted segregation

@ "auto-based access leads to people's de...

2009-10-19T15:43:49.397-04:00

@ "auto-based access leads to people's desires to build cul-de-sacs and wall off communities."

Couldn't you also say the same thing about electricity and water?

The station spacing in the Masdar transit system is 400m -- close to the 562m spacing of stations in the Paris Metro system. I wouldn't call Paris "homogenized."

The reason that I'm pessimistic with the PRT h...

2009-06-11T13:03:47.580-04:00

The reason that I'm pessimistic with the PRT has both to do with the homogonizing effects and also the seeming disconnect with the private nature of arab culture. Though the New Urbanists detest them, cul-de-sacs and gated compounds were a ubiquitus feature in traditional arabic cities. Foster did extensive studies of other ancient arabic cities, so it comes as a surprise that he would step out of that model so strongly when it comes to access.

Though distant villas have replaced urban compounds, arabic culture (at least in these very wealthy places) is still very closed.

This place was designed to be comfortable for transient westerners, after all, they are the ones who'll be running all the research shops.

As for that building, I have no idea. It seems to appear on some renderings but not others.

By the way, do you know what the large white three...

2009-06-10T12:42:04.417-04:00

By the way, do you know what the large white three-lobed structure in the center of the photo (not the city) is?

Looks impressive. I think you're being too pes...

2009-06-10T12:21:01.839-04:00

Looks impressive. I think you're being too pessimistic about the number of PRT stops though. People will still walk and areas will still develop their own character.