August 28, 2005
bad urban development
A quick note for those wired professionals on the go who have an aesthetic sense and care about good design.
From an exhibition at the Melbourne Centre for Contemporary Photography. There is little online.
It's an upbeart image to juxtapose to my sour note about the high density development--blocks of units and apartments---that are popping up everywhere in our cities. This high density housing is a future mode of urban living, but most of them are poorly sited, badly built, compartmentalised blocks for those on limited incomes.
It need not be that way. What we are not seeing much of in Australia is the European model of 4-6 story blocks with courtyards, different sizes of flats/apartments and mix of people.
A poorly regulated development industry is throwing up poorly designed buildings that jam people together without any sense of community or urban village like ethos.
There is little urban planning because state and local government's lack the expertise to facilitate change to a better mode of urban life.
So we live badly in terms of dwelling.