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**History of Architecture Study Note**

**Formalism in Architecture:**
- Definition: Emphasizes manipulation and relationship of forms
as primary in architectural design.
- Characteristics:
1. Classical Elements: Incorporates columns, arches, and
pediments from ancient Greek and Roman architecture.
2. Strict Symmetry: Exhibits mirrored design elements on
both sides of a building.
3. Building Proportion and Scale: Achieves harmonious
proportions and appropriate scale.
4. Use of Rich Materials: Utilizes luxurious materials like
marble, granite, or high-quality imitations.
5. Modern Monumentality: Aims for significance and presence
in the urban or natural landscape.
6. Smooth Wall Surfaces: Features clean lines and minimal
ornamentation.
7. Delicacy of Details: Showcases precise detailing in
elements like cornices and window frames.
8. Formal Landscape: Integrates formal landscapes with pools,
fountains, and sculptures.

**Functionalism in Architecture:**
- Definition: Design based on intended function over aesthetic
considerations.
- Principles:
1. Design Based on Purpose: Solely based on intended function.
2. Practical Considerations: Prioritizes use, material, and
structure.
3. Connection to Socialism and Humanism: Aims to improve
lives through architecture.
4. Optimum Combination of Firmitas, Utilitas, and Venustas:
Balances solidity, functionality, and beauty.
**Function and Form in Architecture:**
- Architecture involves harmonizing forms and spaces.
- Two Approaches:
1. Function Following Form: Shape determines function, may
include prominent ornamentation.
2. Form Following Function: Function dictates form, minimal
ornamentation favored.

**Influential Architects:**
- Antoni Gaudí, Louis Sullivan, Adolf Loos.

**Modernist Architecture:**
- Emphasizes function, simplification of form, and elimination
of ornamentation.
- Guiding Principle: "Form follows function."
- Inspired by industrial objects and machines.
- Types of Function: Pragmatic, Circulatory, Symbolic,
Psychological, Cultural.

**Louis Kahn's Ideas:**


- Emphasized distinction between "served" and "servant"
spaces.
- Architecture should engage with human life beyond function.

**Contextual Considerations:**
- Despite modernism, cultural and contextual harmony remains
important.

**Metabolism in Architecture:**
- Originated in Japan post-WWII.
- Concept of buildings and cities as living organisms.
- Focuses on renewal, regeneration, and spatial relationships.
- Notions of war, loss, and individual empowerment influential.
**Neoclassical Architecture:**
- Emerged as a reaction against Rococo style.
- Emphasizes classical forms, grandeur, and simplicity.
- Key Features: Columns, symmetry, geometric forms.

**Brutalism Architecture:**
- Emerged post-WWII in Great Britain.
- Philosophy of simplicity, honesty, and functionality.
- Characterized by raw concrete, clear structure, and minimal
decoration.

**Structuralism in Architecture:**
- Originated from CIAM and Team 10.
- Emphasizes structure-function relationship and user
participation.
- Aims for dynamic spaces and community engagement.

**Deconstructivism in Architecture:**
- Postmodern movement emerged in the 1980s.
- Characterized by fragmentation, unpredictability, and
controlled chaos.
- Challenges established architectural conventions and rules.

Title: Architecture and Demography: Key Concepts and


Interventions

Demography:
- Demography studies human populations, analyzing their size,
structure, and movements.
- It draws on various fields and provides insights into social,
cultural, and economic trends.
- Data analysis is crucial for effective demographic studies.

Demographic Transition:
- Pre-transition: High birth and death rates, "young" age
structure.
- Post-transition: Declining birth rates, increased life
expectancy, "older" age structure.

Definitions of Urban Housing:


- UN definition: Residential unit with specific facilities and
services.
- Housing encompasses not only the physical structure but also
the connections within the community.

Housing and Human Needs:


- Physical needs: Protection from elements, shelter, and basic
amenities.
- Psychological needs: Love, belonging, privacy, comfort, and
self-expression.

Importance of Housing:
- Provides privacy, security, and protection.
- Contributes to health, well-being, and overall development.
- Acts as an investment and asset.

Relationship between Housing and Urbanization:


- Urbanization: Concentration of population in urban areas.
- Urban growth: Increase in urban population or physical
expansion.
- Urbanism: Urban lifestyle and its impact on economic
structures and behavior.

Housing and Government Responsibilities:


- Governments have a responsibility to ensure decent and
affordable housing.
- Approaches include direct provision, public support, and
partnerships with non-public actors.
Distribution of Housing Assets:
- Houses serve as assets that impact individuals' life chances.
- Rising house prices can affect wealth distribution.

Social and Economic Benefits of Housing:


- Meets basic needs, provides capital and additional income.
- Acts as social security and promotes wealth distribution.
- Contributes to sustainable societies and economic
development.

Characteristics of the Urban Housing Market:


- Heterogeneous and multidimensional nature of housing.
- Serves as both a consumer good and investment.
- Location, amenities, and neighborhood influence housing
prices.

Determining the Equilibrium Price of a Dwelling:


- Factors such as location, size, age, and amenities influence
housing prices.
- Hedonic approach analyzes the price of each component in
the housing bundle.

Urban Housing Problems and Interventions:


- Unaffordability, demand-supply gap, houselessness,
overcrowdedness, and informal settlements.
- Interventions include increasing affordable housing supply,
supportive programs, and improved urban planning.

Learning from the Past:


- Anti-urbanization policies have been ineffective.
- Successful strategies include subsidized housing programs
and private sector involvement.

Urban Housing Policies:


- Policies focus on decentralization, market reforms, urban
governance, and infrastructure.
- Aim to address housing problems, improve land management,
and promote employment opportunities.

**City Development Study Note**

**Charter of the New Urbanism:**


- Framework:
- Manifesto outlining beliefs about urban development and
culture.
- Principles articulated at different scales: Region,
Metropolis, City, Town; Neighborhood, District, Corridor;
Block, Street, Building.
- Challenges:
- Disinvestment in central cities.
- Sprawl and segregation.
- Environmental degradation.
- Solutions:
- Diverse neighborhoods and populations.
- Design for pedestrians, transit, and cars.
- Emphasis on public spaces and community institutions.
- Architecture and landscape celebrating local history and
ecology.

**Urban Form and Architecture:**


- Urban Space Definition:
- Buildings and landscape frame spaces, creating shared areas.
- Analysis:
- Understanding urban forces is integral to architectural
design.
- Considerations include adjacent buildings, scale,
fenestration patterns, pedestrian experience, and views.
- Objectives:
- Walkability, multi-modal mobility, mixed-use development,
ecological awareness.
- Strategies:
- Infrastructure of public spaces.
- Building design as urban room walls.
- Creation of distinct "places" within generic urban spaces.
- High-quality pedestrian environments.

**Smart City Concept:**


- Definition:
- Integration of digital technology across city functions.
- Critical Areas Managed:
1. Physical Infrastructure.
2. Civic Governance.
3. Economic Development.
- Goals:
- Sustainable economic and physical development.
- Efficient management of transport, energy, public safety,
and environmental protection.
- Promoting innovation, civic engagement, and knowledge-
based economy.

Urban Development and Architecture:

Manifesto Framework:

Beliefs and assertions about urban life, development, and


culture are articulated, emphasizing the relationship between
urban areas and the natural world.
Three sections define design and development principles at
different scales: region/metropolis/city/town,
neighborhood/district/corridor, and block/street/building.

Principles:
Emphasis on diverse neighborhoods and communities designed
for pedestrians, transit, and cars.
Importance of universally accessible public spaces and
community institutions.
Urban places should celebrate local history, climate, ecology,
and building practices.

Regional Development:

Metropolitan regions defined by geographic boundaries derived


from topography, watersheds, etc.
Metropolitan areas are economic units requiring cooperation in
planning and policy.
Emphasis on the relationship between urban areas and agrarian
hinterlands.

Neighborhood and District Development:

Neighborhoods, districts, and corridors are essential elements


of development.
Emphasis on compact, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use
neighborhoods.
Economic health and evolution can be improved through urban
design codes.

Block, Street, and Building Development:

Urban architecture and landscape design should define streets


and public spaces.
Seamless integration of individual architectural projects with
surroundings.
Design should reflect local climate, topography, history, and
building practices.
Economic Development:
Smart City Concept:

Definition of a smart city as one with digital technology


embedded across all functions.
Smart cities utilize ICTs to manage physical infrastructure,
civic governance, and economic development.

Strategies for Urban Design:

Walkability, multi-modal mobility, mixed-use development, and


ecological awareness are key objectives.
Strategies include creating functional public spaces, designing
buildings as urban walls, creating a sense of place, and
prioritizing pedestrian environments.
Overall, the document promotes a holistic approach to urban
development and design, integrating economic, social, and
environmental considerations. It emphasizes creating vibrant,
sustainable, and inclusive communities through thoughtful
planning and design.

The document provides a comprehensive overview of various


aspects related to demographic trends, urban housing,
urbanization, and urban development, particularly in the
context of Ethiopia. Here's a breakdown of the key points:
Demographic Trends:

Definition and Importance of Demography:

Study of human population size, structure, and movement.


Utilizes methods from various disciplines like history,
economics, anthropology, etc.
Vital for analyzing and predicting social, cultural, and economic
trends.

Demographic Transition:

Describes the shift from high birth and death rates to low
birth and death rates.
Leads to population aging with fewer births and longer life
expectancy.
Urban Housing:

Definition and Concepts:

UN defines housing with specific criteria including amenities


and services.
Housing is not just shelter but also includes various aspects
like community, regulations, and cost-benefit analysis.

Housing and Urbanization in Ethiopia:

International definitions and standards may not fully align with


local conditions.
Housing reflects household income and local socio-economic
conditions.
Housing fulfills both physical and psychological needs and is
crucial for overall well-being and economic development.
Urbanization and Urban Development:

Concepts and Definitions:

Urbanization: Concentration of population in urban areas.


Urban growth: Absolute increase in urban population or
physical expansion of urban areas.
Urban development: Improvement in living standards through
economic, social, and physical changes.
Housing Market and Policies:

Housing is heterogeneous, durable, and spatially fixed,


affecting its supply and demand dynamics.
Government intervention and policies influence housing
provision, including direct provision, public-private
partnerships, and support for demand or supply.

Urban Housing Problems and Interventions:

Challenges include affordability, housing demand-supply gap,


homelessness, overcrowding, and informal settlements.
Past interventions like anti-urbanization policies and subsidized
housing have had mixed success.

Ethiopian Housing Policies:

Decentralization and market reforms aimed at improving urban


governance, land access, and housing provision.
Government strategies focus on poverty reduction,
infrastructure development, employment, and environmental
concerns.
Overall, the document highlights the complex interplay
between demographic trends, urbanization, housing dynamics,
and government policies in Ethiopia, underscoring the need for
tailored approaches to address housing challenges and promote
sustainable urban development.

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