Formulary for a New Urbanism: Rethinking the City

The common theme between the Saddler and McDonough articles is the idea of psychogeography and reconstructing cities. ( The McDonough's article did not fully explain the theories behind situationalism). Both talked about how society is reflected in the pieces, but while McDonough's article mostly focused on the painting "The Naked City," Saddler talked and explained more what situationism was (the complex effects of space and architecture).

Psychogeorgaphy still struggling to emerge from the shadows of academic geography. Psychogeography showed the social geography of the city. The Saddler article also talked about "The Naked City," but used it to better explain situationism. "Situationists uncovered the social body of 'The Naked City' by becoming streetwise." Saddler also talked about the piece in realtion to "drifting." All the arrows are not routine, ordered ways to "travel." This word alerts people that they are stuck in the routine of life when they could have a "loose lifestyle." The habitual and repetitiveness of the everyday is not present when talking about "drift."

After reading the Saddler article, the McDonough article makes more sense and everything fits into place. This article better explains the concept. "Situationists demanded a quality beyond that of mere habitat; they sought out the unite d'ambiance- an area of particularly intese urban atmosphere."

Questions:
1. When relating to the painting "Destruction of the Vendome Column," how does erasing relate to situationism (confused me a bit)?
2. Language and the painting "Saint Ghetto des Prets."

Situationalism Again

Sadler's article was a lot easier for me to understand, and I was able to comprehend the meaning of a situationalist better. Sadler gives his audience a better background to situationalism by describing psychogeography, which is how inhabitants, in this case Parisians, are affected emotionally and behaviorly by their environment. Unlike McDonough's term “derives,” Sadler names the people “drifters.” This name is more straightforward and clear because it literally describes what the people are doing; they are drifting away from the conventional view of the city. McDonough goes on about refuting traditional academic geography, while Sadler gives some reasoning behind the refute and the reader can actually put themselves in the position of a Parisian instead of feeling like “The Naked City” is such a outlandish radical movement. However, both Sadler and McDonough discuss how status lines are hidden and the people of Paris are a just one homogeneous blur.

Q1: What does Sadler want to provoke from his reader?

Q2: What is the difference between “The Naked City” and the normal map if they both give an omniscient overlooking of the city?

Formulary for a New Urbanism

I think it's mostly due to writing style (or maybe this subject has had more time to sit and stir in my head), but when I read McDonough's article last week I mostly just took away one singular message - to change space, defy cultural and social repression by rethinking man's actions. Sadler defined so much more to this theme of psychogeography and reconstructing cities. He emphasized a lot of contrasts - between nature and what is man-made, between open and closed spaces, light, soft and dark, hard elements on the street. He spoke of experiencing "the sublime" and illustrated how "picturesque" evolved into "situationalism". Last week when McDonough discussed wandering through the city, and the concept of the derive, I mostly just perceived chaos, disorder, and through that, assumed an unconventional creativity. Here in this article, when Sadler talks about the drift as "a combination of chance and planning that reached various stages of equilibirium" I saw more of a flow that was understandable yet still creative -"an organized spontaneity" as he puts it. He also acknowledges that Situationalism isn't about completely letting go, this is impossible in any context, and was what I was confused about last week in class.

Question1: Some things I think Sadler still left confusing... when he was describing the blank spaces and red arrows of The Naked City what did he mean when he said that the drifters would find the psychogeographical slopes meeting them naturally?

Question2: The struggle of social geography against academic geography has a purpose... but how is progress and change measured?

Rethinking the City: More on Situationalists

Sadler's article was much more satisfying to me. After reading his piece, I feel as though I actually understand Situationalism and I do not regard the movement as radically as I did after reading McDonough's article. The Naked City was a little confusing and hard to follow while reading McDonough, yet after the explanation of the drifter and an in depth look into unities of ambiance, I am able to place myself in Paris at the time. Sadler clearly explains the freedom associated with situationalism. I thought it was especially interesting that situationalists draw inspiration from the raw materials of the existing city (217). McDonough's article did not fully explain the theories behind situationalism, therefore not allowing me to fully appreciate and grasp what the map was meant to encourage and the spirit it possessed. I like the idea that situationalism is meant to inspire and maintain the ability to be creative: "even if fixed form could be discovered and isolated it would be an impediment to the dynamics of creativity" (227). These discussions of creativity, lack of fixed form, exploration of alien quarters, and total destruction of religious spaces helped me to fully understand the foundation and intentions of Situationalism, and resolutely, appreciate the movement more.


1. If situationalists believe in the drift and freedom, why would the Naked City include all the arrows?

2. How exactly would the idea of treating prisoners and visitor as one in the same work?

Formulary for a New Urbanism: Rethinking the City

For me, Simon Sadler's article allowed for a better understanding of Situationist thought. Whereas McDonough's Situationist Space seemed to focus solely on The Naked City by Guy Dubord, this article was able to explain more thoroughly through the use of more areas and examples. In addition, Sadler cleared up some questions I had from McDonough's article, such as what constitutes a "unity of atmosphere" (Sadler used the word "ambience" instead, which for some reason gave me a whole new perspective on the concept). In addition, Sadler emphasizes the role of the "drifter," clarifying further the motivation of Situationist thinkers for experimental play, open anarchy, a free-wheeling disregard for capitalistic rules and rationale. McDonough talks about this in his article, but uses the word "inhabit" instead of "drift" (unless I'm confusing things and that's a totally different idea), which was not particularly unclear, but I was able to associate "drifting" with experimental behavior much more than "inhabiting."

Perhaps it was simply the more advanced language used in McDonough's article or the fact that we discussed Situationism in class last week, but I found Sadler's article much easier to follow. I loved the discussion of sublime art, appreciating the ugly, exploring neglected areas, and spontaneous, chance discoveries. I think it's quite funny and respectable how these thinkers have influenced others, such as the example of sexual grafitti on the streets (80), and I admire their rebellion against those imposing order and control upon their freedoms, although I can't help but think that they aren't/weren't really making that much of an impact.

Q1: Sadler mentions "the ways in which citizens perceive and interact with their city by first 'imaging' it in their minds" in respect to "cognitive mapping" (92), but I still do not understand this idea. What exactly is its connection to psychogeography? What's a "cognitive city"?

Q2: I understand how Situationist thought can be applied to language, but what were they trying to accomplish? The demolition of organized language?

Also, happy birthday, Ryan! :)

"Formulary for a New Urbanism: Rethinking the City"

"The Naked City" outlines the situationist outlook of the urban environment as it occured in the mid 1900's, in comparison to "'Formulary for a New Urbanism," which examines situationist ideals for the city and for city living. In "The Naked City," McDonough describes the naked city as an alternative view with violent interpretations. He describes the Situationalists as a conceptual art movement that values visuality over stabilization. In this article, McDonough does not go into great analysis of the artwork, but Simon Sadler does in the article, "Formulary for a New Urbanism." He analizes the art giving the reader a better understanding of what psychogeography really means. Psychogeography is the study of the effects that the environment has on the emotions and behaviors of people moving in and out of the city. Sadler calls the people drifters- they were a new way to interpret the city. These drifters are very similar to the derives that McDonough speaks of. Sadler also informs the reader of the meaning behind the naked city. Debord and Jorn wanted to try and put the viewer at ease with the city by mapping the city in a disorderly fashion. 

If Debord and Jorn wanted the Naked City to put the spectator at ease, the map they created does not put me at ease. why did they think it would evoke these thoughts?

what does it mean by the "unities of ambiance"? 

situationist space

ITS MY BIRTHDAY TODAY....WOOOOOH (dont grade this too hard...its my birthday)

The concept of situationist art and the mission of what their architecture should do with urban space is confusing and sometimes contradictory. The article starts by saying that situationist architecture should "revolutionize everyday life and release the ordinary citizen into a world of experiment, anarchy, and play." Now, when thinking of Debord's naked city one can see how the object of the derive and psychogeographical mapping leads to a playful experiment based on individual movements throughout the city. However, later in the article the idea of aesthetics arises and what situationist art should look like. My problem is that if the art is meant to disorient people in a sense so that they are forced to experiment there can be no particular or certain form of the art. In the article, it says that the art should look sublime and cause awe or melancholy but at the same time it should emphasize ugly attributes of the picturesque. It seems like a lot of the objectives of situationists is contradictory to each other, and maybe that's the point after all since it causes experiment, play, and anarchy.

The other thing that i think is problematic for the situationists is that they are trying to transform the ordinary citizen, except an ordinary citizen probably could not understand the jargon used by the artists. It seems that only a certain class of people would have the oppotunity to learn and read teh situationist peices, and so it oculd not actually revolutionize lower classes. In fact, it seems that it should be for lower classes and the people being oppressed, but they probably do not get their hands on the situationist information. It is almost like preaching to the choir i feel.