The question of gentrification The question of gentrification is made complex by the fact that the urban qualities it produces—lively street life, profuse commerce, preservation and upgrading of old buildings—are highly desirable, the substrate of urbanity. The problem with gentrification is with its particulars and with its effects. Gentrification suppresses reciprocity by its narrowed scripting of formal and social behavior, by turning neighborhoods into Disneylands or Colonial Williamsburgs, where residents become cast members and the rituals of everyday life become spectacle or food for consumption. Michael Sorkin, 20 Minutes in Manhattan gentrificationurbanism
21. Four-Story Limit Problem There is abundant evidence to show that high buildings make people crazy. Solution In any urban area, no matter how dense, keep the majority of buildings four stories high or less. It is possible that certain buildings should exceed this limit, but they should never be buildings for human habitation. Christopher Alexander, Murray Silverstein & Sara Ishikawa, A Pattern Language In every skyscraperIt begins with a trip down the stairsLow wooden silhouettesSkyscrapers are frowned upon citiesurbanismhome