When flying across the Alps that evening, I was seeing the beautiful snow caps and take with me a freeze frame in my mind, just how wonderful the world is. And that gives me a sense of awareness, how this journey to Venice would be a different experience than many others. The journey from Weimar took almost 12 hours by it self to reach Venice in the evening, but this time I would bring with me a moment of architect’s soul in me.

bienalle venice 2008

The site was the whole Venice island, and as I choose only to see the architecture exhibition (there were also art, music, dance, cinema, and theatre), we decided to go to Arsenale where the architecture exhibition is and then later on to Giardini, where the pavilions of many countries are.

This year’s Biennale is titled “Architecture Beyond Building”. And so as an entrance in Arsenale, was this area where words have no meaning, the sight was so overwhelmingly emotional that I felt a rush of love for architecture in my vein punctured my heart. The entrance area was a dark space, with calming music and two arched screen on which projections of forms in colors and light were mingled in harmony. It made me feel as if I’m in an architectural heaven and it was by far the most probable of how it would look like.

Each step after that was more spectacular, well if you see things on a website, you might only feel as it can be only 3d models, but being there and can actually touch and feel them, was a surreal thing. The place for this was an unused area of dock or may say docklands. It was already disheveling and bad in condition, but the space that was created in it would make us think, this is a sight you would never imagined to be in, when it was only old storage rooms. The ceilings of these spaces are high, which let the creativity of architects run free.

Ideas have no limits here; this time the essence of architecture is being recaptured. What each architect’s opinion is important to what the result of their creation, and mainly we are talking about space here, not form, not building, because that is where the term got mixed up. Architects stars such as; Zaha Hadid, Frank O Gehry, Coop Himmel Blau, An Te Liu and so many others are congregated in this event. It is of no surprise that the ambience of creativities is alarmingly high.

Another point that was also being presented there was the emergence of urban design and planning. Whether we like it or not, our actions as an architect give an influence to a higher level of planning. And that is where urban design is translated as beyond building, which is a branch of this architecture exposition.

In Giardini, many of the countries who are participating in this exhibition do use some famous architects, but mainly also from educational side (university levels). Therefore it was quite a contrast between these two, but both are equally mesmerizing and enchanting. In this area, each country has its own building; many European countries are participating, but some Asian countries have their pavilions near the Arsenale main building. May be it was due to site’s and space limitation, but all in all, it was a very big show of force in architecture creativity.

I particularly like the Italian pavilion; it was very large of course, since they are the host. It also presenting so many pixels of its new architecture feature embeds with the theme of this biennale. The Danish pavilion would be my second choice with the giant globe and interactive tools. After that comes the Belgian, even though the show case it self was empty. The title was “after the party” it lays the understanding of a space of fun, interpreted by the tons of this confetti on its floor. It brought up some marks for its visitor, a mark that we have visited the Belgian’s party. A sweet reminder; try to have as much fun as possible by throwing confetti in the air, and see how the effect clench your heart. The rest have lacked the positive energy one should try to put up on this type of exhibition.

The day ended in a flash of time, when the lights are lighted, the sun sets on the water edge, while a cup of hot vanilla latte was served. Resting on a bench and sip through the drink, my mind was captured in a zen state, absorbing the fantastic creativity environment. I am in love again with architecture for the millionth of times.

It seems though the design has some kind of a regular guide, pavement, reinstallment of railings, dike and of course urban furniture, such as lighting and bench. A pattern is seemed to be obvious as well, that the concern is no longer just to beautify the space, but also to function as an urban space. This attitude is really good, as a riverside or lake-side or beach, usually take up really long walkways and this means that the addition to city’s urban space is abundant along the water.

What should be considered is that the design should support facilities for the ‘diffables’; people with different abilities, especially the needs for standard dimensions. It is not a merely the design that will attract people to use this kind of space, most importantly is the’soul’, which will be added to the space by the activities that the user is doing. So, each city’s waterfront will have their specific ‘trademark’ according to their costum, culture and life.

The ancient architecture of Java blended with Indische style still is available to be seen on the side of the alleys. Things that are physical still stayed the same for the last 25 years or so. But, there are signs of changes once the alley move down wards toward River Code. Feeling uneasy, I found that some old heritage were torn down and replaced with modern style buildings.

Some of the walls are full of graffiti, which are not always pretty. Although the settlers there consider them to be the color of the Kampung (organic or unregulated urban settlements) hence they are a part of the vista. Some I can tolerate, they beautify the scenes and add value to the overall sights. Some are ugly that I will not try to accentuate in this article.

The story of this Kampung started as early as the formation of Yogya in the 17^th century. It was developed under the instruction of the Sultan whose aim was to house the Mataram Kingdom’s soldiers just out side of the Dutch fortress. His order was held by a soldier named Ratmoko, therefore the site was named Ratmkan (in Javanese this means the place of Ratmoko). Although in the development of the city, the site was later being used as steel factory’s dumping site and now being used to housed immigrants and about 400 of the city’s dwellers.

Walking passed under the old roofs and by the old Javanese front doors brought back nostalgia to one’s soul. The Yogya that you’ve known during the last decades is still moving in slow paces there. You can still find urban spaces being used by dwellers even in tightest areas. Communal life is still thick and the strong paguyuban (togetherness) and social tolerance also gotong royong (helping each other; gemeinschaft) spirit. These are the things that are the taste of Javanese society and indigenous fabric of urban Yogya.

Along canals, where water flows, we experience the veins of the old city. The transportation lines filled all the time not just with citizens but also tourists. No matter how the weather is, abundant amount of people still crowding the canals. The sights are unforgettably pretty, full of colors and brings to you enjoyment and merriment. There’s something about the bright colors of the buildings that never contradicted with the water, no matter what the sky looks like. They seemed to be always perfect.

Joining the force of the twilight, the city is an unforgettable sight. Just to see it again would be a blessing for my thirsty architect’s soul. It is a feast for my hungry mood and a recharge of spirit. Canals in Venezia as we already heard functioned as their main transport route. Water buses run around busily on them, not to mention the black beauty gondolas with long oars complete with their oarsmen. Busy as it is, there’s no need to have neither traffic light nor lane divider, the users of these canals know already where to drive, stop, slow or fast.

Magnificent as it is, the canals scenery, a gift for you, my readers on this fine day…

When thinking about an impact of a place that is of a city scale, with many functions and means of usage, we think about an urban space. Particularly in this 2000 year-old city; Bonn, there is the need of the whole urban scale to congregate at one point and through tradition; Germans have been used to using Marktplatz as an urban space even for political reasons.

The lay out of the square is quite similar in any German town, in front of the old Rathaus (City Hall), an opening of square fenced by commercial buildings, such as shops, cafes, and restaurants, even in some cases hotels completed with some kind of statue as a mark for the city.

On the market place social interaction happens and created life atmosphere to the city soul. I spent 3 whole months in Bonn, and at almost twice a month there was always something happening.

This market place has been used for different urban function, such as traditional fruit and vegetable market (regularly open every weekdays), commercial and even cultural events (usually at weekends). The different uses we see for this has told us the liveliness of city and thus created the space called as urban centre. This is a feature any given old European cities.

On the side, there were plenty citizens using the landside to enjoy the scenery and the cool wind.

People chatted; some playing chess, some young couples just simply enjoying their cotton candies, some just sat or read, kids playing around, and some senior citizens complete with their musical instruments are giving out free entertainment.

After my days in Shanghai, Hangzhou has offered a retreat and relieves of the old communal life of the Chinese. The blending of landscape and man-made curvy landside has enriched the value of the lake. It serves as the heart of the city’s life especially in the evening.

Who says that water can only add negative energy when it serves as city centre, certainly in the case of Hangzhou the water it self was full with little oar-boats. Touristy as it is, we should appreciate this effort is a trend created by the citizen. They were the ones who are responsible for the hearty and warm environment on a place. As the trees were fighting the cold, some of their leaves have turned into yellow, red, and brown, yet this does not block the needs to socialize among citizens by the lake-side.

Is there a warmer sight than watching and experiencing this on the end of a cold day?

The site was built as a complex of factories during the fifties and designed by engineers from Germany in Bauhaus style. At that time, chairman Mao Tzetung was in reign and he wanted Chinese industrial development to move forward in fast pace. Cultural Revolution had tried to convert Chinese society from agricultural to industrial based country to Soviet Union, and tried to develop ‘classless society’, where all people work in the same level as education and working ‘background’.

The reuse of old factories in 2002 to art district, art society as a gallery. The combination is quite unique, with the outside appereance of industrial site complete with chimneys, rusty pipes, but on the inside you will find completely different, which is coziness and modern Chinese art. Each of the buildings are naturally lit to create a minimum, because of most the orientation to the north. Also with the characteristic of big rooms and adopting arch form or strong curved line and repeated in big scale. Tunnels between galleries are connected to create an image and lighting inside an old factory, yet it still stood out as an art gallery and not just an old ran down building.

Starting on the north gate, the view we are facing are rows of old buildings with steam coming out of their chimenys. The road was heading east and those exterior forming an unforgetable freeze frame in my mind. This is exactly what an industrial complex should look like, and yet the signage made us realize that we are not in the 50s and contextually we are in the ground of art expressions.

Some of the art installations are explicitely performed outside, for example this statue, representing our realities today, how our real self are hidden behind bars and our consciousness are always compromized.

From many revitalized buildings, my favorite was this restaurant, that change its façade using metal clad as to contrast itself to its surrounding and yet not forget to regard its context.

What I found also quite interesting is the way they treated the passage ways, as to let the history speak it self at the same time accomodating the newness of the gallery. (Photo 4) Or the way they put lighting to emphasize entrance to a gallery and make use of interesting signage designs. (Photo 5)

At the end of a passage way I found a space where special events are usually being held, here the arch character of the old architecture is showing the exposure of a strong bulk design that was the beauty and at the same time the structure of the building.

At the end of the day, we concluded our journey that day with a cup of latte machiatto in a warm café just on the side of the main north street of the complex. An ending of a wonderful insight day, where art appreciation are combined with the architecture touring, which is a feast to my eyes.

Address :

No.4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, dari Dong Zhimen, bus 402, 418, 909, 688, halte Wang Yefen.

More info on:

http://www.798space.com

To begin things, let us first understand what public space really means. According to various sources, the term public space or a public place is a place accessible to anyone regardless of their economic or social conditions, although in its practice, this has not always been the case. Places such as non-government-owned malls are examples of private space appearing to be public. To further understand public space, one must know where public space takes place, or its area of usage. Public space cover most streets, including the pavement or sidewalks. Town squares or parks are also considered to fall under the category of public space. Adding to the list are government buildings such as public libraries, and many other similar buildings. However, not all state-owned buildings fall under this category.

After understanding what public space is all about, it is time to question ourselves with what rights does one have in public space? The answer to such question varies greatly according to time and place. In other words, different places, different rules apply. For example, in Islamic nations, during the holy month of Ramadan, eating and drinking in public space are not appreciated.

Although generally considered that every member of society has a right to access and use public space, as opposed to private space which may have restrictions, there has been some academic interest in how public spaces are managed to exclude certain groups, specifically homeless and young people. Certain measures are then taken to make the public space less attractive to them, including design, and the removal of benches to restrict their use for sleeping and resting, restricting access during certain times, locking indoor/enclosed areas. Authority may some times be involved in removing ‘unwanted’ members of the public from public spaces. Disabled people are also subject of exclusion from certain public areas due to the lack of suitable access.

Public Behavior

After a brief discussion of one’s rights in public space, the next aspect to consider in conjunction to people’s rights in public space is behavior. As the author currently resides in Shanghai, China, he would like to point out a set of general rules that is known to the general public as “Seven Don’ts”. The seven don’ts include the following:

1. Do not expectoration everywhere
2. Do not chuck garbage everywhere
3. Do not attaint public property
4. Do not destroy virescence
5. Do not random through the street
6. Do not smoking in public concourse
7. Do not say four-letter word

From the set of rules we see above, it is clear that although public spaces are accessible to every member of society, there are rules that one must abide by. This set of rules determines which behaviors are acceptable by society’s standards, and which are not. Let us now discuss the rules a little closer. Since the rules presented here were translated literally from Chinese into English, they may seem a bit awkward. Here is the author’s general understanding of the rules:

1. Do not expectoration everywhere (do not expectorate in public): this rule basically points out that people are not permitted to expectorate (spit) wherever their heart wills.
2. Do not chuck garbage everywhere (dispose of garbage properly): a general rule that one can find wherever they go. Garbage must be disposed of in designated spots (rubbish bins)
3. Do not attaint public property (do not deface public property): this rule invites members of society to look after public property/public facilities.
4. Do not destroy virescence (do not disturb other people’s right of a pleasant scenery): rounding up the first three rules, inviting members of society to participate in keeping the public sphere a pleasant place for everyone else.
5. Do not random through the street (do not cross the street at random places): a rule related to safety. One must cross the streets only at designated spots.
6. Do not smoking in public concourse (do not smoke in public places): a very clear and general rule that applies practically all over the world.
7. Do not say four-letter word (do not swear in public): this rule is as vague as it gets before the author had fully understood what is meant by “four-letter word”.

After having fully understood what each and every rule meant, it is time to take a look and discuss each rule closely. The author realized that the rules put together in a way that is not random. It has been put together according to the degree of severe-ness.

1. Do not expectorate in public

It is interesting to find this rule being the first of seven. In an article written by Di Fang which was published in China Daily on March 28^th, 2005, it is said that spitting is what Beijing residents hate most about living in the city, among the multitude of anti-social behavior to be witnessed on a daily basis. An undated photo of a man walking past a public announcement poster published in Shanghai saying “Don’t Spit” was also found in the same article. The poster depicted a man expectorating a small missile instead of saliva on a yellow background. A brief thought given to the poster by the author: the cartoon man in the poster, shown in an ignorant manner symbolizes people breaking the first “don’t” in Shanghai’s “seven don’ts”. The poster clearly states that spitting in public places is an ignorant and anti-social behavior, while the bomb, expectorated from the man’s mouth, though small, has a large impact in the social scene. From this poster it is also clear that spitting hurts China’s overall image, and the existence of this poster has shown that authorities are calling on people to quit this behavior. However, it seems that spitting in public has become a habit for some. This may be related to the statement given by Yang Ling, a Beijing resident, published in the same article:

“I find that few people will spit in their residential district or workplace. Spitting at home goes without saying. But on streets and in other public places such as buses and railway stations, spitting is more common. People believe that home and their residential district are their own places. In workplaces, people care about what people think of them as everybody else will know them, but in public places, due to a lack of supervision, some people believe the environment has nothing to do with them.”

According to this statement, lack of supervision exists in public places. Although authorities have called on people to stop spitting in public places, it seems that their actions can be considered to be lacking in seriousness. If authorities are seriously attempting to put an end to this anti-social behavior, then there should be laws to enforce their concerns. If lack of control still exists, then it can be expected that spitting in public places will continue to exist, and when the author relates the lack of control to the public service announcement poster published in Shanghai, then it is apparent that China is willing to risk their image by allowing public expectoration to continue. Education can also be a powerful tool to help remove public expectoration from the public sphere. It is up to educators to raise public awareness, and coming back to Yang Ling’s statement, where she said that people believe the environment has nothing to do with them, grow a stronger sense of belonging between people and their environment.

2. Dispose of garbage properly

The second “don’t” in Shanghai’s “seven don’ts” can probably be considered as a world wide problem as it exists not only in Shanghai, but basically everywhere all over the world. There’s no need for deep scientific research to prove that improper garbage disposal exists everywhere. This common behavior follows the lack of sense of belonging towards the environment.

3. Do not deface public property

As far as the author’s observation goes, this third “don’t” has been obeyed quite well, at least until one walks in a public toilet. However, when we relate this third “don’t” to the first; can we also consider people who expectorate in public to be defacing public property as well?

4. Do not disturb others’ right of a pleasant scenery

This rule is similar to the previous in some ways, but taking a look back at the first “don’t”, couldn’t we relate public expectoration to the violation of people’s right of beauty?

5. Do not cross the street at random places

The fifth “don’t” concerns public safety. It is reasonable, quite clear, and easy to understand anywhere that people cannot cross the streets wherever they feel like. It is a dangerous action, both for the pedestrian, and motorist. However, as far as the author’s observation goes, if one crosses at a pedestrian crossing, then safety issues are only for pedestrians to consider. Countless times have the author crossed the streets at designated crossing zones, and although the crossing light is green, motorists seem to care less about pedestrians. Therefore, there is almost no difference between pedestrians crossing the streets in random spots, or in designated crossing zones, thus a question comes to mind: why designate a crossing zone when there’s no guarantee of safety either pedestrians cross in the designated zones, or not? Of course some legal power when one gets hit by a vehicle while crossing in the designated crossing zone may exist, but the physical damage has been done, and material compensation is surely not enough to erase the possible psychological traumas.

Still related to vehicle/pedestrian issues, there surely exists a clear segregation between roads and sidewalks. First of all, let us take a look at the general understanding of the term road. This is what Wikipedia has to say: A road is an identifiable route, way or path between two or more places. Roads are typically smoothed, paved, or otherwise prepared to allow easy travel though they need not be, and historically many roads were simply recognizable routes without any formal construction or maintenance. In urban areas roads may pass through a city or village and be named as streets, serving a dual function as urban space easement and route. According to dictionary.com, a road is a long, narrow stretch with a smoothed or paved surface, made for traveling by motor vehicle, carriage, etc., between two or more points; street or highway. Whereas a sidewalk is defined as follows: A sidewalk (chiefly North American English), pavement (British English and Philadelphia dialect), footpath (Australian English, British English, Irish English, Indian English and New Zealand English) or footway (Engineering term) is a path for pedestrians that is situated alongside a road or formed like sidewalks that are alongside roads (such as a cement footpath through a park). They are usually constructed of concrete (particularly in the United States and Canada), asphalt, brick (particularly in Europe), stone or (increasingly) rubber, are designed for pedestrian traffic and are often found running alongside a road.

Notice how the author has underlined the words pedestrian traffic? It is apparent to the author that sidewalks, or footpaths, exist especially to cater to pedestrians’ needs, whereas roads cater especially to motorized vehicles. This, however, is not the case here in Shanghai. One can still see some friction between pedestrians, and motorized vehicles on the sidewalks.

6. Do not smoke in public places

Smoking in public comes down to individual versus society rights. Will the individual have control over society’s rights if they are allowed to smoke, or is it possible for society to ban smoking in public for the good of everyone else? The rationale to ban smoking in public places is of course to protect society from the harmful risks of second-hand smoke. Many countries have introduced smoking bans in enclosed spaces in various forms throughout the years, citing scientific proof of the harms that smoking does to one’s health regardless whether one is an active smoker, or a second-hand smoker. Another rationale of banning smoking in public space is to reduce the overall health care costs in a short term. It seems, although existing in the list of “don’ts” in Shanghai that society leans towards the rights of the individual, which is to allow smokers to smoke in public places. This is a discussion that continues to take place all over the world. However, seeing that smoking restrictions exist in the list of “don’ts” then Shanghai authorities should take measures in living up to their decision to ban smoking in public by either imposing heavy fines on those who smoke in public, or providing special areas for people to smoke in.

7. Do not swear in public

As we come to the final point of discussion, the author would firstly like to introduce the concept of a swear word to readers. A swear word is a word considered indecent and inappropriate in polite contexts which exists in most languages and cultures. These linguistic taboos are spawned from social taboos. As the author’s linguistic abilities are limited, he will use examples in English. In English, linguistic taboos generally surround blasphemy or obscenity. In the case of obscenity, the link between forbidden words and forbidden actions is illustrated by the fact that there is a surprisingly close correlation between the degree to which a word is deemed unacceptable, and the degree to which the action that it denotes is also considered publicly unacceptable. Thus, to burp or fart is considered only mildly offensive, and as a result these terms is not used as swear words. To s**t or f**k in public, however, would generally be deemed highly inappropriate and this is reflected by the taboos surrounding these words.

Of course, even when the subject matter being described is highly obscene, some words are considered to be significantly more offensive than others. There is a general conception that there is no true synonym in English, and in the case of obscenity, that appears to be true. The words copulate and f**k share the same denotative meaning, but their connotations are notably different, with the first term being a biological terminology, and the second being crude and contemptuous, and this is where the significant difference is located.

There is a widespread public association between swearing and social class, and many of those who criticize the habit most strongly do so because they believe it to be a ‘common’ and unrefined habit. It may be fair to say that many regular swearers come from anarchic or lower-class backgrounds, and that they swear primarily as a means of distancing themselves from mainstream society and affirming their position as a member of a particular social group. However, many famous swearers do not come from such backgrounds, and even English monarchs and American Presidents have been known to participate in the habit.

Having this pointed out in the “seven don’ts” is a direct attempt to avoid having the Shanghai citizens judged as being harsh, and uncivilized. However, we must view this matter in such a perspective that public swearing is, although disturbing, a very powerful tool to express extreme emotion, and swear words are also able to achieve effects that are difficult to create in more legitimate, or socially acceptable ways. Swearing may also be beneficial as a means of relieving anger, and some studies have indicated that those who swear regularly suffer less from stress than those who do not. When used in moderation, therefore it is safe to conclude that swearing is a valuable part of language. Excessive use, however, is less commendable, as not only it is tedious, but gradually diminishes the impact of the words involved, and as for the offense that may result from the explicit or blasphemous denotations of many swear words, this is a question of individual morals.

Conclusion

From the discussions above, it is hard to say exactly whether or not the “seven don’ts” has been obeyed by local citizens. For example, the first “don’t”, which is “do not expectorate in public”, seems to be an issue not just in Shanghai, but also a problem in Beijing. Other cities which the author had visited (e.g. Shijiazhuang and Zhengding), though not mentioned within the main discussion text, also seemed to face the same problem. As mentioned before, authorities have called upon the public to quit this habit by publishing public service announcement posters. However, these posters seem to have done little in even reducing the amount of people ‘involved’ in the habit. Public expectoration can still be seen on a daily basis. It is also possible, according to the author’s point of view, to relate the first “don’t” to the third, and the fourth “don’ts”. Public expectoration can be considered as defacing public property. Aren’t the roads, and sidewalks part of public property? And isn’t it up to every member of the society to look after it? Surely we cannot just rely on people employed by the authorities to clean up after our own mess. Public expectoration, when related to the third “don’t”, which is “Do not disturb other people’s right of a beautiful scenery”, can be deducted as the following: everyone has a right to enjoy pleasant scenery wherever they are. And though may be not directly related to the cityscape, performing bad habits such as expectorating in public may be considered as a direct violation of that right. So this means that whenever someone expectorates in public, they are not only violating the first “don’t”, but they are also violating the third, and the fourth.

The second “don’t”, which tells people to dispose of garbage properly, can also be closely related to the third, and the fourth. Having garbage all over the streets, and sidewalks can be said as defacing public property, and can also be said as a violation to other people’s right of pleasant scenery.

Observing the relationship between the first, second, third, and fourth “don’ts”, it is scary to think that one action can mean a violation of three different rules at the same time. And it is a shame to know that people still violate these four “don’ts”.

Coming to the fifth “don’t”, which regulates people not to cross the street in random places. The case may be, that people see no difference between crossing the street in pedestrian crossing zone, and outside the pedestrian crossing zone, since the risk of being hit by a vehicle is basically the same.

The sixth and seventh “don’ts” question each individual’s own morals. However, with the sixth “don’t”, a stronger law may be passed to further enforce it.

The author is more than happy to see such public restrictions exist, though better measures can be taken to implement these restrictions, such as passing laws, imposing fines to those who violate them, or even put together a special task force to watch over society, making sure that the “seven don’ts” are respected.

Putting together a special task force can also provide jobs for those who are currently unemployed, therefore covering two issues, the first being social behavior, and the other being unemployment, with one simple method. With the “seven don’ts” being obeyed respectively, and laws to enforce it, then the author is certain that Shanghai can look forward to a much better and harmonious future. And with the 2010 Shanghai Expo just around the corner, China doesn’t have to worry about having its image tainted face in front of the whole world because of petty things such as bad public behavior.

Edited from Ariyanti (2008): “Themed Town, Thames Town” an unpublished article for Campus of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University, Shanghai

It was a cloudy Saturday and our group of formerly 14 people has been reduced to 8 from the morning visit to Anting New Town. Exhausted, we found out that Thames Town is really far out from to the other direction, the only way to get there was with a cab, since our limited Chinese, we asked our friend to instruct the taxi driver how to get there. After another 40 minutes ride, we arrived at the compound, surrounded by fences, waterways and empty boulevards, the town was a place separated from its surrounding.

My first impression of the city was, how serene and quite it was. Then the architectural images sprang into my mind, the red brick Victorian style houses were aligned in rows and curved streets. We went into one of the fenced compound just on the out skirt of the “town”, and found out that those red brick used there were not actual red brick, they were tiles plastered on concrete wall. This had already brought realization into my mind. It was not what it seemed to be, this place was only a copy of an English styled town.

It was obvious that in the same moment, I remembered an excerpt from Sorkin,[1] he compared between cities that we have today with the EPCOT Disneyworld. The development is changing toward this new kind of ideal city, where you will have many kinds of differences tolerated and even accepted, less crime, hygienic life, and fantasy is received as a seed of future and not some crazy dream. Though he also mentioned that Disneyzone is not at all urban, it might invoke urbanism but it has not the real impact on the space created by the concept, it is in a sense just a conceptual place and not really a physical space. This place is exactly what Sorkin described and to be honest it is a nice place to live in. Of course it also lacked of authenticity, but it terms of ideal, I can assume that the place is safe and also clean.

Just as we moved though the space, there is something missing, there is no such thing as urban life happening on the street as what the usual town life has. Moreover, the fence around the compound gave us a surprise, since we cannot randomly go out of one compound to visit the next one; only one gate was open, which is the main one. At that time, it felt as if the town is a caged community, where you can see the view of the opponent neighbor, but cannot mingle with them straight away.

[1] Sorkin, Michael (1992):”See You in Disneyland” in Variations on a Theme Park: The New American City and the End of Public Space, New York: The Noonday Press.

Wenn Mann ein Gedachtnis hat, über die Benutzung auf ein Platz, die viele Bedeutung und Moglichkeiten haben, kann man nicht so weit denken besonders in Bonn, als der Markplatz. Die Bestehung des Markplatzes in ueberall Europa hat signifikan Bedeutung. Es ist der Platz für die Bürgern und gibt wichtigen Auswirkungen an der Stadt. Besonders in dieser 2000 jaehrige Stadt; Bonn. Der Marktplatz in Deutschentradition hat eine wichtige Rolle als urbanen Raum, kaum fuer polistische Mittel.

Der Marktplatz ist genau so wie in anderer deutsche Städte, im Zentrum der Stadt, ein qudratischer Form; gleich gegen ueber das (alte) Rathaus mit der Statue oder etwas als Landmarkt der Stadt in Zentrum des Platzes, auch umgeben von kommerziellen Gebäude, wie Restaurant, Cinema, Handels, usw.

Am Markt passiert viele Funktionen, die in drei Monate in Bonn mir die Erfahrung gegeben hat. Fast jede 2 Wochen am Wochenende gibt es am Marktplatz etwas neues. An Wochentage gibt dort tradiotionale Markt mit viele verschiedene Frücthe und Gemüse- Handels. Sonst am Wochenende viele verschiedene Veranstaltungen, z.B. kulterellen Tag und kommerzielen Event gibt. Markplatz ist ein urbanisches Zentrum als allgemeines Feature in einer europäische Stadt.