The planners paradox Evolution of Cities. Life Sciences Essay

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15 December 2018
Evolution of Cities
Cities have continued to evolve throughout human history, from the ancient Greek cities to the megacities of today. However, the design has always been a major problem in cities ever since. This paper looks into how various architects in the 20th century came up with solutions to problems facing cities at the time.
In the book, Cities in Evolution Patrick viewed cities from a social perspective. He studied the evolution of cities in contemporary social evolution by inquiring into tendencies that were in progress (Patrick, 1). He argued that although there were many emerging civil studies concerning issues that arose in the cities at the time, there was no consensus and that each entity (such as historians and economists) were conducting studies in different lines; creating a difficulty. According to Patrick, a comprehensive study of the evolution of cities involves the past, the present and a projection of the future. However, a challenge existed in the vast materials available for consideration; there were thousands of articles on a just single city (Patrick, 5). Also, specialists were only interested in material concerning their own field, for example, a tourist and a painter are interested in different articles in the same city. He shared Aristotle’s views on the importance of comparing the constitutions of cities and seeing them from our own point of view (Patrick, 13). Aristotle warned that in most cases locals know little about their cities and therefore are not a reliable source of information. Patrick faulted the education system as the reason inhabitants knew little of their city, but expressed hope in the growing regional outlook.
In the book, The City of Tomorrow Le Corbusier laid out his general conception of architecture, both on the aesthetic and construction side. The book touched on the issues that affect the ordinary city resident. He acknowledged that people are more concerned with amenities rather than the ugliness and proportions of the buildings they live in. Le Corbusier closely examined the existing conditions in our great cities and their functioning and pr...