“Two cities and two themes: voids and density. In one city, voids have been expressly created, in the other, the voids are the result of decline. In one, voids are defined by the surrounding density, in the other, the empty spaces neither define nor are defined. Milan and Detroit have very little in common. Indeed they seem opposites, like positive and negative images of the same picture.” -Maurizio Sabini
In the latest edition of the Italian design journal, THE PLAN, two editors compile an assortment of city specific urban design articles. Milan’s essays illustrate the extreme densification of their Italian city and the deliberate insertion of strategically programmed voids. While the Detroit contributors expand upon the current dynamic state of this city, urban creativity resulting from the many voids of Detroit, and the need to redefine the previously negative connotations of Detroit as void.
Hamilton Anderson expands upon Detroit’s descriptive relativism. As stated in their article, “MULTIPLICITY AS RESOURCE: A Combined Architectural Narrative”, Detroit provides a unique opportunity to study how the urban architect may engage the vast plurality of perceptions and beliefs that define a city, and how they can inform the future trajectory of its built environment. As the infamous case study of our current international economic and social condition, it is fashionable to expound on what should be done with, what will become of, what happened to, Detroit. As an object, Detroit is a land of multiple narratives, and in the vein of descriptive pluralism, all of these narratives are true. (more…)
Congratulations to the design team: Melissa Dittmer, Carl Bolofer, Jamie Witherspoon, and to all of those who helped influence the design submission. Over the next two months, rogueHAA will update the website with design developments, construction images, and final photos of the event. For further explanation of the design proposal, 
