THE CITY IMAGINED

The image of the city

Designing cities requires different stages of thinking and a range of communication and
representation skills. The city imagined concentrates on the representation tools needed to
5 explain new interpretations of the city. These include design drawings, concept sketches
and models, both physical and computer-based.

The new city needs to be imagined as an exciting place of possibilities. The range of
images needs to suggest new building forms, inspiring new spaces and a future that is
innovative and stimulating. Drawings and models need to be carefully planned and executed
10 to convince an audience of the possibility of a new world of experience and architecture.
New urban environments require a great deal of financial investment: the vision must be
articulated so investors are persuaded to engage with the potential of the project.

The presentation needs to be accessible at many levels, with the initial concept connecting
to existing contexts, simplifying complex social and ideological postures. Physical models
15 are important to communicate ideas about cities as they are the most easily understandable
three-dimensional medium of communication. The most dramatic developments in CAD
modeling make possible an impressive movie-like experience that blurs the boundaries
between reality and fiction. This might include images that appear “virtually” real; fly-
through models that allow a surreal experience of the city.

20 A vision of the city is the key ingredient in a presentation drawing. There can be an
ambiguity between the idea of the drawing as a piece of art in itself and the fact that it is a
tool used to promote a project. There are artist-architects who suggest the vision for the city
through painting and drawing. These images are extremely important. Unless we can
imagine and dream about the possibility of a new city, we will never make it a reality.

25 Presentation Drawing

The presentation portfolio is a prepared set of images that may include one key drawing, but
it will also have within it a range of complementary drawings that may describe concepts,
ideas, processes of thinking, details and materials.

Careful consideration must be given to the intention of the presentation. Urban design
30 schemes may need to communicate complex issues that explain social, economic or cultural
conditions.

The main urban idea involves various contributors. A master plan may be initiated by one
architect or designer and other sections of a scheme may be subjected to a competition, or
other architects and designers may be involved.

35 The final stage of the process requires presentation drawings. These may include
illustrations that can inform the wider public, so the vision is accessible. Images such as set
perspective views, bird´s-eye views, or a series of connected images along an important
route can explain a scheme clearly.
 The organization of images needs careful consideration; there may be drawings at several
40 scales to present a complex idea. Each presentation requires detailed thought. Planning a
set of drawings should begin with sketches or scaled-down versions of the final images.
Then, the layout needs to explain the potential of the idea.

It is important to identify the audience for the presentation to understand how they will
read the project. A scheme may be intended to stimulate public interest and ideas. Or it may
45 be for decision makers, planners and investors and it needs to be more specific in terms of
defined project areas and possibilities.

A scheme can be communicated with a PowerPoint presentation, which is a useful way to

Abstraction

When describing the city, initial ideas may be abstract rather than connected to real
impressions or physical dimensions. The city can be interpreted metaphorically: as a tree, as
55 a house with many rooms, as a machine –all these ideas connect the city to theoretical
schemes developed by architects and urban designers.

Abstract ideas can stimulate a new view of what the city could be. Many painters have
described their impression of a city or place in terms of emotion, atmosphere, or
experience. The abstraction may be a conceptual diagram that engenders an understanding
60 of an initial idea. It may be a painting that is used to suggest an impression of a place. Or it
could be a physical model that communicates an idea associated with the concept or
interpretation of the place.

A city is an environment that is experienced, and sensory description can provide a new
set of ways to understand and interpret it. This could be an evocation of movement through a
65 city; it could be an impression of sound, or the use of color, or scenes from a film or theatrical
interpretation of a situation or experience within a place. Each method of communication is
valid. An abstraction of an experience can be an exciting way to explain a place creatively.

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