HERBY™ - A NEW CONCEPT OF PUBBLIC SPACE

Abstract

The disconnect between architecture and planning causes an uncontrollable decline of public space (PS) in contemporary towns. Virtuous tendencies, widely shared as the ecological values (architecture sustainable, green city, energy conservation, renewable sources, more pedestrian and less car, unanimous condemnation of the suburbs, etc.) if they are not properly stimulated, will be over, because individual behaviors generate consequences that go in the opposite direction. Striking U.S. example: banks and real estate have gone along with the individual suburban houses (not eco-friendly) + easy mortgage = housing bubble. Molinaro Architettura’s proposal: How to encourage, renew and increase the PS user-frindly areas, without relegating them to the simple function of green generic or usual parking lot? We suggest to adopt the methodology Herby ™ (http://herbyweb.com ") : - to optimize the distribution of accessible buildings, - to use as a communication space (excellent example in Venice), where the old "tout court" was born spontaneously and almost never designed, - to reconsider actual transition zone-stop-access, private or semi-public and renew all its forms - to apply three-dimensional concept, where a percentage of the buildings would be PS, and thus resolving the private/public dichotomy. Immediate repercussions: - To enrich our cities and suburbs of urban areas in many different kinds and sizes, - To generate links, permeability, green areas, with arcades and galleries as in a winning historical center - To facilitate the multi-functionality of attractive centers - İn few words to create the real user-friendly spaces. Our goal: propose a " Smart Public Area" against "unnecessary public surfaces" with unsafe and ugly neighborhoods and desolate centers.