Re-interpreting Urban Palimpsest
Co-authored with Prof. Alcestis Rodi
Paper presented at the “LDE HERITAGE CONFERENCE on Heritage and the Sustainable Development Goals”, TU Delft, 2019
Published in the Conference Proceedings, 2020
Extract from the Conference Proceedings
Diagram on palimpsestuous cities, extract from the Conference Proceedings
ABSTRACT
'Palimpsest' has etymological origins in the Ancient Greek meaning "again" and "scratch", and refers to the repetitive process of writing and deleting texts in parchments. In this paper, we pursue an analogy of the layers of "texts" within the development of the city. A contemporary interpretation and analysis of the concept is followed by a specific methodology seeking to explore urban morphology and the role of spatialdesigners. As described in literature, a city is a totality of locations, where each location has its own, distinct identity. Locations are shaped through the narratives as well as the collective memory of all who have inhabited them. Before re-inhabiting, each 'author' (spatial designer, policy maker, user) interprets the meanings that already exist, and then adds meaning in relation to previous one, by either preserving or demolishing buildings. Historic and contemporary case studies at different scales demonstrate the variety of interventions. This paper examines prominent paradigms of the 'palimpsestuous city' such as the 'museum city', 'utopian city', 'collage city' and 'dialectic city'. As a conclusion, the concept of 'archive city' emerges as the one that addresses the dialectics between city's layers and their management. The ideal palimpsestuous city constitutes the archive, where every 'author' selects meaningful inscriptions from the city's evolution and development, while, at the same time respects the past as part of their identity. This procedure creates a new urban consciousness.
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