Salingaros, Nikos

= architectural theorist and social critic, writes on the Urbanism of Self-Organisation

Bio

From the Wikipedia [1]:

"Nikos A. Salingaros (born in Perth, Australia) is a mathematician and polymath known for his work on urban theory, architectural theory, complexity theory, and design philosophy. He has been a close collaborator of the architect and computer software pioneer Christopher Alexander, with whom Salingaros shares a harsh critical analysis of conventional modern architecture. Like Alexander, Salingaros has proposed an alternative theoretical approach to architecture and urbanism that is more adaptive to human needs and aspirations, and that combines rigorous scientific analysis with deep intuitive experience.

Prior to turning his attention to architecture and urbanism, Salingaros published substantive research on Algebras, Mathematical Physics, Electromagnetic Fields, and Thermonuclear Fusion before turning his attention to Architecture and Urbanism. Salingaros still teaches mathematics, and is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is also on the Architecture faculties of universities in Italy, Mexico, and The Netherlands." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikos_Salingaros

Writings

From the Wikipedia:

""Social Housing in Latin America: A Methodology to Utilize Processes of Self-Organization", by Nikos Salingaros, David Brain, Andres Duany, Michael Mehaffy & Ernesto Philibert, outlined the role of socio-spatial relations in guaranteeing a successful built environment. The principal urbanist problem facing the world today concerns the socio-political processes in the planning and construction of social housing, as well as the large-scale renovation of favelas. This paper identified urban space that is loved by its inhabitants, enough to be defended against encroachment and degradation, as a crucial concept. The criterion is an emotional one, and arises from the correct satisfaction of the residents' emotional needs through the appropriate urban morphology, which is in turn created only through user participation (in a bottom-up process guided by an NGO representative). This sucessful type of urban space rarely arises from the typologies of post-war planning." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikos_Salingaros)

More info at http://www.aboutus.org/Favelas

In our blog

1. Urban seeding and the city as computer
2. The Geometry of Control
3. A pattern language for social housing

in the wiki:

1. Urbanism of Self-Organisation
2. Nikos Salingaros on the Peer to Peer Urbanism