THE TEMPORAL

DIMENSION

170201009
Abdulkadir Aldemir
INTRODUCTION

■ This chapter deals with the temporal or temporal dimension of

urban design. Urban design is four-dimensional: the fourth
dimension is time. For Patrick Geddes, a city is “more than a
place in space, it is a drama in time.”
TIME CYCLES

■ Zerubavel argues that most of our daily lives are structured

according to "mechanical time". E.g; “We no longer get up at
dawn and go to bed at sunset.”
■ He argues that we are increasingly detaching ourselves from
the organic and functional periodicity dictated by nature and
replaced by "mechanical periodicity" dictated by the schedule,
calendar, and clock.
THE MARCH OF TIME

■ Besides the repetitive rhythms of time, time has a progressive

and irreversible character. In real terms, the past is fixed and
the future is open. For example, if we want to go back to the
city we knew as a child or relive a wonderful moment, we
can't. It means “the march of time”.
CONSERVATION

■ Tiesdell and others argue that historic buildings and environments should be preserved.
Reasons:

■ Aesthetic value
■ Value for architectural diversity and contrast
■ Value for environmental diversity and contrast
■ Value for functional diversity
■ Resource value
■ Value for the continuity of cultural memory and heritage
■ Economic and commercial value
THE CONTINUITY OF PLACE

■ Image-1 (St Paul's Cathedral):

Ancient buildings give a space both
material and symbolic stability,
along with a sense of history and
permanence.
OBSOLESCENCE

■ Buildings are subject to aging due to structural and environmental factors. E.g;

■ Physical/structural obsolescence
■ Functional obsolescence
■ Locational obsolescence
■ Legal obsolescence
■ Image/style obsolescence
TIME FRAMES OF CHANGE

■ The effects of time dimension on urban designs are as follows; designers need to
understand what stays the same over time and what changes over time.

■ For Duffy (1990), a building can be seen as a series of layers of longevities: the ‘shell’
or structure lasts the lifetime of the building; the ‘services’ (cabling, plumbing, air
conditioning, elevators, etc.) are replaced every fifteen years or so; the ‘scenery’ (the
layout of partitions, dropped ceilings, etc.) changes every five to seven years; while
‘sets’ (the layout of furniture) change over weeks and months.
RESILIENCE AND ROBUSTNESS

■ Image-2: New Concordia Wharf, London,

UK. As industrial lofts and warehouses
converted to residential apartments connote
‘artistic’ and ‘bohemian’ qualities, the desire
to convert such buildings is not just a
consequence of the building’s functionality
but also its character

■ Image-3: Bankside power station converted to

the Tate Modern, London, UK

Image-2 Image-3
RESILIENCE AND ROBUSTNESS

■ Robustness embodies the concept of ‘long life/loose fit’, the designing of buildings’
capacity for change and adaptation. The capacity for change is a function of a building
or environment’s adaptivity. Lynch, argues that ‘environmental adaptivity’ can be
achieved by:

■ Providing excess capacity at the outset;

■ Providing generous communication facilities;
■ Separating those elements likely, from those unlikely, to change; and
■ Allowing space for growth at the ends, sides or within sectors.
RESILIENCE AND ROBUSTNESS

■ Cross-sectional depth: This has a critical impact on the need for artificial lighting and ventilation,
which in turn affects the range of appropriate uses.

■ Access: Because all buildings need some connection to the outside world, the number of access points –
and exit points in case of fire – determines how easily a building can adapt to a variety of uses.

■ Room shape and size: For robustness, room sizes need to accommodate a wide range of activities and
have subdivisions (may be related to window locations) or connectivity to create larger spaces.

■ Sustainable environments should not only be designed for robustness, but should also facilitate
maintenance.
THE MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE

■ Image-4: Brindleyplace, Birmingham, UK,

is a ‘big bang’ development – a project with
sufficient critical mass to fundamentally
change the nature and economy of an area in
ways that would not happen incrementally.
CONCLUSION

■ Considering the temporal dimension of urban design, there is an

overarching need for urban designers to understand the effects of time on
spaces. Time includes both change that occurs in cycles and change that
occurs in progressive, emerging, and irreversible ways. Change itself
both responds to and shapes further change. Urban designers need an
awareness of potential change and the opportunities and constraints that
may arise. E.g; such as how change can be managed, how places change
over time, how to predict the effects of actions, how and why
development will occur, and even how materials will weather.
THANK YOU 

ABDULKADİR ALDEMİR
170201009
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF
CYPRUS
ARC 351 URBAN DESIGN PLANING
INSTRUCTOR: KAMYAR LOTFİ