Projetos Urbanos

North American documentary on Rio de Janeiro, made in 1936.

Brazilian cartoonist Luís Shiavon spent 4 years adapting the computer game Grand Theft Auto (GTA) to São Paulo. In this parodic version of the game, famous for urban violence, he included streets of São Paulo in 3 dimensions with grafitti by contemporary grafitti artists, people such as George W. Bush, agents and vehicles of the Polícia Militar, volkswagen beetles, and a sound track by Brazilian Dj´s. No touristic cliches of the city are used in the model, such as museums and famous avenues, which makes it more difficult to recognize São Paulo, but all the better to experience the dark and funny side of the metropolis.

The game can be purchased at the art gallery Choque Cultural, Pinheiros, São Paulo.

Read more: Folha de São Paulo (images with text in portuguese)

Also see: Turkish version of GTA, in Instanbul

Urban density in Gaza (left) and Israel (right)

The Gaza strip, a narrow corridor of 6-12 km width and an area of 360 square km, is one of the densest territories on earth. If it were recognized as a sovereign country it would by fourth in population density worldwide, after Monaco, Singapore and Gibraltar. The list follows with already much lower densities such as the Vatican and Bahrein.

Population per square kilometer: (countries)

Source: Wikipedia

In this list, all small territories were established as strategic sovereign countries within an existing country as a result of superior economic or political power, except Gaza. While in these countries the population density increased because of growing wealth and influence within fixed geographic boundaries, in Gaza the high population density was reached by compression of the Arab population in the areas known as Palestinian Territories.

During the 2008/2009 offensive of Israel against the Gaza strip, controlled by Hamas, what has happened demographically to this narrow strip of land with 1.4 million inhabitants, whose borders have been closed and which has been sealed off from the Mediterranean Sea? Where did all those people go after their houses and enterprises were bombed?
If built structures have disappeared, if no new building materials are entering the territory and if the current fertility rate is maintained in Gaza, the parts of the urban area that have not been destroyed must now be even more dense than they used to be.

Population per square kilometer: (cities)

Source: Demographia – World Urban Areas

Palestinians gather around a crater left by an Israeli missile in farmland at Jabaliya refugee camp (photograph by UPPA/The Independent)

Note by the editor: The question, whether airstrikes and bombings of this kind, in high-density civilian areas, are a responsible and civilized practice, falls outside the scope of this website.

New York based office *Multiplicities presents its project for ORDOS 100, an experimental housing development at the fringes of the Mongolian desert with 100 houses, designed by 100 young architects.

See the earlier post about the ORDOS urban scheme.

The house on parcel number 24 features an X-shaped set of white voids captured in a black skin. The voids inhale and bounce natural light and air, while the dark skin accumulates heat from the sun. The patios on various levels of the structure relate to the surroundings. One of the patios is directly linked to a pool which at times can overflow inundating the patio on a seasonal basis.

Project team: Daniel Holguin, Issei Suma, Perla Pequeño, Joanna Park Sohn, Christopher Chan, Nicole Rodríguez, Masayuki Sono

Engineers and consultants: OVE ARUP ny, Methus Srisuchart + Tatchapon Lertwirojkul, Jee Won Kim Architect, ID engineers