Christopher alexander - A pattern language

We suggest the following two steps.

1. In any geographic area—large or small—ask a large number of people which sites and which places make them feel the most contact with the area; which sites stand most for the important values of the past, and which ones embody their connection to the land. Then insist that these sites be actively preserved.

2. Once the sites are chosen and preserved, embellish them in

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a way which intensifies their public meaning. We believe that the best way to intensify a site is through a progression of areas which people pass through as they approach the site. This is the principle of “nested precincts,” discussed in detail under the pattern HOLY ground (66).

A garden which can be reached only by passing through a series of outer gardens keeps its secrecy. A temple which can be reached only by passing through a sequence of approach courts is able to be a special thing in a man’s heart. The magnificence of a mountain peak is increased by the difficulty of reaching the upper valleys from which it can be seen; the beauty of a woman is intensified by the slowness of her unveiling; the great beauty of a river bank—its rushes, water rats, small fish, wild flowers—are violated by a too direct approach; even the ecology cannot stand up to the too direct approach—the thing will simply be devoured.

We must therefore build around a sacred site a series of spaces which gradually intensify and converge on the site. The site itself becomes a kind of inner sanctum, at the core. And if the site is very large—a mountain—the same approach can be taken with special places from which it can be seen—an inner sanctum, reached past many levels, which is not the mountain, but a garden, say, from which the mountain can be seen in special beauty.

Therefore:

Whether the sacred sites are large or small, whether they are at the center of the towns, in neighborhoods, or in the deepest countryside, establish ordinances which will protect them absolutely—so that our roots in the visible surroundings cannot be violated.

sacred sites

acts of preservation

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Give every sacred site a place, or a sequence of places, where people can relax, enjoy themselves, and feel the presence of the

place-QUIET BACKS (59), ZEN VIEW (134), TREE PLACES (171),

carden seat (176). And above all, shield the approach to the site, so that it can only be approached on foot, and through a series of gateways and thresholds which reveal it gradually—holy cround (66)....

25 ACCESS TO WATER*

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SUMMARY OF THE LANGUAGE

A pattern language has the structure of a network. This is explained fully in The Timeless Way of Building . However, when we use the network of a language, we always use it as a sequence ) going through the patterns, moving always from the larger patterns to the smaller, always from the ones which create structures, to the ones which then embellish those structures, and then to those which embellish the embellishments. . . .

Since the language is in truth a network, there is no one sequence which perfectly captures it. But the sequence which follows, captures the broad sweep of the full network j in doing so, it follows a line, dips down, dips up again, and follows an irregular course, a little like a needle following a tapestry.

The sequence of patterns is both a summary of the language, and at the same time, an index to the patterns. If you read through the sentences which connect the groups of patterns to one another, you will get an overview of the whole language. And once you get this overview, you will then be able to find the patterns which are relevant to your own project.

And finally, as we shall explain in the next section, this sequence of patterns is also the “base map,” from

. . . water is always precious. Among the special natural places covered by sacred sites (24), we single out the ocean beaches, lakes, and river banks, because they are irreplaceable. Their maintenance and proper use require a special pattern.

Either roads, freeways, and industries destroy the water’s edge and make it so dirty or so treacherous that it is virtually inaccessible; or when the water’s edge is preserved, it falls into private hands.

Access to water is blocked .

But the need that people have for water is vital and profound. (See, for example, C. G. Jung, Symbols of Transformation , where Jung takes bodies of water which appear in dreams as a consistent representation of the dreamer’s unconscious.)

The problem can be solved only if it is understood that people will build places near the water because it is entirely natural; but that the land immediately along the water’s edge must be preserved for common use. To this end the roads which can destroy the water’s edge must be kept back from it and only allowed near it when they lie at right angles to it.

Life forms around, the water's edge.

The width of the belt of land along the water may vary with the type of water, the density of development along it, and the ecological conditions. Along high density development, it may be no more than a simple stone promenade. Along low density development, it may be a common parkland extending hundreds of yards beyond a beach.

Therefore:

When natural bodies of water occur near human settlements, treat them with great respect. Always preserve a belt of common land, immediately beside the water. And allow dense settlements to come right down to the water only at infrequent intervals along the water’s edge.

roads at right angles to the water

The width of the common land will vary with the type of water and the ecological conditions. In one case, it may be no more than a simple stone promenade along a river bank a few feet wide—promenade (31). In another case, it may be a swath of dunes extending hundreds of yards beyond a beach—the countryside (7). In any case, do not build roads along the water within one mile of the water; instead, make all the approach roads at right angles to the edge, and very far apart—parallel roads (23). If parking is provided, keep the lots small—small parking lots (103). . . .

26 LIFE CYCLE*

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