Transformation of a City in Context to Goldsworthy
When I think about flow and transformation through a city there are two terms that come to mind: urban revitilization and urban sprawl. These are two terms that are in a sense opposites yet still have much in common. Both occur over a given time interval and much for the same reasons. Urban sprawl most simply put is expanding outwards from and "urban" center. This in most cases is a small families moving into the suburbs creating a demand for housing. The creation of such housing sparks large developments with the ideal in mind that every family will have a house that looks quite similar to their neighbors and a yard that is lush, green and bigger than that of what they previously owned in the city. To me this seems rediculous and repititious. If you take a look at this picture of a suburb of Las Vegas you might get an idea of what i mean(Blog Promt #1 Image). Urban Revitilization most simply put is inward movement of a population to an "urban" center. This typically occurs with single families, couples or individuals who seek to move closer to the urban centers for, in most cases, work. Having grown up in the city of St. Paul and having moved out to a rural area North of the Twin Cities, I have been able to witness urban sprawl. It seems to follow the freeway systems and expand outwards. I have been able to witness the flow and expansion of businesses, the zoning changes and large developments that seem to pop up overnight. When I first moved to a rural area in what was considered a township, it was not far from a freeway. It didnt take long until zoning ordinances changed, new businesses appeared and the "freeway district" was created. The small township I lived in was forced to become a city in order to avoid annexation from the ever-expanding city nearby. This flow and energy, although not directly related to Andy Goldworthy's work, seems to have some connection to his basis for his works. In his movie, Rivers and Tides, he explains how he is inspired by the movement, energy and flow of the natural processes of nature. I believe that this is much related to the nature of human beings to want to fulfill their dreams of settling down in whatever part of a landscape that suits them best. In most cases this means moving in or out of an urban center. This natural flow of people and/or families produces the cities, suburbs and landscapes that we see today.