If you disagree, acclimatize yourself with existence. Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (Vitruvius), the ancient Roman Architect, proclaimed that a structure must exhibit the three qualities of firmitas, utilitas and venustas; meaning that it must be solid, useful and beautiful. These are sometimes termed the Vitruvian Triad and today these are loosely translated that great constructions must have form, function or structure. The actual tripartite makeup of any mass, shall apply to everything as follows:

A - Foundation; Basis

B - Middle; Story/Point

C - Top; Finale

Examples:

Classical Columns: A - Base, B - Shaft, C - Capital

EDM Song Structure: A - Intro, B - Hook/Melody, C - Breakdown

Sushi: A - Rice, B - Fish, C - Soy Sauce

Cell: A - Plasma Membrane, B - Cytoplasm, C - Nucleus

A Story: A - Characters, B - Confilict, C - Resolution

In simplest form, every object is derived from a complex arrangement of elements called formulae. Formula can be defined as general construct of a relationship between given quantities. In written form, this is done by expressing information symbolically. I went to an concert and listened to an orchestra perform a Mahler Symphony No. 1 which was formulated in 1888. 129 years later, all of these orchestra members played their respective sheet music accordingly. Although, this piece has likely been played thousands of times at varying levels of performers, it is the written formulae of the composer himself who dictates precisely what and how the piece shall be played; from there, chaos can take place. In this specific case, the conductor, navigates the orchestra sections to ensure this obligation is carried out by all members. In many cases, such goal will get lost by one's desire of interpretation; be extremely careful here.

Betty Crocker conveniently prints their ready mix baked tested recipes on the back of their respective boxes so even the lamest of home chefs simply can not F-it up. However, it often goes awry due to several failures by the performer:

#1 - Measure: The preeminent rule in baking is precision. One may shave mere seconds off of the given process by not measuring quantities, while taking on the tremendous risk that the final product in the end can be severely compromised; sometimes to the point of no return. The product was already tested, and the precision of the formula is already printed on the box to follow.

#2 - Creativity: Everything must have a form of ingenuity, but one must understand all impacts when defying a system already in place before any type of recourse is attempted. Adding a fudge glaze topping on top of the already baked product nets little effect to the baked good (other than bonus flavoring, aesthetic decor, minimal weight addition, and an extra calorie boost). However, adding chocolate shavings into the mix (if not called for) before baking will require a different baking time and/or heat. Not utilizing the correctly sized baking vessel would have similar effect, as will greasing the pan with oil vs. butter, etc.

If both errors were made, I would highly question why the pre-packaged ready mix item was utilized to begin with and one didn't elect to make the entire item from scratch.

If the bass player played his notes pianissimo in the beginning of the 3rd movement he would fail at both #1 and #2. Mahler would have been pissed, as would the conscious listener who paid for the performance with expectations accordingly.

As in any project, take an idea, study precedents, formulate all parts required into a composition, and arrange them. Test and evaluate the variations. Make decisions, edit, refine and execute. All parts shall always be harmonious and achieve the ambition or point without ever losing grasp of your original conception. When done, share it and live with it.

Not everything has to be written however. In fact, many things are created through trial and error; ballsy but often the outcome of some of the best shi+ we have today. Once testing is perfected, the formula is only then documented for future reference. For non-purists, this reference is later utilized and tweaked slightly and remade. Sometimes this happens over and over again to the point where the original object is completely lost into a pile of sh+ and all credibility gets lost in entirety. In other cases, the original formula remains as is, and is forever referenced not only by the originator, but by the users themselves, as a base scheme for maybe completely new objects. Once fundamental principles are known about an object, possibilities can be limitless; wine producing, design-build construction, jam sessions, paintings, Kung fu, etc.

Screenplays are expressed through a series of scenes comprised of parts, which in turn are portrayed by actors who fill such roles. After this completed series is arranged together and executed on, it can be called a film. The same processes would apply when my grandmother made paella, Rome was built, elections are won, families are made, Carl Cox's closing set at Ushuaia was played, lunar eclipses, market crashes, traffic jams, bank heists, and everything else that can exist or occur. Carpenters build stud framing which create houses (A), which create blocks (B), which create neighborhoods (C), which create townships (D), which create cities (E), which create states (F), which create countries (G), which create regions (H), which create worlds (I), etc. Buried with in this matrix, there are many subdivisions (ie. C627, H128981, etc.) which represent variables incurred as described in #1 and #2 above. Although I would express ABCDEFGHI... as a boilerplate for this creation I will call "Continuation," this groundwork has been, and will always be, transposed through development:

AGHI - ? Oymyakon, RUS

AE201F45HI - ? Barrow, AL USA

A55094DHI - ? Bali, IDN

A11C203E991G830102923HI - ? Innsbruck, AUS

XTSHS - ? Neptune yr. 2680

Whatever any given place is today, may be re-coded tomorrow, and is subject to constant change:

- The recent US presidential election, that portrayed the divide between city and country.

- Catastrophic effects of global warming are being felt from the deserts of Darfur.

- Brexit impact on Europe

- Etc.

The Shangri-La place of existence is an eternal journey as is anything that is made.

One can argue that any object, item, space, and certainly city can be viewed by others in different ways based on that individual’s past. But what about the present; a realization of what you are experiencing based on the current conditions. Does what exist, should exist?

I often wonder if all cities should be shaped like Rome; a city that is enormous yet walk-able with all paths, traversed with linking plazas that lead to monumental icons; Utopia. Many major cities now look as merely a cemetery of parts; buildings, street grids, and parks creating a city-scape of cluster. Even an individual condo unit within a building can be looked at similarly to a microscopic level. This is due to evolution, program, and constraints which altogether create elements that limit possibility. Evolution is the duration of time from initial planning, implementation, then essentially to what exists today. What comes out of this is the program that must be dealt with.

Political figureheads have used their hierarchy to mold their cities into something that would give themselves more power. Hitler’s megalomaniacal ideas to reshape Berlin is maybe the most explicit. I believe if he were to draft a plan for New York City at the time of his reign, he would likely have a large avenue running North and South, leading through Central Park and terminating at a government headquarters structure. This of course would be where he would give speeches as hundreds of thousands would gather in the park to hear his dictations. Yet today, our leaders focus on backing developments that produce tax revenues. In addition, most projects are halted due to community boards, landmarks preservation, zoning and financial issues. The World Trade Center site exemplifies how the private developer faces this epitome.If I were planning a new development located on the Brooklyn waterfront before it became industrial chaos of transport and manufacturing, I would have likely looked at Venice as an ideal model to plan from and maybe even Chicago or Paris. Regardless, I would look into relationships between people, community, culture, access, and preserve the proximity and views of Manhattan island. Strategically placed low rise housing units would have lined the rivers edge, linked by water taxis like a necklace. Yet, if I was commissioned to look at the same project today, I would better study infrastructure access and create more efficient means, soil contaminants, zoning requirements, codes, permitting, etc. to find out what all limitations are.Unfortunately, most of today’s cities built by planners, architects, and visionaries are confined by rules, regulations, and many existing obstacles. All working on their own project/plots, without input or knowledge of what can exist at a larger scale of the community holistically; a master plan for today. Hence, they are faced with the challenge of essentially expanding upon an existing city that does not meet the needs of current conditions, yet the era of it’s creation was practical. Robert Moses was a mastermind in developing links from the city to suburbs. For years, automobiles used his direct links to get from point A to point B. Today his visions are now plagued by trucks, traffic jams, constant reconstruction, and pollutants due to emissions. I find it ironic how one can layout a highway to connect the city to the furthest point of the suburbs in efforts to allow city dwellers to migrate, yet I wonder if he was thinking of connecting the suburbs to the city when the suburbs became overdeveloped; destiny of what exists today. The elements of the modern day car and suburban sprawl can best be to blame for this corruption.Edmund Bacon theorizes about the city as a living organism. Urban structure can be defined by the creation of something predicated on it’s surroundings and effects it will have on existing and future conditions. Who is making these predictions, and what happens if they are wrong? Economic conditions have strained communities, and continue to force people out of their cities to environments where they do not want to live. In time, what will be left behind are abandoned high-end waterfront towers and developers will soon be drained dry. During the building boom which started years ago, maybe we should have been thinking about large plots filled with cheap prefabricated habitats equipped with sustainable options, rather than pricey mortgages and stainless steel appliances. Yet today, we continue the era of constructing super-skyscrapers for foreign investors to park their money and locals continue to move elsewhere. We continue to face economic impacts, infrastructure corruption, traffic congestion, abundant taxing, pollution, energy insufficiency, overcrowding, building safety regulatory issues, etc.

Urbanism is the study of cities, their geographic, economic, political, social and cultural environment, and the impact of all these forces on the built environment. Urbanism is also a species of urban planning, focusing on the creation of communities for living, work, and play. Urbanologists distinguish urban areas from rural areas by their higher population density. They maintain that the difference in population entails a difference in the social and political order as well. The basic concept of an elemental refers to the ancient idea of elements as fundamental building blocks of nature. In the system prevailing in the Classical world, there were four elements: fire, earth, air, and water. Today, in terms of environment, these elements would include global warming, economic conditions, regulations/government, and migration to name a few.

Urbanism is universal. All environments are made up of the same essential parts; Elemental factors shall be fully understood and incorporated, urbanism shall be relevant for streamlining rapid growth and future expansion, and the needs of those who will occupy and/or dwell within should drive the fundamental design principles. Let this not be forgotten so as to transform existing chaos into urban oasis', ensure new developments are conceived properly, and our environments truly satisfy the needs of the people.