Ekistics

In recent years planning discourse and ideology have been dominated by the smart city movement and yet the past is full theories that address the challenges of the increasingly urban world drawing on scientific concepts and technological advances, in most cases unsuccessfully. This paper describes ekistics, a concept coined by architect-planner C.A. Doxiadis to describe the science of human settlements. It offered a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and systemic approach that explored worldwide urbanization drawing on mathematics, forecasting models, but also on social sciences. In parallel, the paper reviews Doxiadis Associates’ Urban Detroit Area project to denote the clash of systemic methods and large-scale models with urban complexity. The aim is to provide a historical background for assessing the theoretical underpinnings and scope of the smart city model.


https://rdcu.be/b8N3A

For the past decades Detroit has been synonymous for urban decay, while today its apocalyptic landscape poses a challenge for professionals and investors claiming to provide a vision for its future. This study aims to understand the complex dynamics that led to the abandonment of the city and invalidated the attempts to reverse the decline started in the sixties. Among them, “Doxiadis Plan” stands out for having presented a long-term vision based on a set of integrated programs and following “scientific” guidelines. The study carries out a comprehensive analysis of Detroit’s structural problems highlighting their interactions that formed a downward spiral leading the city to decline. Moreover, It examines the “Doxiadis Plan” in its historical context and draws parallels with contemporary initiatives, in order to explain its failure while reviewing its optimistic vision towards the new promises. Envisioning Detroit’s post-industrial future one should integrate its past.