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Specifying the Generic: A Theoretical Unpacking of Rem Koolhaas’s ‘Generic City’

Puri, Siddharth

Abstract Details

2007, MS ARCH, University of Cincinnati, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Architecture (Master of).
The question about the shape of our cities in the present epoch and in the years to come is an issue that by virtue of its nature, tends to be recurring. The problem, one feels with many of the writings on contemporary urbanism, is the fact that the authors are very easily tempted to give way to ‘critiques’ of existing social conditions. The desire to improve the world and make it a better place is strong in the architecture and urban design community and the writings reflect that. The intention is not to be faulted, for it is a noble one without doubt, but the single biggest weakness of this approach is the fact that the author then moves away from the real world and starts addressing this ‘new and improved’ reality that unfortunately is and will remain a theoretical conjecture at best, uprooted from the realities of the real world. In light of this Rem Koolhaas’s article ‘the Generic City’ suddenly becomes an important literary effort. Koolhaas has, unlike many contemporary writers, has looked at a world that has whole heartedly embraced both capitalism and globalization; in short takes the ground realities into consideration and gives us a sort of ‘urban manifesto’, if one may, of this possible ‘worst case scenario’. The thesis endeavors to deconstruct the mix of ideas that constitute Koolhaas’s rhetoric on urbanism. The aim here is to study each of the themes that are revealed from a close examination of Koolhaas’s writings, and attempt to understand and test Koolhaas’s ideas with writings of other theorists and case studies. The end result is an attempt to understand whether ‘The Generic City,’ in fact serves as a manifesto for the contemporary city, furthermore to understand whether a notable critic like Koolhaas has any theoretical validity.
John Hancock (Advisor)
114 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Puri, S. (2007). Specifying the Generic: A Theoretical Unpacking of Rem Koolhaas’s ‘Generic City’ [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1179426921

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Puri, Siddharth. Specifying the Generic: A Theoretical Unpacking of Rem Koolhaas’s ‘Generic City’. 2007. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1179426921.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Puri, Siddharth. "Specifying the Generic: A Theoretical Unpacking of Rem Koolhaas’s ‘Generic City’." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1179426921

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)