SD and Architecture

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"Jim Hines"
Senior Member
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri Mar 29, 2002 3:39 am

SD and Architecture

Post by "Jim Hines" »

Riverside asks about system dynamcis and architecture.

Im out of my depth here, but ...

If you havent read Christophe Alexander, you might find his books
intriguing. __The Timeless Way of Building__ and __A Pattern Language:
Towns, Buildings and Construction__ are wondeful. Alexander, oddly enough,
has had a huge impact on software development with his idea of patterns.
But, I feel that somehow he connects even more directly with system
dynamics.

Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk are architects and town planners
who have a lot in common with Alexander and are known for producing town
designs that work. They designed SeaSide in Florida and have been very
influenctial in the new design of Providence and Palm Beach. They also
have a couple of books out, and some wonderful tapes. At one time they were
intrigued by system dynamics, and I feel that their work somehow relates to
what we do. As an aside, they invented "the Charette" which is a kind of
intense several-day-long meeting that results in the design of, say, a town.
Rachel Gaffney and Bill Lennertz adapted the Charette to business problems
and have combined it with system dynamics.

Regards,
Jim Hines
jhines@mit.edu
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