New York

Space and time are strongly related concepts that settle the urban and social life all over the world. Space and time can be analyzed by natural and geometric visions. The natural vision is based on a unique and homogeneous flux where the things subject to change are immersed, and where the time moves itself like a river who passes across the space on a quiet and slow way. This kind of vision becomes circular with the Greek tradition. The circular vision was the concept of the classic cultures and it is represented by a wheel; all the events are repeated inside a continuous circle. In the cyclic vision there is the presence of different cycles with different lengths. In a phase of the larger cycle may be contained a shorter cycle, and inside it may be contained others shorter cycles. The various cycles with their different lengths could be overlap or intersect each other; these principles are immutable, but are implemented at various levels corresponding to the deployment of the multiplicity of one on the others.

The principle of cyclicity could be explain the cycle of the equinoxes in the astronomical vision and the birth, growth and death in the biological activity and at the same way the cycle of the affirmation and disappearance of the civilizations and their cities.

The linear view is a modern concept of the time and the space and it is represented by an arrow that runs inexorably toward the future. There is a start and one end and the human being must get prepared along this linear itinerary to be ready at the final goal.

The Western concept of progress starts from this idea. A concept born from purely secular religion that human history has a meaning and a goal to reach. Also in the linear view there are cycles inside concepts like history, religion, fashion, the business etc. and the people experiences both these kinds of time, during its life.

In architecture these concepts become shapes useful to change the perception of the space and its usability and it ends up to influencing the lifestyle of people. Straight paths are used to direct people and to make more easy the arrive to the final goal. In the same ways, shapes like circles are used to make more easier relations and create situations for the meditation.

The urban structure of modern cities is dominated by the linearity and the people lives along linear paths throughout all their activities. It forces the inhabitants to live in more faster ways and at the same it limits the time spent on social relationships and meditation.New Yorkis one of the prototype of the modern city and the space and the time are lived in the most linear way to generate a frantic life.

The project aims to combine the different concepts overlapping each other. Above the consolidated way to live the city by linear and fast directions located on the natural shapes of the territory, the project overlaps a parallel way to live; it consists of large circular paths that become marks to show on a biggest scale the different parts that make up the city. On this way born a new way to live the city: people can decide the way that they prefer use their time to move inside the city.

According to the project the  time is now dilated and the presence of natural, linear and circular paths expands the possibility to view the space and the city on different ways and different places in attempt to realize futuristic visions of the urban life.

The circular paths are collocated on different levels above the town and they are connected each other in the common points who become the connection between the different ways to use the time and the space.

This points are vertical buildings who contain, at the different levels, all the activities that could characterize the life in the city, a sort of passage through different mental and physical conditions of the human being. New buildings make the passage from the nature, with the linear vision of our life (the existing city), to the circular way to use the space and the time (the projected city).The circles becomes a kind of enormous clock mechanism above the city who marks the space and the time. So, while in the linear city the life goes on the linear way, on the upper levels the circular movements makes slower the daily life changing the time and space.

Suspended urban gardens and woods offer new visions to the city life from the higher levels; it creates a strong relationship between the different ways to using the space and the time inside the city, making people more conscious of how they’re living their lives and how they could change their life styles.

On this way now people has different solutions to enjoy the time and the space from different levels and they can choose how they can use their time to move inside the space.