Alexander | After Corbu

Four-Story Limit

I realized I neglected to quote Alexander’s actual design pattern about building height during Christopher Alexander Day, so here it is:

In any urban area, no matter how dense, keep the majority of buildings four stories high or less. It is possible that certain buildings should exceed this limit, but they should never be buildings for [...]

The Jeely Piece Song

To continue my skyscraper hating, here’s a humorous song quoted in A Pattern Language to allow the children of Glasgow to explain why tall buildings are less than ideal. Note that “to fling a ‘piece,’ a slice of bread and jam, from a window down to a child in the street below has been [...]