Aesthetic and Affect

Upon reading Kim Dovey’s article titled “Tall Storeys” this week, I came to realize that there are no towering skyscrapers or extremely tall corporate-like buildings in Florence. What seem to be the tallest focal points of the city include the Duomo and the tops the churches. Madison, Wisconsin does not contain skyscrapers either. However, in my mind, Madison is merely a large town (barely a city), yet Florence is a quaint city (far too urban to be considered town-like). So I started to ask myself why I felt this way and a lot of it has to do with differences between building configurations, architectural feats, and aesthetics.

Madison is a college town that is constantly updating, rebuilding, and reconstructing pieces of its landscape in order to avoid becoming obsolete. To keep up with the times. Florence is an ancient Renaissance city that is constantly under construction for the purpose of restoration. Madison is focusing on moving into the future, while Florence is focusing on preserving the past. I don’t quite have an opinion on which ideology is best, but I find it interesting to think about.

When touring college campuses, my dad told me that many universities continue to remain under construction not only to update or repair old buildings or spaces, but to appeal to newcomers. If people are constantly thinking that the university is improving itself, they will want to stick around to see what comes of it. In reality, many elaborate projects take far longer than it takes to earn one undergraduate degree. But that doesn’t change the effect the presence of potential has upon the affect, or mood, of onlookers.

Now, when you look at the construction surrounding the Duomo, you might be upset that it is obstructing the view of your soon-to-be-posted-on-Instagram photos, but if you are going to be living in Florence for awhile, this frustration definitely masks a bit of enthusiasm and wonderment within you as to what might be to come. Personally, I believe the current construction going on near the Duomo is simply a ruse. I don’t believe there is anything else the astonishing Cathedral needs, unless it is somehow crumbling from its seemingly strong foundation and they are simply placing some pieces back together. To learn more about the history of the Duomo’s construction, I read a National Geographic article that goes a bit more into depth about its designs which were groundbreaking at the time.

Aside from Florence or Madison specifically, every city has their own unique markers that affect how people feel about such places. The condensed housing of tiny apartments, open parks, towering buildings, small shops, monuments, and maybe even smaller details such as the asphalt used to pave sidewalks. Dovey spoke about how “places embody power” in relation to the location of a corporate tower. If you think about businesses strategically placing themselves throughout urban spaces you might start to see an ebb and flow.

Smaller “local” bars and caffés stray away from tourist spots and usually exist within more residential areas. Gelateria’s within a piazza or square usually sell subpar gelato at higher prices than more authentic places hidden within narrow city streets. The location of specific businesses or buildings may seem to be natural or unintentional, but there are no coincidences in urban planning as cities feed off of the desires, needs, and emotions of their people.

If I learned anything from having an older brother with a degree in Real Estate it’s that the most important thing to remember are the three L’s: location, location, and location.