What we believe in. Palimpsest
Fragment of an article in Tatlin Mono magazine — “Young architects 2014”
The traditional meaning of the Greek word “palimpsest” refers to a parchment with layers of manuscripts superimposed on each other. The same parchment sheet is used many times.
In contrast to the simple overlay of drafts in ancient Greece, the palimpsest in the understanding of Habidatum is the correlation of information layers, which opens up new meanings based on this overlay.
We distinguish at least 2 types of ratios in informational palimests.
Firstly, it is the overlay of various types of data describing habitat. Mutual analysis of such data allows us to more deeply understand the structure of the human community and urban space in and outside the city.
Secondly, it is the imposition of data, reflecting both virtual or mental (for example, texts in social networks), and the physical space of the city (movements, transactions, etc.). An example is the “semantic gap” discovered by Habidatum (low frequency of mentioning in social networks) in combination with the absence of local central places and explicit concentrations of citizens on the Moscow periphery (the project “Archeology of the Periphery”, the “Data” section, Moscow Urban Forum 2013).
In both cases, this is not just simple overlay of several information layers on a city map, but about the fuzion of data in space-time, adaptable depending on the analytic task.
There may be a comparison of spatio-temporal patterns, for example, the dynamics of mobility patterns in combination with changes in the geography of perceived comfort, or dynamic correlation of parameters characterizing certain place in the city (link between people concentrations and consumption/spend in this place during the day).
The principle of palimpsest is not a pure abstraction. Habidatum’s data methodology reflects the urban reality itself and is adapted to it.
We state that the city itself is built as a palimpsest of networks, functions, land use, urban planning regulations, meanings produced by urban communities, etc. The flexibility of our methodology allows us to fully describe and analyze the complex urban reality.
For example, in Moscow in built-up areas, the response of residential and commercial real estate to the readiness of the transport infrastructure is completely different. Commercial real estate immediately needs high transport accessibility for profitability, while residential real estate is quickly sold without it.
These are not the developers who are responsible for the transport network and its development, but the city authorities, and their plans may be unpredictable. At the same time, urban planning regulations require the development of mixed-use (commercial and residential) real estate — i.e. the condition for residential construction is the developer’s obligation to build offices and commercial infrastructure in this place.
How to correctly assess the flow of people, the risk of capture of their interests by competitor projects, the likelihood of the development of the transport network in the direction of this project? The fuzion of spontaneous data of various types in Habidatum Chronotope platform helps solve this problem.
Thank you for reading. Appreciate your comments!
