A City is Not a Tree

What Hacker News says

1. _muSep 2025
   Made me think of A City Is Not A Tree - https://www.patternlanguage.com/archive/cityisnotatree.html
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2. namsheFeb 2025
   Author and readers might enjoy this piece by Christopher Alexander - A City is not a tree: https://www.patternlanguage.com/archive/cityisnotatree.html
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3. hyggetroldMay 2024
   I think it's worth it for people to start by reading Alexander's writing themselves first before relying on synthesis. Alexander's aim was not simply "good ways of building things." I also think it's important for folks not to think that software and buildings are so different that the work needs translation. Alexander was after universal principles, after all.

   A Pattern Language is great but a lot of folks miss that it's part 2 of a greater work, with part 1 being The Timeless Way of Building.

   Another great Alexander book that flies under the radar is Notes on the Synthesis of Form. It's a little hard to read but there is deep deep insight about design and the design process in that little book. Highly recommend.

   And lastly, anyone interested should read A City Is Not A Tree: https://www.patternlanguage.com/archive/cityisnotatree.html

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4. munificentMar 2024
   It's not exactly what you're getting at, but you might enjoy Christopher Alexander's essay "A City is not a Tree". It also talks about why highly planned cities can end up not working and feeling "right" in the way that older more incrementally-grown ones can.
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5. DyslexicAtheistJan 2024
   A city is not a tree. It is more about the limits of systems thinking. Must read for Smart-City IoT but applies to anything where you might think Tech is an easy fix to some social problem:

   http://worrydream.com/refs/Alexander%20-%20A%20City%20Is%20N...

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6. pseudotrashAug 2023
   If you think your job isn't BS you probably haven't read enough adversarial content.

   0) The Conspiracy Against The Human Race

   1) The Machine Stops

   2) The One Dimensional Man

   3) A City Is Not A Tree

   4) Influence

   5) La Technique

   6) anything from James C. Scott

   7) ...

   Figuring out the links is left as an exercise to the reader.

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