Designing Lively Scenarios With the Pattern Approach of Christopher Alexander

364 Pages·2016·56.49 MB·English

Peter Baumgartner | Tina Gruber-Muecke | Richard Sickinger (Editors)
PURPLSOC
Designing Lively Scenarios
With the Pattern Approach of
Christopher Alexander
Editors: Peter Baumgartner, Tina Gruber-Muecke, Richard Sickinger
Book Design, Page Layout and Editorial Staff: Ingrid Muthsam, Wolfgang Rauter
www.purplsoc.org
[email protected]
Creative Commons Licence CC-BY-ND
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0
Printed in Austria
Krems, October 2016
Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible,
but no warranty or fitness is implied. The information provided ist on an „as is“ basis. The
authors and the editors/publishers shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any per-
son or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in
this book. Responsibility for the information, licencing and views set out in their articles lies
entirely with the authors.
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Foreword
Dear Reader,
by Peter Baumgartner, Tina Gruber-Muecke, Richard Sickinger
Introduction: Pattern Languages for Societal Change
This book focuses on the pattern approach established by the Austrian-born Christopher
Alexander, architect, mathematician and philosopher, and collects selected papers on work
presented at, or related to the PURPLSOC World Conference held at Danube University
Krems, July 3 – 5, 2015. PURPLSOC is the acronym for “In Pursuit of Pattern Languages for
Societal Change”, a series of (roughly) biennial conferences on patterns in and with dispa-
rate fields such as architecture, design, media, arts, IT, management, pedagogy, social acti-
vism, social innovation and diverse grassroots movements. PURPLSOC has its origins in the
PUARL Conferences held at the University of Oregon in Portland in 2009, 2011, and 2013
(in cooperation with ARUS), and is the organizer of the ‘World Conference on Pattern Langu-
ages’ held at Danube University Krems in Austria in the summer of 2015. Both PUARL and
PURPLSOC are organized in a biennial structure, therefore the whole Conference Series
has reached a new level of interdisciplinary involvement and a new international format and
organization. PURPLSOC is run by a Steering Committee with the help of a larger Advisory
Board, which appraises and evaluates the submitted contributions for oral presentation at
the Conference and for the inclusion of papers in this book (http://www.purplsoc.org/com-
mittee/). Its aim is to substantiate the broad applicability and richness of pattern related
work in all fields, and, by sharing best practice examples from outside the scientific com-
munity, to further raise awareness of Christopher Alexander`s approach within the wider
public. Both conferences contribute to strengthening the pattern movement at Danube
University Krems where we hope to establish a university wide interdisciplinary center for
Pattern Research in the near future.
The remainder of this foreword is structured as follows. In the following section, we provide
a brief review of prior research on pattern languages (PL) in a global context. This review
provides a starting point for PURPLSOC readers interested in the topic and wishing to study
it in greater depth. We then introduce the papers included in the conference proceedings
and summarize briefly how each relates to and extends the existing literature; we also offer
broad conclusions based on the collection of papers as a whole. Next, we provide sugge-
stions for future research in this area. Finally, we reflect on the process of the conference
proceedings with a outlook toward encouraging and guiding potential future authors of
papers on patterns and pattern languages.
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PURPLSOC: Designing Lively Scenarios With the Pattern Approach of Christopher Alexander
Review on Prior Research on Pattern Languages
This section aims to provide the reader with a review of selected prior research on pattern and
pattern languages in a global context, with a particular emphasis on the historical development.
Christopher Alexander’s interest in patterns and pattern languages originates in his book “Notes
on the synthesis of form” (1964) which aims at developing an analytical design process based
on mathematics and deductive logic. In the preface of the paperback edition (1971) Alexander
distances himself from this idea but remains fascinated by the power of the diagram, or pattern,
which he defines as “an abstract pattern of physical relationships which resolves a small system
of interacting and conflicting forces, and is independent of all other forces, and of all other
possible diagrams”. Developing this central idea leads to his renowned book „A Pattern Langu-
age“ (Alexander, 1977) in which Alexander subsequently defines 253 invariant spatial patterns
associated with the stability of human-environmental systems in both towns and buildings. Each
pattern sits at the center of a network of associated patterns forming a unique pattern langu-
age. For Alexander this creates “a fundamental view of the world. It says that when you build
a thing you cannot merely build that thing in isolation, but must also repair the world around
it, and within it, so that the larger world at that one place becomes more coherent, and more
whole; and the thing which you make takes its place in the web of nature, as you make it.” (Al-
exander, 1977) In “The Timeless Way of Building” (Alexander, 1979), a philosophical introduction
and examination of the pattern language concept, Alexander introduces the concept of the
„quality without a name“ or “being alive” as the central quality of built environment. Ten years
after the book was published, Alexander’s idea of pattern language for architecture (Pattern
Language 1.0) was adopted in the field of software design (Beck & Cunningham, 1987; Gamma,
et al., 1995) (Pattern Language 2.0). Since the 1990s, an increasing number of fields pertaining
to human action have adopted the methods of pattern language (Pattern Language 3.0) (Cop-
lien & Harrison, 2004; Manns & Rising, 2005; Manns & Rising, 2015; Hoover & Oshineye, 2009).
Pattern Writing Techniques have emerged as a research field (e.g. elements of pattern writing
for software design, social relationships, and other fields) (Iba, 2014). For Alexander developing
and implementing patterns and pattern languages does not only relate to conveying informati-
on and solutions but goes further: “However, that is not all that pattern languages are supposed
to do: The pattern language that we began creating in the 1970s had other essential features.
First, it has a moral component. Second, it has the aim of creating coherence, morphological
coherence in the things which are made with it. And third, it is generative: it allows people to
create coherence, morally sound objects, and encourages and enables this process because of
its emphasis on the coherence of the created whole.” (Alexander, 1999). Building on his work on
patterns and pattern language Alexander went on to develop a morphogenetic understanding
of the formation of the built environment in his four-volume work “The Nature of Order: An
Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe” (Alexander, 2003).
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Foreword
Papers in the Conference Proceedings
We turn now to the 13 papers accepted for the Conference Proceedings. In each case, we
provide a brief synopsis of the paper, together with comments on the linkage and contribu-
tion of the paper to the literature discussed above. Concerning the contents of this book,
we are proud to remark that the selected papers cover a broad range of topics, including
1. the study of the work of Noam Chomsky, Christopher Alexander and Heinrich Laus-
berg in the context of framing educational patterns, as in the paper by Aspalter
and Bauer.
2. an approach to easing the labor-intensive application of abstract patterns to concrete
use cases, as in the paper by Falkenthal et al.
3. pattern language generations and the proposal for a 4th generation pattern language,
as in the paper by Finidori et al.
4. the use of pattern language for learning from recurrent design patterns of nature
derived from diverse living examples found in great repositories of natural design
patterns, as in the paper by Henshaw.
5. a pattern language for dementia which consists of 40 patterns, categorized into three
different groups: words for those living with dementia, words for caring families, and
words for everyone., as in the paper by Iba et al.
6. a set of 24 behavioral properties that capture “wholeness” in a lively human activity,
found through the investigation of pattern languages of human action, as in the paper
by Iba et al.
7. an overview of the frontiers of pattern languages, based on the studies of Takashi Iba
over the past 10 years, as in the paper by Iba.
8. a cooking language, a new approach to cooking, derived from the idea of pattern
languages, as in the paper by Isaku et al.
9. the study of patterns and societal change, developing the theoretical relation between
potential attributes of changemakers and Alexander’s concept of liveliness with peda-
gogical approaches, as in the paper by Nakamura and Iba.
10. a pattern language for coastal communities for surviving an earthquake with an ac-
companying tsunami, as in the paper by Neis and Wright.
11. the possibility of implementing Alexander‘s System A, of generating beauty and life in
the world, at the large scale of a city, as in the paper by Porta et al.
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PURPLSOC: Designing Lively Scenarios With the Pattern Approach of Christopher Alexander
12. the contention that the relationship between Alexander‘s System A and System B can
be understood as complementary, and not as a contradiction, demonstrated through
the case of The Unrecognized Bedouin Villages that are located in the Negev drylands
of Israel, as in the paper by Rosner-Manor and Rofe.
13. the utilization of a key attribute of patterns, combined with storytelling, to ensure
emotional engagement and therefore a high rate of implementation of patterns., as in
the paper by Sickinger.
Some broad conclusions can be proposed based on the research contributions of the pa-
pers in this book and the prior literature.
» Each paper in the conference proceedings shows that consequences emerge from a
complex set of processes over a significant period of time, involving a wide range of
actors and institutions.
» Pattern languages do not have a simple deterministic impact on development. Like other
instances of pattern languages being applied to complex social issues, outcomes are not
only determined by technology. Social influences are crucially important to the trajectory
of any technology-based project.
» The mutual influence between pattern languages and social processes can result in so-
lutions that work relatively well.
» Applying Pattern languages to social change requires an understanding of local mea-
nings, existing work practices, and institutional contexts, as well as a willingness to enga-
ge with the dynamics of socio-technical change over time.
Future Research Directions
We hope that the papers included in this book will help to point the way forward to future re-
search efforts on pattern languages that will be both rigorous and relevant to the most pres-
sing concerns related to societal change. Our foremost interest in the area of future research
is the rapid expansion of research on pattern languages and societal change. In this section,
we provide some additional dimensions for expanding future work, discuss theoretical and
methodological issues and identify qualified literature for research in developing countries.
Dimensions for Expansion
We want to outline some dimensions for the possible expansion of the research provided
in this book.
6
Contents
First, future research is needed to provide a wider geographical spread. As a second dimen-
sion it would also be good to see more research on the institutional context. An example
for this could be educational institutions or nongovernmental institutions as they both are
challenged with searches for educational problems for our society. A third dimension of
expansion concerns the study of pattern culture and language development. Fourthly work
in the area of pattern communication is needed to ensure the use and implementation of
pattern languages. Fifthly the developments of pattern renewal processes are important to
ensure that patterns are being improved and are up to date.
Topics for Future Work
It is impossible in this short introductory paper to provide a detailed preview of potential fu-
ture research topics, since the scope of such work is very wide indeed. Instead, we will men-
tion a few important areas for future work which have been somewhat neglected to date.
Further research is needed in this domain to better understand notions of culture, and to
investigate the role of patterns in society in a wider variety of regional and national contexts.
Within the educational context, on topic could be learning patterns, but also patterns of
identifying non-formal and informal learning. Within the artistic context, topics could be
a pattern language for films based on costumes, settings and music in films. Within the
organizational context, topics could be collaboration patterns, presentation patterns and
change making patterns. An interesting question could also be to analyse organisations
with regard to growth and identify underlying patterns of growth.
Theoretical and Methodological Issues
We welcome the theoretical diversity which reflects the enormous variety of the topics
being studied in terms of research issue, level of analysis, sectoral context, and cultural
location. We would suggest, however, that there is a need for more studies to be explicitly
critical, in the academic sense of that term, and to draw on appropriate critical theories to
support research objectives.
With respect to methodology, much of the current literature on pattern languages uses
case studies and broadly interpretive research methods. We would also like to see more
action research studies and works on the methodology of pattern mining. There are sur-
prisingly few reported in the literature on pattern languages for societal change. Action
research would appear to be particularly relevant in contexts where resources are scarce,
when it can be argued that outside researchers should not only go away with data for their
academic papers, but should also aim to make a contribution in the research setting itself.
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PURPLSOC: Designing Lively Scenarios With the Pattern Approach of Christopher Alexander
Connection to Other Literature
The field of pattern languages has always drawn on literature from other related fields, for
example economics and organization studies. We would like to see synergies between pat-
terns, pattern languages, and other research fields better developed in the future.
Acknowledgments
We end this introductory paper with some reflections on the process of editing the book.
We believe that the selected papers are immensely important for the corresponding areas
of interests and that they will be frequently quoted and consulted in the years to come. The
editors would like to thank all the authors who have submitted their precious manuscripts
to this conference and to ask for their understanding for our possible mistakes. Moreover,
we would like to thank George Platts as the game master of the PURPLSOC 2015 conferen-
ce as well as the whole audience for their active participation, great enthusiasm and spirit.
Our thanks also go to the many anonymous reviewers, who have worked so devotedly un-
der our severe constraints. We would also like to thank all the reviewers, too many to men-
tion by name, who responded to our requests for reviews in a professional and timely way.
This book bears the name of the editors, but hidden referees would merit, in many cases,
to be credited as well for so many freely given suggestions, generous improvements and
detailed corrections. We are entirely responsible of all remaining errors.
We would like to thank the department of Interactive Media and Educational Technologies
office for their administrative support, and in particular Ingrid Muthsam and Wolfgang Rau-
ter who handled the high volumes of work associated with the conference proceedings.
Dear reader, we hope you enjoy this book,
Peter Baumgartner

[email protected]
Tina Gruber-Muecke

[email protected]
Richard Sickinger

[email protected]
8
Contents
References
Alexander, C. (1964). Notes on the synthesis of form. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Alexander, C., Ishikawa, S., & Silverstein, M. (1977). A pattern language: towns, buildings,
construction. New York: Oxford University Press.
Alexander, C. (1979) The Timeless Way of Building, Oxford University Press.
Alexander, C. (1999). The Origins of Pattern Theory: The Future of the Theory, and the Gene-
ration of a Living World. IEEE Software, 16(5), 71–82. doi:10.1109/52.795104. Lecture at the
1996 ACM Conference on Object-Oriented Programs, Systems, Languages and Applications
(OOPSLA)
Alexander, C. (2003). The nature of order: an essay on the art of building and the nature of
the universe (Vols. 1–4). Berkeley, California: Center for Environmental Structure.
Beck, K. and Cunningham, W. (1987) ‘Using Pattern Languages for Object-oriented Pro-
grams’, OOPSLA-87 Workshop on the Specification and Design for Object-Oriented Pro-
gramming.
Coplien, J. (1999) “A Pattern Language for Writers’ Workshops,” in Harrison, N., Foote, B.,
Rohnert, H. (eds), Pattern Languages of Program Design 4, Addison-Welsey Professional.
Coplien, J.O., Harrison, N.B. (2004) Organizational Patterns of Agile Software Development,
Prentice Hall.
DeLano, D.E. (1998) ‘Patterns mining,’ in Rising, L. (Ed.): The Patterns Handbook: Techniques,
Strategies, and Applications, Cambridge University Press.
Gamma, E., Helm, R., Johnson, R. and Vlissides, J. (1994) Design Patterns: Elements of Reu-
sable Object-Oriented Software, Addison-Wesley.
Hoover, D. and Oshineye, A. (2009) Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Soft-
ware Craftsman, O’Reilly Media.
Iba, T., (2014) A Journey on the Way to Pattern Writing: Designing the Pattern Writing Sheet.
PLoP 2014 proceedings.
Manns, M.L. and Rising, L. (2005), Fearless Change: Patterns for Introducing New Ideas,
Addison-Wesley.
Manns, M.L. and Rising, L. (2015) More Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas
Happen, Addison-Wesley Professional.
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PURPLSOC: Designing Lively Scenarios With the Pattern Approach of Christopher Alexander
Contents
From Noam Chomsky and Christopher Alexander to 22
Heinrich Lausberg: Rhetorical Framing for Pattern Analysis
Aspalter, Christian | Bauer, Reinhard
Leveraging Pattern Applications via Pattern Refinement 38
Falkenthal, Michael | Hadjakos, Aristotelis | Hentschel, Frank | Schulze, Heizo
Towards a Fourth Generation Pattern Language: Patterns 62
as Epistemic Threads for Systemic Orientation
Finidori, Helene | Borghini, Sayfan G. | Henfrey, Thomas
Guiding Patterns of Naturally Occurring Design: Elements 88
Henshaw, Jessie Lydia
Words for a Journey: A Pattern Language for Living 152
Well with Dementia
Iba, Takashi | Kaneko, Tomoki | Kamada, Arisa | Tamaki, Nao |
Okada, Makoto
The Fundamental Behavioral Properties 178
Iba, Takashi | Kimura, Norihiko | Akado, Yuma | Honda, Takuya
Pattern Language 3.0 and Fundamental Behavioral 200
Properties
Iba, Takashi
10