Uncanny dynamism : can neuroscience inform our understanding of the modern city?

Why does the modern city feel alien? In his seminal book The Eyes

of the Skin, Juhani Pallasmaa explains the feeling of alienation and

detachment that one experiences in the modern city. He emphasizes

that there is a lack of hapticity, or a lack of physical connection that an

observer has in post-industrial cities. The media, as well as modern

buildings, focus on ocularcentrism to display an immediate image or

message, rather than a series of experiences which enrich and

connect the user with the architecture. The scope of the thesis will be

to explore the realms of neuroscience to be able to explain what this

really means: what is our connection with the physical world? By

asking this question, I will investigate through neuroscience how the

modern city goes against perceptual needs. The influences it has on

our well-being are dictated by more than biological imperatives;

modern buildings pride themselves in the incorporation of green

building technology and design, whether they have state of the art

mechanical systems, maximization of sunlight, facilities that recycle

waste matter, etc. Although admirable, these are all technical solutions.

Architecture is also dictated by economic and political pressures. With

this model, it inevitably follows a top-down pyramid scheme, where the

inhabitants are at the bottom. Buildings seem like they stand alone in

the horizon, objects that are supposed to display authority and power

of the company or owner. Their repeated typologies reflect a society

that preaches diversity, but in reality, instills sameness. The

complexity of the natural world is what is hardwired in us, and if we do

not reflect it, our minds will be anesthetized from our environments