Editing A Pattern Language

{{Short description|1977 nonfiction book by Christopher Alexander}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox book
| name = A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction
| title_orig = 
| translator = 
| image = A Pattern Language.jpg
| caption = 
| author = Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein
| illustrator = 
| cover_artist = 
| country = 
| language = 
| series = 
| subject = Architecture
| genre = 
| publisher = Oxford University Press
| pub_date = {{Start date and age|1977}}
| english_pub_date = 
| media_type = 
| pages = 1071
| isbn = 0-19-501919-9
| oclc = 
| dewey = 
| congress = HT166.A6147
| preceded_by = [[The Oregon Experiment]]
| followed_by = [[The Timeless Way of Building]]
}}

'''''A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction''''' is a 1977 book on [[architecture]], [[urban design]], and community [[livability]].  It was authored by [[Christopher Alexander]], [[Sara Ishikawa]] and [[Murray Silverstein]] of the Center for Environmental Structure of [[Berkeley, California]], with writing credits also to Max Jacobson, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King and Shlomo Angel. Decades after its publication, it is still one of the best-selling books on architecture.<ref>review: [http://www.katarxis3.com/Review_Nature_Order.htm Towards a New Science of Architecture, and a New Architecture of Science, KATARXIS No 3, London UK, September 2004]</ref>

The book creates a new language, what the authors call a [[pattern language]] derived from timeless entities called patterns. As they write on page xxxv of the introduction, "All 253 patterns together form a language." Patterns describe a problem and then offer a solution. In doing so the authors intend to give ordinary people, not only professionals, a way to work with their neighbors to improve a town or neighborhood, design a house for themselves or work with colleagues to design an office, workshop, or public building such as a school.

== Structure ==
Written in the 1970s at the [[University of California, Berkeley]], ''A Pattern Language'' is structured as a network, where each pattern may have a statement referenced to another pattern by placing that pattern's number in brackets, for example: '''(12)''' means go to the ''Community of 7,000'' pattern.

It includes 253 patterns and is written as a set of problems and documented solutions.

According to the authors, the work originated from an observation: {{blockquote|text=At the core […] is the idea people should design their homes, streets, and communities. This idea […] comes from the observation most of the wonderful places of the world were not made by architects, but by the people. |author=Christopher Alexander et al. |title=''A Pattern Language'' |source=front bookflap}}

The book primarily describes its patterns verbally, but has supporting illustrations. It describes exact methods for constructing designs at every scale, from entire regions, through cities, neighborhoods, gardens, buildings, rooms, built-in furniture, and fixtures down to the level of doorknobs. The patterns are regarded by the authors not as infallible, but as hypotheses: {{blockquote|text=[…] each pattern represents our current best guess as to what arrangement of the physical environment will work to solve the problem presented. The empirical questions center on the problem—does it occur and is it felt in the way we describe it?—and the solution—does the arrangement we propose solve the problem? And the asterisks represent our degree of faith in these hypotheses. But of course, no matter what the asterisks say, the patterns are still hypotheses, all 253 of them—and are, therefore, all tentative, all free to evolve under the impact of new experience and observation. |author=Christopher Alexander et al. |title=''A Pattern Language'' |source=p. xv}}

Some patterns focus on materials: {{blockquote|text=We believe ultra-lightweight concrete is one of the most fundamental bulk materials of the future. |author=Christopher Alexander et al. |title=''A Pattern Language'' |source=p. 958}} Other patterns focus on life experiences such as the Street Cafe (Pattern 88):{{blockquote |text=The street cafe provides a unique setting, special to cities: a place people can sit lazily, legitimately, be on view, and watch the world go by […]. Encourage local cafes to spring up in each neighborhood. Make them intimate places, with several rooms, open to a busy path, so people can sit with a coffee or a drink, and watch the world go by. Build the front of the cafe so a set of tables stretch out of the cafe, right into the street. |author=Christopher Alexander et al. |title=''A Pattern Language'' |source=p. 437,439}}

Grouping these patterns, the authors say, they form a kind of language, each pattern forming a word or thought of a true language rather than a prescriptive way to design or solve a problem. As the authors write on p xiii, "Each solution is stated in such a way, it gives the essential field of relationships needed to solve the problem, but in a very general and abstract way—so you can solve the problem, in your way, by adapting it to your preferences, and the local conditions at the place you are making it."

According to the authors, all the patterns were tested in the real world and then reviewed by multiple architects for beauty and practicality. The patterns include provision for future modification and repair.
== Reception ==
This book's method was adopted by the [[University of Oregon]], as described in ''[[The Oregon Experiment]]'', and remains the official planning instrument.<ref name="UOCampusPlan">University of Oregon Campus Plan -- Principle 11: Patterns. {{citation|title=UO Campus Plan|year=2018|location=Eugene, Oregon|url=https://cpfm.uoregon.edu/campus-plan}}</ref>  It is adopted, in part, by some government agents  {{which|date=April 2014}} as a building code.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

Alexander's conception of [[pattern]]s, and [[pattern language]]s, were major factors in the creation of [[Ward Cunningham]]'s [[WikiWikiWeb]], the first [[wiki]], intended as an archive and discussion web application for the [[Portland Pattern Repository]].<ref name="artima">{{cite web |title=Exploring with Wiki: A Conversation with Ward Cunningham, Part I |author=Bill Venners |date=20 October 2003 |url=http://www.artima.com/intv/wiki.html |publisher=artima developer |accessdate=12 December 2014 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205091836/http://www.artima.com/intv/wiki.html |archivedate=5 February 2015 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The idea of a pattern language applies to many complex engineering tasks. It is especially influential in [[software engineering]], where [[Software design pattern|design patterns]] are used to document collective knowledge in the field.<ref>Berna L. Massingill, Timothy G. Mattson, and Beverly A. Sanders (2000), A Pattern Language for Parallel Application Programs, Euro-Par 2000 Parallel Processing, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer Berlin / Heidelberg, {{ISBN|978-3-540-67956-1}}, pages 678–681, 2000</ref><ref>[http://parlab.eecs.berkeley.edu/wiki/patterns/patterns Our Pattern Language] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824182610/http://parlab.eecs.berkeley.edu/wiki/patterns/patterns |date=2017-08-24}} An ongoing collaborative effort to construct a pattern language for parallel programming.</ref> In that field, it was a major inspiration to [[Richard P. Gabriel]] before he wrote ''Patterns of Software''.<ref>{{Cite book
| publisher = Oxford University Press, UK
| isbn = 0-19-512123-6
| last = Gabriel
| first = Richard
| title = Patterns of Software: Tales from the Software Community
| url = https://archive.org/details/patternssoftware00gabr_573
| url-access = limited
| year = 1996
| page = [https://archive.org/details/patternssoftware00gabr_573/page/n238 239]
}}</ref>

[[Will Wright (game designer)|Will Wright]] cited the book as one of his inspirations for creating ''[[SimCity 2000]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/1994/01/wright/|title="Will Wright: The Mayor of SimCity"|magazine=Wired |last1=Kelly |first1=Kevin }}</ref>

== Other titles in the series ==
The eight books in the ''Center for Environmental Structure Series'' are:<ref>[http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/category/academic/series/artsandarchitecture/cess.do Oxford University Press page for the series]</ref>
* ''[[The Timeless Way of Building]]'' (volume 1)
* ''A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction''<ref>{{Cite book
| publisher = Oxford University Press, USA
| isbn = 0-19-501919-9
| last = Alexander
| first = Christopher
| title = A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction
| year = 1977
| page = [https://archive.org/details/patternlanguage00chri/page/1216 1216]
| url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/patternlanguage00chri/page/1216
}}</ref> (volume 2)
* ''[[The Oregon Experiment]]'' (volume 3)
* ''[[The Production of Houses]]'' (volume 4)
* ''[[The Linz Café]]'' (volume 5)
* ''[[A New Theory of Urban Design]]'' (volume 6)
* ''[[A Foreshadowing of 21st Century Art]]'' (volume 7)
* ''[[The Mary Rose Museum]]'' (volume 8)

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Alexander, Christopher; Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein (1974). "A Collection of Patterns Which Generate Multi-Service Centres" in Declan and Margrit Kennedy (eds.): ''The Inner City''. Architects Year Book 14. London: Elek. {{ISBN|0 236 15431 1}}.
* Alexander, C. (1979). ''The Timeless Way of Building''. New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-502402-9}}.
* Grabow, Stephen (1983). ''Christopher Alexander: The Search for a New Paradigm in Architecture''. London and Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
* Leitner, Helmut (2015). ''Pattern Theory: Introduction and Perspectives on the Tracks of Christopher Alexander''. {{ISBN|1505637430}}.
* Schuler, D. (2008). ''Liberating Voices: A Pattern Language for Communication Revolution''. Cambridge, Mass.: [[MIT Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0-262-69366-0}}.

== External links ==
* [http://www.patternlanguage.com/ Pattern Language - Official web site of Christopher Alexander.]
{{Christopher Alexander|state=expanded}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pattern Language, A}}
[[Category:1977 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Architecture books]]
[[Category:Vernacular architecture]]
[[Category:Architectural theory]]
[[Category:Books about urbanism]]
[[Category:Oxford University Press books]]