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Statue of Liberty Artifact?

Governor's island Artifact

When a mega city is born, it is born within the walls of water and the surface of the land.

“The city is like Poetry: it compresses all life, all races, and breeds, into a small island and adds music and the accompaniment of internal engines”

-E.B. White

The evolution of Manhattan geographically, culturally, and economically has been tremendous over the years. Manhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York State, surrounded by water. 57 The Lenape started settling there. The city started to build on that land called Lenape Indian Island. Dutch traders started settling in the region. Today’s Manhattan being surrounded by water and a number of small islands became a trading post for the Dutch. After Dutch traders arrived the British. Finally, the land was handed over to American Government. 58 built area. In 1797, the population increased to 52,000. In 1811, it increased to 64,000. In 1811, the commissioner’s plan proposed grid planning. The grids represent the street. In 1834, the population grew even higher up to 247000. Around 1842, the Croton aqueduct passed through the city with the agenda to provide fresh water to the residents. Accessibility was also a concern and hence, New York and Harlem Railroad was built. Around 1850, the population rose to 495,000 leaving the web of streets to grow with the agenda of connectivity. Among the five boroughs of New York, the only thing separating those five boroughs was the water. Hence, the decision to make water as medium of regular transportation was made. The meaning of the medium of transportation is then elaborated by the type of usage of the water. One of them was leisure. Water then became private, because then it was owned by the government. In 1857, the central park was established under the belief that people use more parks rather than opera or churches. 9th Avenue had the first elevated railroad to replace street cars. A permanent solution had to be made in terms of transportation and hence an urban artifact like the Brooklyn Bridge was made in 1883. Meanwhile, the urban sprawl kept increasing and it kept getting dense. It was a similar case of demand and supply. The settlements came, the ease of commuting was established and because of that ease of accessibility, more spaces were grown as a network. As of 1900, too much of the land was developed. It led to the increase in elevated railroads which led to the first subway line. Manufacturing spaces started to get more revolutionized. The land is stitched by the network of subways including underground and above-ground, tramways, bridges, etc. What are highways then? In 1969, proposals for Urban renewal projects were made.60 The more the island developed the more it because public but privately owned. The interesting visual fact about the growth of Manhattan city as an island in the context of population growth and accessibility is that it is surrounded by distinguished waters flowing with different currents and directions affecting the lateral forces geographically. The water was introduced was surrounded by land, that is, Central Park (The reservoir). Water as mentioned in the earlier chapters is looked at as a commodity to be used for leisure and also for consumption. The water used for consumption has been introduced in to the city. The croton aqueduct. In 1842, the Croton Aqueduct was made. Its agenda is to distribute water and make it suitable for potable and non-potable use. 61 The Croton aqueduct was built as a water distribution system. The water was carried with the help of gravity for about 41 miles. It was built because the local resources provided became contaminated. It took 22 hours for the water to travel 41 miles. The water quality of interiors and drinking water improved. 6,175 houses were connected to the system, hence the water accessibility improved. Rich New Yorkers had running water in their private homes. However, there were certain consequences of this, people stopped drawing water from wells which caused the water table to rise. The rise in the water table caused flooding in callers which is why sewers were built in the residential streets. There was an outbreak of German cockroaches and it was believed that it was because of the connectivity between the aqueduct and residential sewers. The old Croton was then supported by New Croton Aqueduct which was even deeper than the old one.62 The new Croton aqueduct provides water to

In 1664, Hendry Hudson views the land of Manhattan as a cultivation land. 59 There was an extent of settlement and it started from the waterfront so that it becomes easier to trade, travel and get food. In 1728, there was an extent of settlement towards the 57 “Manhattan,” in Wikipedia, April 8, 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Manhattan&oldid=1148879608.       58 “Croton Aqueduct,” in Wikipedia, August 11, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Croton_ Aqueduct&oldid=1103984006.

59 “Watch New York City Grow from 1609 to Today with This Animated Video Assembled from Historic Maps,” 6sqft, April 7, 2023, https://www.6sqft.com/watch-new-york-city-grow-from-1609-to-today-with-this-animated-video-assembled-from-historicmaps/.

61 “Croton Aqueduct,” in Wikipedia, August 11, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Croton_ Aqueduct&oldid=1103984006.

62 “Croton Aqueduct,” in Wikipedia, August 11, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Croton_ Aqueduct&oldid=1103984006.

10% of New York City. The water from old Croton was drained into the central park and turtle pond in the current scenario.63

It is observed as flooding is known as a natural calamity it can also be caused artificially by humans for replacing a source of water with another in order to achieve a comfortable environment.

Croton aqueduct trail distributes water to the houses. Water enters a built public facility just to cater to private residences. Its path

63 Friends of

15, 2009, https://aqueduct.org/oca-history.

In terms of private, public, built, and un-built spaces, water will become a built private space. A space that will work as small industries produce potable and non-potable water to provide to build public space. The water surrounding the land is often ignored and is only used to the extent of commuting and leisure. However, the water has more abilities than it is perceived. Water in this condition does not only become a part of the leisure and a medium of commute but also a habitable space. Many questions arise with shifting the paradigm like, how do we derive the boundaries on water? How do we decide on enclosures on water? How do we decide on the enclosures on land? At this point, it is not only about humans but about the ecosystem.

Diagrammatic map of Manhattan showing the early condition of land and water

Green Manhattan

Governor's Island

Un-built water (Public)

Built-land (Private)

Outline

Ferry route

Un-built water (Public)

Built-land (Private) of Manhattan with enclosing water bodies likepond, aqueduct

(Public)

Diagrammatic map surrounded by water

Outline of Manhattan

Outline Housing

Central park

Land

Un-built water (Public)

Diagrammatic map surrounded by water

Outline of Manhattan

Outline Housing

Central park

Land

Un-built water (Public)

Green Space Housing space

Commercial spaces

The conclusion is simple! Geography proves the formation of land. There are different kinds of enclosures some made by water and some made by land. However, there are many things affecting like political, cultural, and historic episodes. Out of these, the most revolutionary is the human intervention. The usage and typology of the space are determined by necessity. The authority of decisionmaking is by humans. Hence, Humans are the Urban artifacts. Every minute thing happens because humans take the decision to do so. Urban Voids are subjective in terms of the methodology they are observed. The decision of the space being an Urban Void is also subjective because some Urban Voids are inclusive in a way that some spaces are only accessed by people with specific social and economic statuses. Such spaces also include private spaces open to the public.

Humans in Amsterdam (Schoonschip) community have preferred to live on water rather than on the land since that area is flood prone zone and when they face flooding the houses float. Due to this, people feel flood-prone or safer on water rather than on land. This concept had come from the fishermen who used to live in fish- ing boats to fish and create a livelihood. Gradually, ownership of water came into the picture and that is how people started treating water like land. It would be interesting if activities are distributed in a way that houses are built on water and land is used for commuting or accessing commercial and industrial places. We can still go vertically high while building. It is evident that almost the majority of the part of earth is covered with water and some of the parts are land but that land is also held by water. People are facing a housing crisis due to less space to create habitation on the available land; hence, it is the land that needs saving.

It’s amazing to understand the creation, and application of nomos with respect to history. Venice, as a city finds water (Lagoon) as a suitable space for living and creating habitation. Hence, people have created land with canals and sewers almost making it a complete leisure place. It is known for its remarkable engineering. The reason to build on the water is also liable. It provides almost all the necessities required to have a life. Venice has also witnessed many historic episodes. Thus, it is shaped the way it is currently. Water can is not an Urban Void but not using it to its entire potential is an unnoticed Urban Void.