Page 36 RAIN Winter/Spring design, and buildings cannot completely modify people's behaviors. For example, people cannot communicate their needs completely to an architect, so the form that follows does not function well. On the other hand, a building cannot entirely mold behavior, so its function only partly follows from its form. Instead, good design comes from a dialogue between construction and use. If something is not quite right, fix the building a little bit, and allow people's behavior to adjust a little bit. Social engineering entirely through architecture is not possible; at best designers can only help builders and users to regularly communicate so that needs and structure closely reflect each another. There is no such thing as a perfect fix, but the smaller the change, the more likely it can be guided in the right way. In fits and bits, as in nature, form and function come together. Architecture today is mostly big fits. Profit drives design, so planners and architects like Alexander are only able to encourage small changes if such encouragement does not threaten business. Because of this, Alexander has rarely been very successful in creating his living"architecture. Fortunately, Universities are less pressured in some areas, so slow, human-scale campus planning has been more successful. And sometimes organic architectural ideas sound pleasant even to hardened politicos, deans and business magnates. Mter all, Corridors of Power are only hallways. Why not create nice spaces for those who can afford them? By approaching social engineering from an ecological perspective, Alexander has pushed planners to confront Big Business and Big Government. In support, he offers planners tools he calls "patterns". Responsible Anarchy Alexander wrote another book, "A Pattern Language", part of the series that includes "The Oregon Experiment". In it are hundreds of suggestions for designing everything from Doors to Nations. Its strongly worded pronouncements on solutions to problems make it read as though intended to be a planner's Bible. But the book . represents only a model, a suggestion to communities on how to organize what they know of their own traditions. Alexander knew very well that there can be no single manual to all communities. Each Community must create Above: The city modifies a street running through campus without notifying the public,foreshadowing research park construction near campus. The park has been placed outside planning office jurisdiction. Below: The park will destroy many natural scenes.
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