“THE REGIONAL MODEL. Only closed cities are cut off from their surrounding regions; open cities are not. The blue islands are startling because they provide stark evidence that we live in closed cities. This evidence flies in the face of some of the most basic assumptions about our present modes of urbanization. The urban fabric is no longer seamless. Over the past half century, new development has jumped beyond the perimeter of the existing city and has formed into discrete suburban clusters. In the interstices of these clusters, open space has emerged and this open space has often been associated with the qualities of natural environments. In one sense, the fabric of the city has been dispersed. In another, urban fabric has been infiltrated by open space. This trend has led to the assumption that the closed, monolithic forms of the traditional city have been opened up to the natural environment.”
