# Protocols Don’t Build Pyramids

Source: https://summerofprotocols.com/research/protocols-dont-build-pyramids
Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Protocols-Dont-Build-Pyramids?index=0x6581fd55262a34b9c117a6c81ccfdd81d7e9e50b047342d6c593eeef8f32b3583f23734e
Submitted by misha on 2023-12-19 UTC, 1 upvote, 0 comments

## Summary

Drew Austin argues that protocols mediate between the fast-changing "software" of cities and their rigid physical "hardware," and that apparent protocol failure may sometimes be a protocol working as intended. The essay says protocol failure is especially visible in the built environment's inability to accommodate change over time. It also states that an accompanying "pattern language," modeled on Christopher Alexander's work, presents protocol design as a way to improve and maintain the built environment.