14.7. Layers and Languages

In one of your first answers, you said that you think the pattern movement did some great things, but they had too narrow a view of patterns. Can you expand on that?

James: At a workshop I once attended that included some of the Hillside Group, it came out that they had this very narrow, almost quasi-religious view of what patterns were, and they really didn't want to expand it. They were very protective of their official view of patterns and this sort of worship of the architect Alexander. They viewed patterns as this very specific thing, and I think patterns can be applied at many different levels.