The plan of Chicago
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Arguably the most influential document in the history of urban planning, Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago, coauthored by Edward Bennett and produced in collaboration with the Commercial Club of Chicago, proposed many of the city’s most distinctive features, including its lakefront parks and roadways, the Magnificent Mile, and Navy Pier. Carl Smith’s history reveals(...)
The plan of Chicago
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Arguably the most influential document in the history of urban planning, Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago, coauthored by Edward Bennett and produced in collaboration with the Commercial Club of Chicago, proposed many of the city’s most distinctive features, including its lakefront parks and roadways, the Magnificent Mile, and Navy Pier. Carl Smith’s history reveals the Plan’s central role in shaping the ways people envision the cityscape and urban life itself. Smith’s narrative begins with a survey of Chicago’s stunning rise from a tiny frontier settlement to the nation’s second-largest city. He then offers an illuminating exploration of the Plan’s creation and reveals how it embodies the renowned architect’s belief that cities can and must be remade for the better. The Plan defined the City Beautiful movement and was the first comprehensive attempt to reimagine a major American city. Smith points out the ways the Plan continues to influence debates, even a century after its publication, about how to create a vibrant and habitable urban environment.
Urban Theory
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Rapid urban growth and suburban sprawl have heightened concern in many quarters about sustainable development. Are economic growth and environmental health always mutually exclusive goals? Nearly everyone would choose to pursue both given the chance, but many believe that it would be overly optimistic — perhaps naïve — to expect both. "Green city" proponents, however, do(...)
Green cities : urban growth and the environment
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Rapid urban growth and suburban sprawl have heightened concern in many quarters about sustainable development. Are economic growth and environmental health always mutually exclusive goals? Nearly everyone would choose to pursue both given the chance, but many believe that it would be overly optimistic — perhaps naïve — to expect both. "Green city" proponents, however, do hope to realize both ambitions. What exactly is a green city? What does it mean to say that San Francisco is greener than Houston, or that Vancouver is a green city while Beijing is not? When does urban growth lower environmental quality, and when does it produce environmental gains? These are the questions that drive this smart and engaging book. In "Green cities", Matthew Kahn surveys the burgeoning economic literature on the environmental consequences of urban growth. He discusses the environmental Kuznets curve, which theorizes that the relationship between environmental quality and per capita income follows a bell-shaped curve. The heart of the book unpacks and expands this notion by tracing the environmental effects of economic growth, population growth, and suburban sprawl. Kahn considers how cities can deal with the environmental challenges produced by growth. His concluding chapter addresses the role of cities in promoting climate change and asks how cities in turn are likely to be affected by this trend. Kahn considers the evidence for and against rival perspectives throughout the book. Despite being labeled as purveyors of a "dismal science," economists are often quite optimistic about the relationship between urban development and the environment. In contrast, many ecologists remain wary of the environmental consequences of free-market growth. "Green cities" does not try to settle this dispute. Instead, it marshals data and arguments to convey the excitement of an ongoing debate, enabling readers to formulate well-informed opinions and priorities on this critically important issue.
Urban Theory
La revanche des villes
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"On a longtemps pensé que l’ère des villes était close : victimes de la postmodernité et de la fin de l’industrialisation, rendues caduques par l’avènement de la communication en réseaux, elles auraient été supplantées par la souplesse des flux. Or notre époque est au contraire celle de la revanche des villes : non seulement les villes persistent, mais elles renforcent(...)
La revanche des villes
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"On a longtemps pensé que l’ère des villes était close : victimes de la postmodernité et de la fin de l’industrialisation, rendues caduques par l’avènement de la communication en réseaux, elles auraient été supplantées par la souplesse des flux. Or notre époque est au contraire celle de la revanche des villes : non seulement les villes persistent, mais elles renforcent leur identité et leur emprise. Plus que jamais s’impose une nouvelle civilisation urbaine : il y avait 800 millions d’urbains en 1950, 5 milliards sont prévus en 2030. Si la ville est bien l’un des acteurs majeurs de la mondialisation, le développement de l’emploi, l’équilibre social résidentiel, la sécurité des habitants, la gestion des mobilités, la sauvegarde de l’environnement s’affirment comme des objectifs communs à toutes les grandes villes contemporaines, du Nord comme du Sud. Plus centrales, davantage soumises à une exigence de participation des habitants, nos villes sont en outre plus vulnérables, au point de devenir parfois la cible de nouvelles formes de terrorisme. Comment dès lors parvenir à un gouvernement de la ville qui puisse assumer ces défis tout en faisant droit à une exigence démocratique renouvelée?"
Urban Theory
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Les journées rencontre «Réinventer le territoire par l'architecture» ont été portées par le refus de l'autisme, cette maladie maligne des établissements de formation tentés par le repli sur eux-mêmes. En partageant un bout de chemin, l'Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Bretagne et la Région Bretagne ont découvert qu'elles avaient partie liée : un territoire(...)
Urban Theory
November 2006, Rennes
Réinventer le territoire par l'architecture
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Les journées rencontre «Réinventer le territoire par l'architecture» ont été portées par le refus de l'autisme, cette maladie maligne des établissements de formation tentés par le repli sur eux-mêmes. En partageant un bout de chemin, l'Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Bretagne et la Région Bretagne ont découvert qu'elles avaient partie liée : un territoire commun, l'ardente obligation de l'investir de projets. S'est ainsi forgée une volonté partagée : côté institution de formation de contribuer à concevoir autrement les littoraux et les territoires régionaux, côté gouvernement régional de mobiliser les viviers de concepteurs et d'experts que constituent les univers des enseignants professionnels et des chercheurs. Le terme rencontre retenu vise à désigner une ambition démocratique de débats sur l'aménagement, souhaitée par les élus. Rencontre qui ne consacre ni à un quelconque retour à la bretonnité, ni au régionalisme ; elle saisit le fait littoral armoricain comme une situation limite mais non exceptionnelle : la disponibilité des espaces y est plus parcimonieuse qu'ailleurs. Rencontre fédératrice de compétences et foyer de diffusion, elle a vocation à stimuler réciproquement ceux qui pensent et ceux qui agissent sur le futur des territoires.
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November 2006, Rennes
Urban Theory
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For Siegfried Kracauer, the urban ornament was not just an aspect of design; it was the medium through which city dwellers interpreted the metropolis itself. In "Ornaments of the metropolis", Henrik Reeh traces variations on the theme of the ornament in Kracauer's writings on urbanism, from his early journalism in Germany between the wars to his "sociobiography" of(...)
Ornaments of the metropolis : Siegfried Kracuaer and the Modern urban culture
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For Siegfried Kracauer, the urban ornament was not just an aspect of design; it was the medium through which city dwellers interpreted the metropolis itself. In "Ornaments of the metropolis", Henrik Reeh traces variations on the theme of the ornament in Kracauer's writings on urbanism, from his early journalism in Germany between the wars to his "sociobiography" of Jacques Offenbach in Paris. Kracauer (1889-1966), often associated with the Frankfurt School and the intellectual milieu of Walter Benjamin, is best known for his writings on cinema and the philosophy of history. Reeh examines Kracauer's lesser-known early work, much of it written for the trendsetting newspaper Frankfurter Zeitung in the 1920s and early 1930s, and analyzes Kracauer's continuing reflections on modern urban life, through the pivotal idea of ornament. Kracauer deciphers the subjective experience of the city by viewing fragments of the city as dynamic ornaments; an employment exchange, a day shelter for the homeless, a movie theater, and an amusement park become urban microcosms. Reeh focuses on three substantial works written by Kracauer before his emigration to the United States in 1940. In the early autobiographical novel "Ginster, written by himself", a young architect finds aesthetic pleasure in the ornamental forms that are largely unused in the profession of the time. The collection "Streets of Berlin and elsewhere", with many essays from Kracauer's years in Berlin, documents the subjectiveness of urban life. Finally, "Jacques Offenbach and the Paris of his time" shows how the superficial - in a sense, ornamental - milieu of the operetta evolved into a critical force during the Second Empire. Reeh argues that Kracauer's novel, essays, and historiography all suggest ways in which the subjective can reappropriate urban life. The book also includes a series of photographs by the author that reflect the ornamental experience of the metropolis in Paris, Frankfurt, and other cities.
Urban Theory
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In this long-awaited work, Dalibor Vesely proposes an alternative to the narrow vision of contemporary architecture as a discipline that can be treated as an instrument or commodity. In doing so, he offers an account of the ontological and cultural foundations of modern architecture and, consequently, of the nature and cultural role of architecture through history.(...)
Architectural Theory
October 2006, Cambridge (MA), London
Architecture in the age of divided representation : the question of creativity in the shadow of production
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In this long-awaited work, Dalibor Vesely proposes an alternative to the narrow vision of contemporary architecture as a discipline that can be treated as an instrument or commodity. In doing so, he offers an account of the ontological and cultural foundations of modern architecture and, consequently, of the nature and cultural role of architecture through history. Vesely's argument, structured as a critical dialogue, discovers the first plausible anticipation of modernity in the formation of Renaissance perspective. Understanding this notion of perspective against the background of the medieval philosophy of light, he argues, leads to an understanding of architectural space as formed by typical human situations and by light before it is structured geometrically. The central part of the book addresses the question of divided representation - the tension between the instrumental and the communicative roles of architecture - in the period of the baroque, when architectural thinking was seriously challenged by the emergence of modern science. Vesely argues that to resolve the dilemma of modernity - reconciling the inventions and achievements of modern technology with the human condition and the natural world - we can turn to architecture and its latent capacity to reconcile different levels of reality, its ability to relate abstract ideas and conceptual structures to the concrete situations of everyday life. Vesely sees the restoration of this communicative role of architecture as the key to the restoration of architecture as the topological and corporeal foundation of culture; what the book is to our literacy, he argues, architecture is to culture as a whole. He concludes by proposing a new poetics of architecture that will serve as a framework for the restoration of the humanistic role of architecture in the age of technology.
Architectural Theory
Heidegger's hut
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"This is the most thorough architectural 'crit' of a hut ever set down, the justification for which is that the hut was the setting in which Martin Heidegger wrote phenomenological texts that became touchstones for late-twentieth-century architectural theory." --from the foreword by Simon Sadler Beginning in the summer of 1922, philosopher Martin Heidegger(...)
Architectural Theory
October 2006, Cambridge / London
Heidegger's hut
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"This is the most thorough architectural 'crit' of a hut ever set down, the justification for which is that the hut was the setting in which Martin Heidegger wrote phenomenological texts that became touchstones for late-twentieth-century architectural theory." --from the foreword by Simon Sadler Beginning in the summer of 1922, philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) occupied a small, three-room cabin in the Black Forest Mountains of southern Germany. He called it "die Hütte" ("the hut"). Over the years, Heidegger worked on many of his most famous writings in this cabin, from his early lectures to his last enigmatic texts. He claimed an intellectual and emotional intimacy with the building and its surroundings, and even suggested that the landscape expressed itself through him, almost without agency. In Heidegger's Hut, Adam Sharr explores this intense relationship of thought, place, and person. Heidegger's mountain hut has been an object of fascination for many, including architects interested in his writings about "dwelling" and "place." Sharr's account--the first substantive investigation of the building and Heidegger's life there--reminds us that, in approaching Heidegger's writings, it is important to consider the circumstances in which the philosopher, as he himself said, felt "transported" into the work's "own rhythm." Indeed, Heidegger's apparent abdication of agency and tendency toward romanticism seem especially significant in light of his troubling involvement with the Nazi regime in the early 1930s. Sharr draws on original research, including interviews with Heidegger's relatives, as well as on written accounts of the hut by Heidegger and his visitors. The book's evocative photographs include scenic and architectural views taken by the author and many remarkable images of a septuagenarian Heidegger in the hut taken by the photojournalist Digne Meller-Markovicz. There are many ways to interpret Heidegger's hut--as the site of heroic confrontation between philosopher and existence; as the petit bourgeois escape of a misguided romantic; as a place overshadowed by fascism; or as an entirely unremarkable little building. Heidegger's Hut does not argue for any one reading, but guides readers toward their own possible interpretations of the importance of "die Hütte."
Architectural Theory
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Finally, we are learning that simplicity equals sanity. We're rebelling against technology that's too complicated, DVD players with too many menus, and software accompanied by 75-megabyte "read me" manuals. The iPod's clean gadgetry has made simplicity hip. But sometimes we find ourselves caught up in the simplicity paradox: we want something that's simple and easy to(...)
The laws of simplicity : design, technology, business, life
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Finally, we are learning that simplicity equals sanity. We're rebelling against technology that's too complicated, DVD players with too many menus, and software accompanied by 75-megabyte "read me" manuals. The iPod's clean gadgetry has made simplicity hip. But sometimes we find ourselves caught up in the simplicity paradox: we want something that's simple and easy to use, but also does all the complex things we might ever want it to do. In "The laws of simplicity", John Maeda offers ten laws for balancing simplicity and complexity in business, technology, and design -guidelines for needing less and actually getting more. Maeda - a professor in MIT's Media Lab and a world-renowned graphic designer - explores the question of how we can redefine the notion of "improved" so that it doesn't always mean something more, something added on. Maeda's first law of simplicity is "Reduce." It's not necessarily beneficial to add technology features just because we can. And the features that we do have must be organized (Law 2) in a sensible hierarchy so users aren't distracted by features and functions they don't need. But simplicity is not less just for the sake of less. Skip ahead to Law 9: "Failure : accept the fact that some things can never be made simple." Maeda's concise guide to simplicity in the digital age shows us how this idea can be a cornerstone of organizations and their products -how it can drive both business and technology. We can learn to simplify without sacrificing comfort and meaning, and we can achieve the balance described in Law 10. This law, which Maeda calls "The One," tells us: "Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful."
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September 2006, Cambridge (MA)
Design Theory
A field guide to sprawl
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Duck, ruburb, tower farm, big box, and pig-in-a-python are among dozens of zany terms invented to characterize land use practices and the physical elements of sprawl. This book provides the verbal and visual vocabulary needed by professionals, public officials, and citizens to critique uncontrolled growth in the American landscape.
A field guide to sprawl
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Duck, ruburb, tower farm, big box, and pig-in-a-python are among dozens of zany terms invented to characterize land use practices and the physical elements of sprawl. This book provides the verbal and visual vocabulary needed by professionals, public officials, and citizens to critique uncontrolled growth in the American landscape.
Urban Theory
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This new edition of Mike Davis’s work gives an update on Los Angeles as the city hits the 21st century. No metropolis has been more loved or more hated. To its official boosters, “Los Angeles brings it all together.” To detractors, LA is a sunlit mortuary where “you can rot without feeling it.” To Mike Davis, the author of this wide-ranging work of social history, Los(...)
City of quartz : excavating the future in Los Angeles, new edition
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This new edition of Mike Davis’s work gives an update on Los Angeles as the city hits the 21st century. No metropolis has been more loved or more hated. To its official boosters, “Los Angeles brings it all together.” To detractors, LA is a sunlit mortuary where “you can rot without feeling it.” To Mike Davis, the author of this wide-ranging work of social history, Los Angeles is both utopia and dystopia, a place where the last Joshua trees are being plowed under to make room for model communities in the desert, where the rich have hired their own police to fend off street gangs, as well as armed Beirut militias. In "City of quartz", Davis reconstructs LA’s shadow history and dissects its ethereal economy. He tells us who has the power and how they hold on to it. He gives us a city of Dickensian extremes, Pynchonesque conspiracies, and a desperation straight out of Nathaniel West—a city in which we may glimpse our own future mirrored with terrifying clarity. In this new edition, Davis provides an update on the city’s current status.
Urban Theory