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The importance of urban planning
The importance of urban planning
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In chapter 8, the author Barry Bergdoll has written about how urban planners were reinventing new concepts to change and improve urban life as well as solve problems relating to poverty and congestion. The author continues the chapter discussing further in depth problems that occurred in Paris, France. For example, due to the narrow streets in Paris it limited and prevented military officers from stopping riots. However, for Napoleon Bonaparte the narrow streets were in his favor when he overthrew the government. Additionally, Napoleon Bonaparte had a goal to create a new more Modernist architecture layout for Medieval Paris by replacing the old layout. Also, Napoleon Bonaparte’s vision for the city of Paris included widen streets, so that
he would be able to protect his city from another revolution. For example, with wider streets he would have more space to use cannons. Another example of an urban plan problem was the closeness of buildings bunched together, which created a dense urban fabric. Therefore, disease became easily attainable to the citizen for the reason that they were so close to filth due to the city’s congestion. Other solutions that accounted for Paris, Frances’s transformation include the adding of monuments, public space, and main roads. As a result, of Paris, France’s city transformation it influenced a myriad of other cities to mimic the function of its urban design plan.
Paris in 1850 was in an precarious condition. In the Prologue, Harvey compares the state of Paris to a double straitjacket, each of which fortified the other. The first straitjacket refers to the economic crisis that occurred during the late 1840’s. During this time, there appeared to be an upsurge of rural workers coming into Paris from the countryside searching for employment or assistance. With this sudden increase in the population of Paris came a high rate of unemployment and an overaccumulation of capital wealth. This surplus of labour, however, was problematic, since employment was scarce in comparison to the population. Predictably, this situation instigated thoughts of reformations in the capitalist system in place. This economic catastrophe, Harvey argues, is one of the reasons that urged Louis-Napoleon and Haussmann to
In this selection, author Mike Rose explains his experiences following his mistaken placement in a bottom tier classes. Through this mistake, Rose begins to realize the different attitudes that accompany this bottom level stigma.
In the reading “Walking in the City”, Michel de Certeau discusses the use of tactics and strategies when creating a city environment. Certeau explains that strategies are for big corporations, architects, and the wealthy and the powerful. These are the people who have a say in building the city. Strategies require urban planning, these people have the power to make these choices. On the other hand, there are certain tactics that civilians living in the city create to ease the difficulties of daily living. The little people, the civilians, or those who have no say, control the tactics according to Certeau. Tactics are created to make the living standards equal in a sense. The strategies and tactics that are used to create a city, play significant role in how the city will function as a whole.
The phrase Paris capital of modernity refers to the time in the second half of the nineteenth century when Paris was considered one of the most innovative cities in the world. This was largely a result of Haussmann’s renovation of the city between 1851 and 1869. A Prefect of Paris under Napoleon III, he transformed Paris into a city with wide streets, new shops and cafes, and a unified architecture.
In the 1950s Newcastle was known as a sleep city, Dan described it as “moribund” (1) decades had past and very little economic development had taken place between that time frame and families were left to suffer. In 1959, T. Dan Smith became Leader of Newcastle City Council, he set up his own independent planning department in the council and appointed Wilfred Burns as chief officer in 1960. They both wanted to re-modernise Newcastle for the better by undertaking new road plans to resolve the traffic congestion that plagued the city and breath new life into the city by clearing out the slum areas and rebuilding new homes to help improve peoples living conditions. One way Smith helped promote his grand scheme was through a series of models and held public gatherings to help fuel his passion to help change Newcastle, a method used by Richard Grainger who greatly strengthened Newcastle’s status as a regional capital. In order to achieve Grainger’s equivalent he set out to get renowned architects to develop the city, like Le Corbusier , Basil Spence, Leslie Martin, Robert Matthew and even Picasso to help reinforce his vision for the future “Brasilia of the North” (2). In this essay I will closely examine T. Dan Smith’s proposed plans for the new urban motorway system, that would help solve the traffic problem. Also the redevelopment of Eldon Sqaure that would come under scrutiny, but would later become a commercial success. I will also investigate the new Civic Centre that replaced the Old Town Hall and the intention from the local authorities to demolish the Royal Arcade and replace it with a roundabout.
Levy, J. M. (2013). Contemporary Urban Planning. New Jersey: Pearson-Prentice Hall. Retrieved from Course Smart.
For this book report, I was assigned to read the book titled “How Paris Became Paris, The Invention of the Modern City”. Published in 2014 by former professor and well-known writer Joan DeJean. DeJean has written eleven books in her life consisting of several different topics. She’s written about French literature, history, and culture from the eighteenth century. She is a dynamic writer and perhaps has written her most iconic and dynamic piece in her latest entry “How Paris Became Paris”. In her book, she goes in-depth and details regarding the rise of Paris’ built environment and its effect on the nation of France and the entire global community as a whole. In this book report, I will describe and highlight the tipping point on the evolution
Paris Street, Rainy Day can be seen as quintessential representation of the loneliness of modern life in Haussmann’s new boulevards (Brooks 2005). Fried (1999) argues against the idea that the picture is a depiction of social isolation in modern Paris, and that the subjects are merely absorbed in modern life. However, it is hard to ignore the isolating elements in the image, such as the uniformity of Hussmann’s boulevards, the conformity of the open umbrellas, and the disconnected gaze of the passers-by (Facos 2011). Caillebotte appears to direct the viewer to the idea that it is the sterile nature of Hussmann’s Paris that has caused this sense of social isolation amongst Parisians (Distel
I will study how the High Line changed New York from being a busy vehicle city to be an attractive walking city. Focusing on again the advantages of it, how it enhances the city of New York and how it gives New York the title of a Walking City. Although different to the other two as the High Line is purely recreational. When people first think of New York they think of the busy roads, the traffic, the loud noise of cars beeping their horns and they think of the yellow taxis driving around the city, hence once giving New York the title of a vehicle city. But when I think of New York I think of it as a Walking City mainly down to the opening of the New York High Line in 2009. The High Line is purely for pedestrians no vehicles allowed, setting out that this piece of architecture was going to change this city’s title for the better. The High Line before was a piece of obsolete industrial infrastructure in a part of Manhattan that was forsaken. It was built for the sole reason that so many accidents were happen due to trains and the street traffic colliding on 10th avenue. In 1934 lines opened for use, but not long after in the 1950’s the growth of the interstate lead to a drop in rail travel. The High Line became derelict out of use, architects saw it as a ruin sitting there since 1980. But when Ricardo Scofido took it over the change started to happen, the High Line was going to change New York’s
Le Corbusier. The City of Tomorrow and Its Planning. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1987
Paris was overcrowded. The streets were too small and dirty as well. So Napoleon III hired Eugene Houssman to fix this. Napoleon wanted him to modernize Paris. Eugene completely tore down the center of Paris and cleaned up the sludge. Eugene laid down wide boulevards in a wheel shape to help with crowd control and made all of the buildings the same height at 5 stories
Aelbrechy, P. S. (2010). Rethinking Urban Design for a Changing Public Life. Journal of Place Management and Development, 113-129.
At the height of the Second Empire, Paris was one of the leading centres of capitalist culture in Europe during the mid-nineteenth century, made possible by the city’s reconstruction. The modernisation of Paris initiated an unprecedented method of urban planning under Baron Haussmann. It is this concept of modernisation that people immediately think of in terms of Paris and modernity. This focus on Haussmannisation, however, obscures the fact that Paris was already changing before Haussmann, as was evident in the arcades that sprung up during the 1820s and 30s. Plans of renovating the city were already being thought of in order to manage problems of overcrowding, diseases, social upheavals and infrastructure collapse. However, these plans were never realised; it was the small business owners—or the petit bourgeoisie—who saw to the creation of the arcades that drove the changes made within the urban landscape of pre-Haussmann Paris.
Vidler, Anthony. The New Industrial World: The Reconstruction of Urban Utopia in Late Nineteenth Century France. Perspecta. Vol. 13/14, (1971), pp. 243-256
Paris, France is more than 2000 years old. Memories of the Parisii tribe settled there some time between 250 and 200 B.C. The members founded a fishing village on an island near the river that is the present day location of Ile de la Cite; the center point of which Paris is built around. In ancient times, Paris was once known as Lutetia. Paris was conquered in 52 B.C. by Julius Caesar and was a center point under the Roman Empire through the early Middle Ages. Count of Paris, Hugh Capet, became king of France in 987 and helped Paris position its name as the nation’s capital. Paris played major roles in the revolutions of 1830 and 1848, and during the Franco-Prussian war, the city was besieged for four months until France surrendered. Germany occupied the city during World War II from 1940 to 1944. Today, Paris maintains its importance and character through its appearance. Structures such as the Beaubourg and the Grands Projects add to this effect. Paris is a fantastic city. History aside, Paris’ culture and surrounding geography play a big role in the beauty of the area (Sommers 1)