Rebecca Solnit on San Francisco

David Morris fqmorris at gmail.com
Tue Mar 5 07:15:17 CST 2013


The failings of Pruitt Igoe and Modernism's anti-urbanism embodied by Le
Corbusier's Model city (
http://www.google.com/search?q=le+corbusier+model+city&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=he01UYKzHebR2QXP_YCQBA&ved=0CC0QsAQ&biw=1024&bih=625
)
have been well known for a long time.  Density ain't its root problem.  The
destruction of urban space and fabric in favor of free-standing towers
surrounded by a void are.  Density in the city would Ideally look more like
the Paris Le Corbusier sought to replace.
http://www.earth-photography.com/Countries/France/ChampsElysees_subgallery/France_Paris_ChampsElysees.html

On Monday, March 4, 2013, Prashant Kumar wrote:

> Take this as the timid question it is, David (M.), but how does one
> achieve high density urban areas without creating Pruitt Igoe like
> hellholes?
>
> In Sydney we have a community housing building modelled after Le
> Corbusier, but instead of parks, car parks. The Northcott building
>
>
> http://m.theaustralian.com.au/arts/public-housing-private-hell/story-e6frg8n6-1111112988132
>
>
> Needless to say it became a concrete slab of despair and social
> distinction. (I do agree with your larger point; I think Sydney for example
> would be much the poorer without the contrast high density allows. Where I
> was born in New Zealand has become a horrible stretch of motorways and mall
> complexes, the kind with attached buildings and surrounded by a sea of car
> parks.)
>
> P.
>
> On Tuesday, March 5, 2013, David Morris wrote:
>
>>
>> http://www.google.com/search?q=seattle+public+library+rem+koolhaas&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=wW41UcDxDYPW2gXdz4HYCg&sqi=2&ved=0CC0QsAQ&biw=1024&bih=673
>>
>>>
>>
>>
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