(no subject)

[randomness]

As I was looking for links for the previous post, I came across an architecture blog by Quixote, who introduces himself as "a new-fangled structural engineer who likes his earthquakes strong and his politics anarcho-syndical. So when the revolution comes, I'll be the guy putting non-union architectural catastrophes against the wall."

I know I’m ruining the ending (and at the very beginning no less), but the basic conceit of this blog is that Le Corbusier is a stand-in for industrialization and centralized control as much as the more brutal side of modernist architecture. He famously described the Unite d’Habitation, pictured above, as “a machine for living in,” which is more creepy than evil as a stand-alone statement — sure, housing is a consumer product just like vacuum cleaners, got it — but sets off all sorts of alarm bells when you realize you’re staring at the genesis of 50 years of human anguish in the form of dreadful housing projects.

colinmac and I had just been discussing urban planning this afternoon--a subject we seem to talk about every time we get together--so this post is for him.

Comments

[tyellas.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, first you post about Radiant City and now this. Urban planning is one of my side interests - I'm fascinated by spaces and how they affect people.

[quixote123.livejournal.com]

I wish I knew more about urban planning; what little exposure I have comes from reading Cities of Tomorrow by Peter Hall. Great book, I highly recommend it.

I'm jealous that you (r_ness) got to see Radiant City on the plane, if only partially. My last flight featured Fracture...