scholarly journals From Ideal Proposals to Serial Developments: Victor Bourgeois’s Schemes in the Light of Post-War Developments in Brussels

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gérald Ledent

Three essential elements of modernism consolidated through war: a centralised welfare state, a serial industrial apparatus and, often, a territorial tabula rasa. Hence, for many modernist architects and urban planners, post-war Europe became the ideal ground to put their ideas to the test. However, there is a genuine discrepancy between the proposals of the first four Congrès Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne (CIAM) and what was massively implemented throughout Europe after 1945. To explore this divergence, Brussels proves to be an interesting case study for two main reasons. First, it hosted the third CIAM in November 1930, where Victor Bourgeois presented his views on housing and cities, in line with the ideals of the time. Second, after the war, Belgium, like many Western countries, experienced a period of euphoria, during which the modernist ideology attained a sudden and broad consensus. In the capital over the following three decades new infrastructure was built, as well as housing developments that derived, at least formally, from the CIAM ideals. This article explores the gap between the ideals and the reality of modernism through a comparison on two scales: the city and housing. Bourgeois’s Grand and Nouveau Bruxelles proposals are compared to the Manhattan Plan and Etrimo’s housing developments. Understanding the gap between the ideals of modernism and its implementation may help identify characteristics of the modernist movement but also, as Lacaton-Vassal pointed out when citing Habermas, complete the “unfinished project” (Habermas, 1984) of modernism.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki Odanaka

This article examines the characteristics of the narrative framing discussions of the so-called ‘city problem’ and city policy in post war France and identify the ideal narrative for discussing and analysing them, based on a case study of two collective housing complexes located in Montpellier city: namely, Le Petit Bard and La Pergola. We draw two conclusions. First, the common narrative of the city problem, which emphasises ‘identity politics’ as its origin, is intentionally and artificially constructed. Second, the development of effective city policy requires the consideration of not only the cultural but also the socio-economic and spatial aspects of the city problem.


Author(s):  
C. Claire Thomson

Building on the picture of post-war Anglo-Danish documentary collaboration established in the previous chapter, this chapter examines three cases of international collaboration in which Dansk Kulturfilm and Ministeriernes Filmudvalg were involved in the late 1940s and 1950s. They Guide You Across (Ingolf Boisen, 1949) was commissioned to showcase Scandinavian cooperation in the realm of aviation (SAS) and was adopted by the newly-established United Nations Film Board. The complexities of this film’s production, funding and distribution are illustrative of the activities of the UN Film Board in its first years of operation. The second case study considers Alle mine Skibe (All My Ships, Theodor Christensen, 1951) as an example of a film commissioned and funded under the auspices of the Marshall Plan. This US initiative sponsored informational films across Europe, emphasising national solutions to post-war reconstruction. The third case study, Bent Barfod’s animated film Noget om Norden (Somethin’ about Scandinavia, 1956) explains Nordic cooperation for an international audience, but ironically exposed some gaps in inter-Nordic collaboration in the realm of film.


Transilvania ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
Liviu Cîmpeanu

By definition, a monument has extraordinary features that mark landscape and human minds alike. Without any doubt, the Medieval and Early Modern World of Europe was marked by ecclesiastical monuments, from great cathedrals and abbeys to simple chapels and altars at crossroads. A very interesting case study offers Braşov/ Kronstadt/Brassó, in the south-eastern corner of Transylvania, where historical sources attest several ecclesiastic monuments, in and around the city. Late medieval and early modern documents and chronicles reveal not only interesting data on the monasteries, churches and chapels of Braşov/Kronstadt/Brassó, but also on the way in which citizens and outsiders imagined those monuments in their mental topography of the city. The inhabitants of Braşov/ Kronstadt/Brassó and foreign visitors saw the monasteries, churches and chapels of the city, kept them in mind and referred to them in their (written) accounts, when they wanted to locate certain facts or events. The present paper aims in offering an overview of the late medieval and early modern sources regarding the ecclesiastical monuments of Braşov/Kronstadt/Brassó, as well as an insight into the imagined topography of a Transylvanian city.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Elizabeth Hickey

Convenience centres are a prominent retail form in the suburban communities of Toronto. Built to satisfy the goods and service needs of the people who inhabit the suburbs, convenience centres were first built in the post-war era, and consist of one-story retail units connected by a shared canopy. They have one or more rows of parking adjacent to the street and are designed to create a convenient experience for drivers. Convenience centres in Toronto typically occupy real estate along the Avenues and major arterial roads: areas designated in the City of Toronto Official plan to support future intensification, density, and housing. Therefore, the research in this project describes a set of recommendations in the form of a framework for redevelopment of convenience centres. It also outlines a case study for a site in Scarborough, Ontario, in which this framework was applied. Key words: retail; strip plaza; convenience centre; suburbs; redevelopment; Toronto;


Author(s):  
Ginevra Balletto ◽  
Mara Ladu ◽  
Alessandra Milesi ◽  
Giuseppe Borruso

Urban accessibility represents one of the great challenges of the contemporary city, which is required to adopt sustainable development models in line with the UN Agenda 2030 objectives, recently confirmed by the health emergency. Urban accessibility and walkability are topics closely related to those aiming at a livable, healthy and inclusive city, based on a system of high-quality public spaces and on a network of services and infrastructures. However, these principles collide with the fragmentation of many urban contexts, built following vehicular accessibility needs. Within this framework, the city of Cagliari represents an interesting case study as it is affected by the disposal of public properties which appear as “enclaves” in the historic urban fabric. This research aims to evaluate if and in which terms the abandoned assets can facilitate the development of the 15-minutes city, as a city reducing the need to move over a certain time and space and therefore granting a more equal access to urban services to a wide range of citizens. This is done by proposing indexes defined as porosity, crossing and attractiveness, which constitute a combined index to improve the pedestrian accessibility in the “central places” of the contemporary city, where the walkability can also become a possible “free choice” for a new healthy lifestyle. These indexes were calculated for the most significant large disused public buildings in the historic center to guide future scenarios towards a 15 minutes city.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-127
Author(s):  
Fajar Nugraha

the conduction of election was aimed at electing people and local representatives as well as forming democratic, strong, and legitimate  government in order to pursuit national goals based on Indonesian Constitution (UUDNRI 1945). Related to general election, there was a discourse on the model of governor election. The first, governor should elected by local (provincial) council. Second model will be direct election. The third, the governor should be assigned by President. It was a case study with qualitative approach. Based on the field result, it was perceived that the ideal type of choosing governor was direct election model. It was believed that it would trigger or stimulate a democratic local government and people-oriented development, throw away political partai oligarki. It was also in accordance to public participation on decision making.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Normah Sulaiman ◽  
Yusfida Ayu Abdullah ◽  
Raja Norashekin Raja Othman

Streets are essential elements of the form and function of the urban environment. A growing body of research has pointed out that the more human activities in the street, the more interesting the city will be. Streets showcase the community and connect people. They are the most comfortable social environments that provide aesthetical and interactional pleasure for everyone. This paper presents the outcomes of a study which measured street liveliness based on the attributes and behaviours of the pedestrians. The aim of this study was to examine how people experience the liveliness at various times for various activities on the street. To achieve this, the study applied a case study method by looking at one of the streets that showed a diversity of activities with a unique shopping experience and liveliness in Kuala Lumpur called Jalan Masjid India. The method involved two types of data collection techniques, which were site observations, and pedestrian counts. Results which consisted of behavioural mapping and activity analysis revealed that Jalan Masjid India has its own merits in terms of street liveliness, function, and urban activities.


Author(s):  
Ginevra Balletto ◽  
Mara Ladu ◽  
Alessandra Milesi ◽  
Federico Camerin ◽  
Giuseppe Borruso

The concepts of accessibility and urban walkability are the cornerstones of urban policies for the contemporary city, called upon to adopt sustainable development models in line with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda and the ambitious objectives of the 'European Green Deal'. These concepts are closely linked to the paradigm of a sustainable city (livable, healthy and inclusive), founded on a system of quality public spaces and on a network of services and infrastructures, both tangible and intangible, capable of strengthening or building new relationships: social, economic and environmental. It is therefore necessary to recognize potential opportunities for connection and permeability in consolidated urban environments, very often fragmented and characterized by enclaves. Within this framework, the city of Cagliari represents an interesting case study as it is characterized by the presence of a series of military complexes, real 'enclaves' which condition the proximity connections and, more generally, the walkability. In this sense, building on previous research and analysis of policies and projects aimed at reintroducing, even partially, this military asset into civilian life (Green Barracks Project - GBP - 2019), this study proposes and applies a methodology to improve urban accessibility in a flexible network logic, where 'walkability' can become not only a moment of possible "choice" but the basis for planning oriented to the '15 min city' model or, more generally, to the renewed, inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable “City of proximity”.


Author(s):  
Husnul Kausarian ◽  
Batara Batara ◽  
Dewandra Bagus Eka Putra

A strategic city located on the northern coast of Sumatera Island known as Dumai City. This city is a growth and industrial city that always increase everyday economically. This city faces the flood problem that not only from the excess water from the rain, but also from the phenomena of seawater tidal. The tidal should not reach the mainland for the ideal situation, but the urbanization and development problem made it happen. Field observation and satellite data analysis shows the problem that happened in this city, also find out the solution how to make the seawater tidal will not being the flood when it occurs. The flood caused by the inadequate drainage condition is exacerbated by the low awareness of people who still do not maintain cleanliness, a lot of garbage that accumulates in the drainage causing the process of water flow to be inhibited. Geologically, the base rock of Dumai City consists of sand and peat which logically is a good system to absorb water because sand and peat are materials that have high porosity. Topographically, the city of Dumai is at an average height of three meters above sea level, so in fact, this city could be spared from the flood caused by the tide when it occurs. The solutions that can be proposed for this city are making the rivers being clean with normalization, well-designed drainage, Watergate and making an artificial lake for sinking the tidal seawater.


2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 27-37
Author(s):  
Alina Delgado ◽  
Frank De Troyer

A fundamental change in the planning and delivery of new housing projects has taken place in the last years, with the focus shifting towards adding value to projects based on a better understanding of housing preferences. This issue becomes even more critical when it is intended to the provision of affordable houses for low and middle income groups. This paper describes a model designed to help developers and housing users to achieve their expectations regarding quality, affordability and including also reasonable profits. Developed through a “methodological pluralism”, this study identifies people-oriented variables and assumptions. The model was developed based on a case study in the city of Guayaquil-Ecuador, and information obtained from field work research was used to test it. The study examines implications and limitations of the model for inclusion of housing preferences considering local conditions and cultural values. The different parts of the model along with data requirements for each part are described. The paper concludes with findings regarding the identification of most preferred attributes by housing users and the use of alternatives methods to incorporate additional value into projects, translated into more appealing profits for developers and the provision of better and more affordable houses for users.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document