Unit 2: Unit 2: (Concept City vs.)(Concept City vs.) Lived CityLived City

Hausemann and le Corbusier Hausemann and le Corbusier vs. vs.

Baudelaire, de Certeau, Baudelaire, de Certeau,

George Simmel and spaces of George Simmel and spaces of flows in the Global Cityflows in the Global City

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OutlineOutline

Starting Questions Concept C (1): Concept C (1): Baron Haussman Lived C (1): Lived C (1): Baudelaire and Benjamin Concept C (2): Concept C (2): Vienna’s Ringstrass Lived C (2): Lived C (2): G. Simmel Concept C (3): Concept C (3): Le Corbusier Lived C (3): Space of FlowsLived C (3): Space of Flows

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Review QuestionsReview Questions1. What are the advantages and limitations in the ideas of

‘concept city’ and ‘lived city’? How do we experience a city?

2. What have we known so far about urban planning? The metaphors some theorists used? The differences between Hausemann and le Corbusier? The connections between Baudelaire and Benjamin?

3. How is ‘urbanism’ a way of life? How does Louis Wirth defines it? Do you agree with him? (e.g. Urban ‘contacts’ – impersonal, transitory, segmental, and mostly utilitarian anomie)

4. Is Wirth’s view similar to that of George Simmel (e.g. pp. 466-)?

5. What is a flâneur? (439) Can we be flâneur or flâneuse? Are there other ways of walking in the city?

Review: Review: Concept City vs. Lived City Concept City vs. Lived City

Planned CityPlanned City Lived CityLived City

Kay-Shuttleworth (Manchester 1804-1877)

1. Baudelaire (1821-1867).(439-442) Benjamin

1. Baron Haussman(Paris 1809-1891)

2. Georg Simmel (1858-1918) (445-47)

Vienna’s Ringstrass Sitte & Wagner (pp. 443-44)

Louis Wirth (1897 - 1952 )

Le Corbusier (1887 – 1965) (pp467-69).

Michel de Certeau (1925-1986) (435-37)

Concept C (1): Baron Concept C (1): Baron HaussmanHaussman

P. 438P. 438 Boulevard: Clean, light and airy; Boulevard: Clean, light and airy; To support the logistics of state To support the logistics of state

power and economic calculation. power and economic calculation.

Lived City (1): Lived City (1): City as a SpectacleCity as a Spectacle -- -- The Arcade in ParisThe Arcade in Paris

http://www.jellesen.dk/webcrea/places/paris/paris08.htm

p. 440 Arcade as a temple

Lived City Lived City (1) Baudelaire: The (1) Baudelaire: The FlâneurFlâneur

""There was the pedestrian who wedged himself into the crowd, but there was also the flâneur who demanded elbow room and was unwilling to forego the life of the gentleman of leisure. His leisurely appearance as a personality is his protest against the division of labour which makes people into specialists. it was also his protest against their industriousness. Around 1840 it was briefly fashionable to take turtles for a walk in the arcades. the flâneurs liked to have the turtles set the pace for them."

Responses to Modernity: Responses to Modernity: Baudelaire and BenjaminBaudelaire and Benjamin

1. Baudelaire: the modern heroes: the poet, the flâneur, the dandy, the collector, the gambler, the worker, the dandy, the collector, the gambler, the worker,  the rag-picker and the prostitute; give voice to the  paradoxes and illusions of modernity.

1. Benjamin: as a walking commodityas a walking commodity; is no hero; ; is no hero; he he acts heroesacts heroes empty commodity forms; empty commodity forms;

FlFlââneur neur in a textin a text can be a character ( can be a character (MermaidMermaid) or ) or narrative device (camera angle--narrative device (camera angle--RispondetemiRispondetemi). One ). One which is apparently unorganized and thus de-centering which is apparently unorganized and thus de-centering (non-traditional).(non-traditional).

In lifeIn life, can we be fl, can we be flââneurs nowdays? And what kinds neurs nowdays? And what kinds of flof flââneurs are we? neurs are we?

FlnFlnââeur: Results of and Responses eur: Results of and Responses

to Modernityto Modernity A. Results A. Results Fast development in industrialization, Fast development in industrialization,

capitalism and modernization of city capitalism and modernization of city spaces. spaces. increasing spectacles and human mobility. . • Spectacles: Arcades Spectacles: Arcades Exhibition such as Exhibition such as

Crystal Palaces Crystal Palaces fairs, gardens, statues, etc fairs, gardens, statues, etc Turning indoorTurning indoor: in department stores, : in department stores,

shopping malls, Cinema city and internet. shopping malls, Cinema city and internet. VirtualizedVirtualized: : ‘‘phantasmagoriaphantasmagoria’’ –– 浮光幻影 浮光幻影 , or , or

kaleidoscope kaleidoscope 萬花筒 萬花筒 Is flIs flââneur an artist or a shopper? neur an artist or a shopper?

Concept C (2): Vienna's Concept C (2): Vienna's Ringstrasse Ringstrasse

The Ringstrasse is a wide avenue which encircles the old city of Vienna, Austria.

Vienna's RingstrasseVienna's Ringstrasse

Vienna's Ringstrasse: Vienna's Ringstrasse: Problems Problems

The Ringstrasse source.

Due to Due to the massive naturethe massive nature of the Ringstrasse, the of the Ringstrasse, the buildings served to draw attention to the open buildings served to draw attention to the open space, an inversion of these Baroque ideas. (space, an inversion of these Baroque ideas. (source))

Roads leading inwards towards the inner city from Roads leading inwards towards the inner city from the suburbs, did not continue uninteruppted to the the suburbs, did not continue uninteruppted to the city center, city center, but were drawn into the circular flow but were drawn into the circular flow of the Ringstrasseof the Ringstrasse, causing a seperation of city , causing a seperation of city and suburb, not physically, but by urban design.and suburb, not physically, but by urban design.

Similar? The roundabouts in TaipeiSimilar? The roundabouts in Taipei

Vienna's Ringstrasse: Vienna's Ringstrasse: Problems Problems

Furthermore, the buildings constructed along the Furthermore, the buildings constructed along the Ringstrasse were not organized towards each Ringstrasse were not organized towards each other, but other, but towards the streettowards the street itself, further itself, further focusing the attention on the Ringstrasse. focusing the attention on the Ringstrasse.

Two critiques: Two critiques: • Sitte: returns to baroque-style, seeing the city Sitte: returns to baroque-style, seeing the city

in organic terms, in organic terms, • Otto Wagner, a modernist mechanistic terms.Otto Wagner, a modernist mechanistic terms.

What do we learn from this example? In what What do we learn from this example? In what ways are our lives and personalities shaped by ways are our lives and personalities shaped by

urban design?urban design?

London: an organic cityLondon: an organic city

Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren (1632 --1723 (1632 --1723 London's London's Great Fire of 1666 gave Great Fire of 1666 gave Wren a chance to Wren a chance to present a scheme to present a scheme to rebuild the city. Utopian rebuild the city. Utopian in concept, it was only in concept, it was only partially realized.partially realized. E.g. E.g. St. Paul Cathedral St. Paul Cathedral source) (clip)) (clip)

Georg SimmelGeorg Simmel (1858-1918) (1858-1918)

Urban mentality: Urban mentality: The blasThe blaséé attitude attitude ––1.1. DefinitionDefinition: dictionary: : dictionary: bored or not bored or not excited, or wishing to seem so.excited, or wishing to seem so.2. cause: bombardment of the senses 2. cause: bombardment of the senses + involving one fragment of + involving one fragment of personalitypersonality"boundless pursuit of pleasure makes "boundless pursuit of pleasure makes one blasone blaséé because it agitates the because it agitates the nerves to their strongest reactivity for nerves to their strongest reactivity for such a long time that they finally such a long time that they finally cease to react at all.“(468)cease to react at all.“(468)

Blasé Blasé

Proposition: The psyche of the Metropolis inhabitant is over stimulated through the "intensification of nervous stimulation" resulting in an inability to react at all. It is felt that this is an inverse relationship. As the stimulation increases so does the inability to react. Whereas, one could presume that if the stimulation was intermittent, one could react intermittently. Furthermore, if the stimulation ceased, one could react always. (source) p. 468

• See our excerpt for different types of impression and their influences-- p. 466

• E.g. moving through traffic, “a series of shocks and collision”; in a large city – looking at but not talking to people.

Sources of indifference: Urban Sources of indifference: Urban EnvironmentEnvironment

Dominated by money economy + Dominated by money economy + intellectualism (466) + excessive stimuli intellectualism (466) + excessive stimuli

matter-of-fact attitude matter-of-fact attitude

indifference to individuality. (also 469)indifference to individuality. (also 469)

calculative mind.calculative mind. P. 470 loss of individuality and personal P. 470 loss of individuality and personal

lifelife

Simmel: City vs. CountrySimmel: City vs. Country

In a rural or small town context we find a personality born of the “smoothly flowing rhythm of the sensory-mental phase”, it “rests more on feelings and emotional relationships”;

in the city, meanwhile we find an “intellectualistic” psyche which through an “intensification of consciousness” has developed a “protective shield” with which to survive rapid “fluctuations and discontinuities in the external milieu.”

the urban psyche:the urban psyche:summarysummary

Has mastered instrumental calculation, Has mastered instrumental calculation, the quantification and assimilation of the quantification and assimilation of diverse datadiverse data

Has become indifferent towards others Has become indifferent towards others (blas(blaséé) )

Has gradually suppressed feelings or Has gradually suppressed feelings or emotionsemotions

Do you agree? Are all of our responses Do you agree? Are all of our responses similar to nervous reflexivity?similar to nervous reflexivity?

Le CorbusierLe Corbusier

Total modernism Total modernism Clear the city of its cesspools (e.g. Clear the city of its cesspools (e.g.

slums, etc. p. 447)slums, etc. p. 447) Develop and separate a cityDevelop and separate a city’’s four s four

functions:housing (high rises), work, functions:housing (high rises), work, recreation and traffic recreation and traffic (from pedestrians)(from pedestrians)

Re-design our lives. Re-design our lives. middling middling modernism and public housing projectsmodernism and public housing projects

Le CorbusierLe Corbusier

Villa Savoye, by Le Corbusier, at Poissy, France, 1928 to 1929.

Le CorbusierLe Corbusier

Lived City (3):Lived City (3):The Global City The Global City Global city: gentrification, Global city: gentrification,

globalization and ghettoizationglobalization and ghettoization the “rest” in the rest. (455)the “rest” in the rest. (455) Conclusion Conclusion

ReferencesReferences GreatBuildings.comGreatBuildings.com

http://www.greatbuildings.com/gbc.html http://www.greatbuildings.com/gbc.html Vienna's Ringstrasse Vienna's Ringstrasse

http://www.macalester.edu/courses/geog6http://www.macalester.edu/courses/geog61/aaron/ 1/aaron/

Le Corbusier Le Corbusier 1. 1. http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Chttp://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Centre_Le_Corbusier.html entre_Le_Corbusier.html

2. 2. http://www.tu-harburg.de/b/kuehn/lecorb.hhttp://www.tu-harburg.de/b/kuehn/lecorb.html tml