The germ of great urban projects. Corbuserian contamination between Europe, America, Africa and Asia
The germ of great urban projects. Corbuserian contamination between Europe, America, Africa and Asia
Submission ID:
131
The salvific model of the urban great projects characterised the last quarter of the 20th century. However, it was not a novelty, since its germ can also be identified in previous stages. For instance, it was especially relevant during the Modern Movement. The urban proposals projected or carried out in different continents during those period show that certain concepts acquired a global dimension. The cross-contamination of ideas, i.e. the transfer of knowledge, characterised the modern urban planning in the different hemispheres.
The set of projects developed by the French-Swiss urbanist Le Corbusier is a clear example of this process. His proposals would not only be located in Europe but also the continents of America, Africa and Asia. Indeed, his only large city built, Chandigarh, is located in India. However, within his extensive list of urban projects, contaminations among the models used by him is particularly relevant.
The concepts derived from the Ville Radieuse were the most internationally applied. Nevertheless, there are other models which, although perhaps less well known, are equally interesting. Thus, with an eminently territorial vision of the city, Le Corbusier included the inhabited viaducts in his proposals for Montevideo, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (America), as well as for Algiers (Africa). His urban model of the 7V rule, which had been commissioned by UNESCO, was firstly applied in Bogota (America) to be subsequently transferred to Marseille in Europe and Chandigarh in Asia. Although used in different contexts, these models would be adapted to the specific needs of each one.
Based on the analysis of a large number of Le Corbusier's urban projects that would lead to globalised urban vision, this research aims to highlight the cross-contaminations between them. These transfer dynamics, which characterised Le Corbusier's production between 1925 and 1958, had a global influence on the proposals that emerged up until the end of the last century.
Preferred Track
9. The Syndrome of Grand Projects: contamination processes between North-South, West-East, Global-Local
Second Preferred Track
9. The Syndrome of Grand Projects: contamination processes between North-South, West-East, Global-Local