By this point in the semester we have studies a broad array of cities in a varsity of epochs and the effects of military, planning, social, industrial, and cultural effects that have sculpted and shaped the neighborhoods, districts and ever evolving boundaries of those cities. This past week culminated in your own intensive search, observation and intensive critique and analysis of a city/film combination.
For the remainder of our time we will explore aspects of urbanism as explored and found in your own subject city.
In the process and conversation - we can observe converging and diverging issues and effects upon the urban environs. As we look around we can begin to see connections in the history of cities that have been formed (or reformed) in similar ways.
Boston grew up from earliest colonial traditions of town planning, the same central market, bay, and trade economy - the same economic, geographical and social factors that built cities like London - so it comes as no surprise that the cities are tangles of roads fanning out from the central initial settlement in ever growing rings, adjusted and impacted by thier waterways and associated industry.
(See images of London and Boston)
And an additional map showing a more modern Boston with an overlay showing the original geography demonstrating the extent of full and land reclaimed from the bay.
Similarly, when looking at cities such as London it is easy to see how William Penn inspired by history turned to the efficacy of the Roman grid, and adapted it into his initial plan for Philadephia.
Further still, when Baron Hausman was contracted to give the medieval tangle of Parisian streets more freedom of movement he looked to the grand streets of Rome that the Popes had cut through the imperial and Medieval Roman sprawl to connect important social spaces. Hausman's plans for Paris took the drastic step of cutting brand new streets in a diamond pattern across the town linking up the various landmark spaces and places. In the evolution of France these great Alleès line with lights and trees in turn inspired other cuts through cities - Such as Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway, or more symbolically, the ideals of revolutionary France - libertè, egalitè, fraternitè (Liberty, equality, brotherhood) were embodied in thier grand public streets - a style directly embodied and consciously adopted in the planning of Washington, DC.
Views of Paris before and after the urban reworkings
Photo courtesy of http://www.theparisblog.com/before-and-after-haussmann/
(See plans of Rome, Paris, Philadelphia, and Washington DC)
This week your job is to share a map of your city and analyze explain and put forward why you think that district, era, industry, or other force acting upon the city has resulted in the form it developed.
Focus your critique on a specific area or time, discussing the entire form of Philadelphia could take an entire semester!
However it is manageable to discuss, for example, the genesis of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, both in terms of its linkage to urban movements in cities elsewhere, and local design ideas. Consoder the grid of Philadelphia, and the desire for linkage between the central newly built grand City Hall and the great expanse of the continued forming Fairmount Park was identified by the Philadelphia urban elite as ripe for connection, and development. Industrialists of the city, newly enriched by their factories, railroads, and industry of the Philadelphia 'workshop of the world' saught to expand and display thier social sophistication by displaying thier cultural institutions along a grand promenade. A new axis was cut from the City Hall to the Fairmount Waterworks. Atop the previous reservoir on Fair amount a small hill adjacent to the water works, an elaborate edific was design to house art collections gathered by wealthy Philadelphia patrons. In effect the museum- looking even more large and impressive due to its high site, became the grand entrance to the park as citizens where'd past to enjoy the river banks on the weekends. Additionally, other venerable Philadelphia institutions were relocated, founded, or found new homes along the parkway's length - such as The Philadlephia Free Library, Franklin Institute, Rodin Museum, Academy of Science, international House, Cherry Street Friends School, a Philadelphia Courthouse, and the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul.
The famous watercolor painting by architect and landscape architect Paul Crete clearly shows the desired connection between City Hall, the Art-Museum-as-gatehouse and Fairmount Park....setting the stage several decades in advance for the famous Rocky run up the stairs and the papal stage....
This the creation, shape and effects of the Parkway in Philadelphia is founded in the park movement of the 1920s known as The City Beautiful Movement, Baron Hausman's Plan of Paris, and Papal Rome's boulevards...a fitting linkage which made the Parkway a prime location for the Papal visit to Philadelphia this past year!
1) What urban forces have acted to shape a district, area or neighborhood of the city you have studied?
Additional questions:
2) What maps, resources, media or imagery can you utilize to support this point?
3) What other cities share a common form with the aspects you are discussing?
3) Was this form visible in the film of your city? How do? Or why not? How do you think it effected or would have effected the film?
Posts due by next Wednesday April 27th
Final papers were due per the syllabus this week. However you will continue to utilize you paper and these assignments (including the previous homework assignment) to continue our study of urban form and effects. These assignments will be appended onto your paper as addendums. This gives a chance for students to more incisively study, critique illustrate and potentially improve thier work incrementally. Papers will be recollected for the class final handed in as digital PDFs only.
