A "Network" and a "Dictum": Shaping the Urban Landscape

Henrik Harder

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Abstract

The spatial problems encountered in urban areas, for instance "sprawl", "the fragmented town" etc. However, the critic should concentrate more on a small
"network" of a few architects and planners, including an inspector (C. D. Buchanan, UK) and a single policeman (H. Alker Tripp, UK) who were heavily
involved in the process of integrating the car as an element in the planning of urban areas and developing recommendations for road planning principles in
urban areas.
These road planning principles were a spin-off of a pure urban planning ideology but was primarily used to solve the massive road safety and accessibility
problems in the urban areas created by the car. The strong ideal shared by the people within the "network" were based on the dictum "forms follow function"
about mans behaviour, the car and the structure of the urban areas and was based on very little empirical research. The use of the urban planning thoughts expressed as road planning principles indicated and supported a changing perception of the urban areas, although people in the
"network" (Le Corbusier, F. and Clarence S. Stein, US) had very different ideas about how the urban ideal itself should be expressed.
Basically, the recommendation concerning traffic and specifically the car was the same, segregation. This shift in perception had spatial implications: Firstly
through the recommendation of turning the individual urban (residential) areas inwards or upwards i.e. away from the car traffic on the streets. Secondly the
recommendation concerning the orientation of the individual (residential) buildings - the most important facades on (residential) buildings should face the
sun or nature and not the street. Thirdly through the recommendation of combing particular functions in particular urban areas - schools in residential areas,
business and industry in industrial areas etc. and thereby created highlysegregated urban areas and segregated traffic on the streets in the areas.
Original languageDanish
Title of host publicationAESO ACP Third join Congresse
PublisherAeso ACP
Publication date2003
Publication statusPublished - 2003
EventAeso ACP Third Join Congresse - Leuven
Duration: 8 Jul 2003 → …

Conference

ConferenceAeso ACP Third Join Congresse
CityLeuven
Period08/07/2003 → …

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