Tom Avermaete

An investigation of globalization's effects on architecture and urban design between the start of World War II and the fall of the Berlin WallTo what extent did the circulation of people, commodities and knowledge affect architecture and urban design between World War II and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989? Swiss urban studies professor Tom Avermaete teams up with Chicago-based architect Michelangelo Sabatino to interrogate the influence of globalization on postwar architecture. Globalization is a complex phenomenon that has profoundly affected the practice of designers and engineers in the postwar era as it simultaneously expands and shrinks the world in which we live. Avermaete and Sabatino arrive at several conclusions through a diligent analysis of spatial, political and social geographies, from airports and hotels to construction materials and labor. The Global Turn presents their findings in a series of six short essays, providing a fresh viewpoint on a new worldwide environment that gives as much as it takes.

Frederick Law Olmsted (1822 – 1903) is considered as the father of landscape architecture in the United States and created several renowned urban parks and park systems around the country. With a stunning black and white series of trees by Stanley Greenberg dating to the beginnings of these parks this volume offers an intimate encounter with Olmsted, his motifs and heritage. Central Park in New York, the Emerald Necklace in Boston, park systems in Chicago, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Rochester and Louisville – trees have been essential elements of all of Olmsted’s park designs. New York-based photographer Stanley Greenberg pays tribute to them with his portrait series of these beautiful and dignified giants. Three essays by renowned experts on history, sociology and landscape architecture complement the narrative and present an interdisciplinary vision on Olmsted’s achievement.

A comprehensive history of urban design in the 20th century. Our time is an urban age. More people live in cities than ever before, cities are growing larger and denser than ever, and urbanity has reached unprecedented levels of complexity. This boom in urbanization began in earnest around the turn of the twentieth century when technological advancement and the extraction of seemingly endless supplies of natural resources propelled urban development. As urban populations steadily increased, architects and planners were not only faced with designing housing and public space but also with responding to emerging societal challenges such as political tensions, reconstruction, decolonization, economic crises, growing climatic concerns, and cultural shifts. Through the analysis of more than one hundred richly illustrated urban design projects and initiatives, this book provides a comprehensive history of how these challenges have fomented new attitudes and approaches in the discipline of urban design.

Chandigarh Casablanca documents two different but complementary urban realities that have played a fundamental role in the imagination, the definition, and the redefinition of the 20th-century modern city. Modern urbanism has traditionally ascribed universal value to avant-garde ideas originating in Europe and North America, and developments in non-Western regions as derived from those original models. This study shifts perspective in search of a new understanding of the modern city, taking into consideration the complex history of diverse cultures and changing borders. Focusing on a range of issues from the symbolic use of architecture to construct stunning monuments, to the creation of public spaces, housing design and social facilities, it features many images by two non-western photographers, Yto Barrada (French Morocco) and Takashi Homma (Japan), to construct a relevant definition of the modern city in a global sense.

Chandigarh Casablanca documents two different but complementary urban realities that have played a fundamental role in the imagination, the definition, and the redefinition of the 20th-century modern city. Modern urbanism has traditionally ascribed universal value to avant-garde ideas originating in Europe and North America, and developments in non-Western regions as derived from those original models. This study shifts perspective in search of a new understanding of the modern city, taking into consideration the complex history of diverse cultures and changing borders. Focusing on a range of issues from the symbolic use of architecture to construct stunning monuments, to the creation of public spaces, housing design and social facilities, it features many images by two non-western photographers, Yto Barrada (French Morocco) and Takashi Homma (Japan), to construct a relevant definition of the modern city in a global sense.