Against Urbanism

After demolishing the myth of the rock star architect with his book Against Architecture, Franco La Cecla now explores the decisive challenges that cities are going to have to confront in the near future. Urban planning and development has become increasingly inadequate in response to the daily realities of life in our cities. Human, economic, ethnic, and environmental factors are systematically overlooked in city planning and housing development, and anachronistic, sterile, and formalistic architecture almost invariably prevails. Never more than today has democracy played itself out in public spaces, sidewalks, and streets. Urban planners and developers, however, are still prisoners of an obsolete vision of passivity which betrays actual city needs and demands. A new urban science is required which can, first of all, guarantee a civil, dignified life for all—urban development which ensures the right to a humane mode of daily living, which has been and still is completely ignored.

Dupa demolarea mitului arhitectului rock star cu cartea sa Impotriva arhitecturii, Franco La Cecla exploreaza acum provocarile decisive pe care orasele vor trebui sa le infrunte in viitorul apropiat. Planificarea si dezvoltarea urbana au devenit din ce in ce mai inadecvate ca raspuns la realitatile zilnice ale vietii din orasele noastre.