Samenvatting open cities
Week 1
The city as text, introduction
Cities shape how we see the world, share ideas, and develop our personal
and shared identities. In this chapter, the focus is on understanding these
meanings and perspectives of the modern city. The city is often used as a
symbol of modern life. By studying how cities have changed and what it
was like to experience those changes, we can understand how modern
ways of thinking and seeing the world developed.
The author started with “The black house” by Dickens because:
Dickens shows that the city is a key symbol of modern life and
explains why it should be.
He gives a strong sense of the chaos and atmosphere of the growing
metropolis.
By focusing on the mud, fog, and dirt, Dickens captures the
disturbing and even scary feeling of the city, similar to what poet
James Thompson called the "city of dreadful night."
Dickens' mention of the "megalosaurus" hints at the idea that the
city is like a monster, representing an uncontrolled and wild force.
What makes up city life? Dickens highlights the crowds of strangers
constantly moving, bumping into each other, and staying anonymous
under their umbrellas. He also points out the things that hold the city
together, like the law, money, and business. Dickens mentions how gas
lighting, a new technology, adds to the city's dirt and darkness but also
brings some flickering light
Dickens views the city as a very complex and hard-to-understand
system of connections, held together by both symbolic meanings
and economic and administrative networks. His descriptions make us
feel like we where actually there.
The chapter ends with a description of a city almost 100 years after
Dickens; The Asphalt Jungle. There are similarities between both cities.
Both authors talked about how the weather affects different parts of
a big city and how cities can feel unfamiliar.
They also mention how modern cities are advanced but still fragile,
with different technologies (like transport, lighting, and police)
shaping city life.
1
,However, there are two differences in Burnett’s description of Chicago
compared to Dickens' London.
First, Dickens sees the city both as a machine and as something
strange or even magical, which reflects a modern mix of feelings.
Second is the awareness of the class and ethnic differences in the
city's neighborhoods in Bernett’s work.
This shows how ideas and ways of understanding cities can move between
academic writing and popular fiction.
By starting with Bleak House and The Asphalt Jungle, it shows that a city is
more than just buildings in one place. There’s no single definition of a city.
A city is the result of many things working together, like history,
geography, institutions, social relationships, government, and
communication. This mix of factors is what we call a city. The city is like a
representation or symbol. Both city planners and people try to understand
the city as if it were a story or text that they need to read and make sense
of. This search for understanding is called a “quest for urban legibility.”
2.3 rationality and enchantment: Paris
Modernity has both logical and mythical aspects, especially seen in the
modern city. The mix of planned ideas and spontaneous actions of
everyday people is illustrated by two key figures in 19th-century Paris:
planner Haussmann and poet Baudelaire
Hausmann/hausmanization
Refers to the urban transformation of Paris in the mid-19th century under
the direction of Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann into a modern
metropolis. This process involved replacing narrow streets and old
buildings with wide boulevards, parks, and modern infrastructure. While it
aimed to improve the city's aesthetics and sanitation, , it also destroyed
working-class neighborhoods and pushed the problems of poverty to the
suburbs, making those issues less visible. Hausmannization has since
become a term used to describe similar urban redevelopment processes in
other cities. To goal was to create a clean, light and airy city, protected by
policemen an night patrols; they wanted to provide trees, schools,
hospitals, cemeteries, bus shelters and public urinals. The government's
planning and financial interests were strong motivations for redesigning
the city. The new layout made it easier for goods, people, money, and
troops to move around.
Characteristics of Haussmannization
2
, Broad Boulevards: Wide, straight streets to improve traffic flow and
connect key areas of the city.
Open Spaces and Parks: Creation of parks to improve air quality and
provide leisure spaces for residents.
Architectural Uniformity: Consistent building styles to create a
harmonious urban look.
Improved Infrastructure: Upgraded utilities, including gas lighting
and electricity.
Improved Transportation: Development of a comprehensive street
network and the Paris Métro for better connectivity.
Social and Economic Segregation: Displacement of lower-income
residents, leading to more rich neighborhoods.
Cultural Institutions: Establishment of museums, theaters, and
libraries to enrich civic life.
Urban Modernization: Efforts to modernize the city to meet the
needs of a growing population.
Increased Density: Construction of multi-story buildings to
accommodate more residents in urban areas.
Critics: Many people in Paris said he made a fake city where they didn't
feel at home anymore. The new boulevards, parks, and public spaces
made it easier to see the differences between rich and poor people, even if
it didn’t make it clearer. Besides many Parisians were forced out of their
homes due to the construction. Tearing down older neighborhoods broke
apart existing communities and social connections, causing a loss of local
identity. Critics argue that Haussmannization contributed to the
gentrification of Paris, making the city more accessible to the wealthy
while pushing out poorer residents.
Baudelaire
In the changing city of Paris, the poet Charles Baudelaire created the term
"modernity" to describe a strong feeling of newness that was both exciting
and unsettling. The job of modern artists was to capture the temporary
nature of the present. Baudelaire used various analogies to express this
new way of seeing; he presented himself as the flaneur. The flaneur’s
natural milieu was the anonymous ebb and flow of the urban crowd.
The difference between Haussmann’s concept-Paris and Baudelaire’s
dream-like Paris shows a growing confusion about the city, marking a
change from the earlier urban planners' reform efforts. Starting in the late
19th century, the modernization of major Western cities involved
redesigning city centers and expanding suburbs. Planners tried to organize
space to control the urban population, which they feared might rebel.
Meanwhile, flâneurs, artists, and everyday people found creative ways to
3
, view these changes, seeing them as either a funny spectacle or a
nightmarish world. While modernizers wanted to apply logical ideas to city
life, modernists created an expressive style that brought back a sense of
wonder.
3.1 the metropolis and mental life
The aesthetic dimension became integrated into urbanism, as we saw in
Baudelaire’s work. The city and the metropolitan experience were at the
heart of modernism as an aesthetic movement. The metropolis became a
theme of modernist works. Of course there were very different schools and
traditions of modernity.
Le Corbusier admired Haussmann's work in Paris because it gave the city
more space, air, light, and greenery, promoting health. Le Corbusier saw
the city as a machine and believed it should be organized and rebuilt like
one, using a functional, engineering approach. According to the Athens
Charter, city planning should focus on four main functions: housing, work,
recreation, and traffic. Each should be designed to work smoothly
together, like parts of a well-functioning machine.
Le Corbusier wanted to make the city greener. Tall buildings would be
surrounded by open space. His goal was that "the city will slowly turn into
a park." In the modern master plan, residence, work, commerce, and
recreation where separated into zones. These zones got linked by new
highways
The right to the city; David Harvey
Robert Park: cities are humanity's best effort to create a world that
matches our desires. While cities are creations of humans, they also shape
who we are. We all contribute to the city through our actions and ideas,
but at the same time, the city influences who we become. For example,
living in Los Angeles often turns people into frustrated drivers.
The "right to the city" means not just having access to what exists but also
having the power to change it to fit our needs. This right to reshape our
urban spaces is one of the most important human rights. Everybody
should have a say in how their urban environment is shaped. Not only the
privileged. Whose rights are we talking about when we discuss the city?
Different groups, like the believe they have the right to claim the city for
themselves. This raises questions about whether the right to the city
means fighting for your desires, even if it means harming others.
4
Week 1
The city as text, introduction
Cities shape how we see the world, share ideas, and develop our personal
and shared identities. In this chapter, the focus is on understanding these
meanings and perspectives of the modern city. The city is often used as a
symbol of modern life. By studying how cities have changed and what it
was like to experience those changes, we can understand how modern
ways of thinking and seeing the world developed.
The author started with “The black house” by Dickens because:
Dickens shows that the city is a key symbol of modern life and
explains why it should be.
He gives a strong sense of the chaos and atmosphere of the growing
metropolis.
By focusing on the mud, fog, and dirt, Dickens captures the
disturbing and even scary feeling of the city, similar to what poet
James Thompson called the "city of dreadful night."
Dickens' mention of the "megalosaurus" hints at the idea that the
city is like a monster, representing an uncontrolled and wild force.
What makes up city life? Dickens highlights the crowds of strangers
constantly moving, bumping into each other, and staying anonymous
under their umbrellas. He also points out the things that hold the city
together, like the law, money, and business. Dickens mentions how gas
lighting, a new technology, adds to the city's dirt and darkness but also
brings some flickering light
Dickens views the city as a very complex and hard-to-understand
system of connections, held together by both symbolic meanings
and economic and administrative networks. His descriptions make us
feel like we where actually there.
The chapter ends with a description of a city almost 100 years after
Dickens; The Asphalt Jungle. There are similarities between both cities.
Both authors talked about how the weather affects different parts of
a big city and how cities can feel unfamiliar.
They also mention how modern cities are advanced but still fragile,
with different technologies (like transport, lighting, and police)
shaping city life.
1
,However, there are two differences in Burnett’s description of Chicago
compared to Dickens' London.
First, Dickens sees the city both as a machine and as something
strange or even magical, which reflects a modern mix of feelings.
Second is the awareness of the class and ethnic differences in the
city's neighborhoods in Bernett’s work.
This shows how ideas and ways of understanding cities can move between
academic writing and popular fiction.
By starting with Bleak House and The Asphalt Jungle, it shows that a city is
more than just buildings in one place. There’s no single definition of a city.
A city is the result of many things working together, like history,
geography, institutions, social relationships, government, and
communication. This mix of factors is what we call a city. The city is like a
representation or symbol. Both city planners and people try to understand
the city as if it were a story or text that they need to read and make sense
of. This search for understanding is called a “quest for urban legibility.”
2.3 rationality and enchantment: Paris
Modernity has both logical and mythical aspects, especially seen in the
modern city. The mix of planned ideas and spontaneous actions of
everyday people is illustrated by two key figures in 19th-century Paris:
planner Haussmann and poet Baudelaire
Hausmann/hausmanization
Refers to the urban transformation of Paris in the mid-19th century under
the direction of Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann into a modern
metropolis. This process involved replacing narrow streets and old
buildings with wide boulevards, parks, and modern infrastructure. While it
aimed to improve the city's aesthetics and sanitation, , it also destroyed
working-class neighborhoods and pushed the problems of poverty to the
suburbs, making those issues less visible. Hausmannization has since
become a term used to describe similar urban redevelopment processes in
other cities. To goal was to create a clean, light and airy city, protected by
policemen an night patrols; they wanted to provide trees, schools,
hospitals, cemeteries, bus shelters and public urinals. The government's
planning and financial interests were strong motivations for redesigning
the city. The new layout made it easier for goods, people, money, and
troops to move around.
Characteristics of Haussmannization
2
, Broad Boulevards: Wide, straight streets to improve traffic flow and
connect key areas of the city.
Open Spaces and Parks: Creation of parks to improve air quality and
provide leisure spaces for residents.
Architectural Uniformity: Consistent building styles to create a
harmonious urban look.
Improved Infrastructure: Upgraded utilities, including gas lighting
and electricity.
Improved Transportation: Development of a comprehensive street
network and the Paris Métro for better connectivity.
Social and Economic Segregation: Displacement of lower-income
residents, leading to more rich neighborhoods.
Cultural Institutions: Establishment of museums, theaters, and
libraries to enrich civic life.
Urban Modernization: Efforts to modernize the city to meet the
needs of a growing population.
Increased Density: Construction of multi-story buildings to
accommodate more residents in urban areas.
Critics: Many people in Paris said he made a fake city where they didn't
feel at home anymore. The new boulevards, parks, and public spaces
made it easier to see the differences between rich and poor people, even if
it didn’t make it clearer. Besides many Parisians were forced out of their
homes due to the construction. Tearing down older neighborhoods broke
apart existing communities and social connections, causing a loss of local
identity. Critics argue that Haussmannization contributed to the
gentrification of Paris, making the city more accessible to the wealthy
while pushing out poorer residents.
Baudelaire
In the changing city of Paris, the poet Charles Baudelaire created the term
"modernity" to describe a strong feeling of newness that was both exciting
and unsettling. The job of modern artists was to capture the temporary
nature of the present. Baudelaire used various analogies to express this
new way of seeing; he presented himself as the flaneur. The flaneur’s
natural milieu was the anonymous ebb and flow of the urban crowd.
The difference between Haussmann’s concept-Paris and Baudelaire’s
dream-like Paris shows a growing confusion about the city, marking a
change from the earlier urban planners' reform efforts. Starting in the late
19th century, the modernization of major Western cities involved
redesigning city centers and expanding suburbs. Planners tried to organize
space to control the urban population, which they feared might rebel.
Meanwhile, flâneurs, artists, and everyday people found creative ways to
3
, view these changes, seeing them as either a funny spectacle or a
nightmarish world. While modernizers wanted to apply logical ideas to city
life, modernists created an expressive style that brought back a sense of
wonder.
3.1 the metropolis and mental life
The aesthetic dimension became integrated into urbanism, as we saw in
Baudelaire’s work. The city and the metropolitan experience were at the
heart of modernism as an aesthetic movement. The metropolis became a
theme of modernist works. Of course there were very different schools and
traditions of modernity.
Le Corbusier admired Haussmann's work in Paris because it gave the city
more space, air, light, and greenery, promoting health. Le Corbusier saw
the city as a machine and believed it should be organized and rebuilt like
one, using a functional, engineering approach. According to the Athens
Charter, city planning should focus on four main functions: housing, work,
recreation, and traffic. Each should be designed to work smoothly
together, like parts of a well-functioning machine.
Le Corbusier wanted to make the city greener. Tall buildings would be
surrounded by open space. His goal was that "the city will slowly turn into
a park." In the modern master plan, residence, work, commerce, and
recreation where separated into zones. These zones got linked by new
highways
The right to the city; David Harvey
Robert Park: cities are humanity's best effort to create a world that
matches our desires. While cities are creations of humans, they also shape
who we are. We all contribute to the city through our actions and ideas,
but at the same time, the city influences who we become. For example,
living in Los Angeles often turns people into frustrated drivers.
The "right to the city" means not just having access to what exists but also
having the power to change it to fit our needs. This right to reshape our
urban spaces is one of the most important human rights. Everybody
should have a say in how their urban environment is shaped. Not only the
privileged. Whose rights are we talking about when we discuss the city?
Different groups, like the believe they have the right to claim the city for
themselves. This raises questions about whether the right to the city
means fighting for your desires, even if it means harming others.
4
