ARC LECTURE 3- Metropolis

Fritz Lang 1927 - Video

-famous movie in history of cinema, German director, takes place in two diff sections of metropolis,
metropolis in movie modelled after Manhattan
-airplanes flying around, tall skyscrapers, on right side : workers toil hard day and night on left side
-Metropolis in this movie appears simultaneously at the same time as both Utopia (no place,
political model, ideal perfection) and Dystopia (where things have gone to hell)
-How did this happen ? How metropolis became a force and how architects dealt with metropolis ?

Meaning of term modern
Further back as far to 16th century
At that time world started being global
Historians tell that at this time diff parts of world got connected, wasn't the internet that connected
world (Steamship maps)
Towards end of 18th century: two things influenced west
1. Industrial Revolution
2. Agricultural Revolution
Agriculture prod in England started to increase due to innovations in technology, population
migrated to urban centers, fed into important modern development.
First industrial and agricultural at end of 18th century
Second Industrial at end of 19th century
These developments have spatial consequences,

From 18th century onwards- new way of understanding world emerged called enlightenment.
French rev -1789 King was taken down and republic formed in France.
Enlightenment- Significant political change, radical changes in educational system. Period when
Bourgeoisie started taking place from hands of aristocracy

Accumulation of capital at end of 18th century for example: In England - enclosure movement,
Colonial expansion also took place. These effects of capital spread to other parts of Europe as well
Aristocracy- Class of nobility, that used to exist before rise of industrial capitalism, owned land held
capital
emerges with industrial capitalism, middle educated class -Bourgeoisie
Proletariat- working class who sell their labor on hourly rate for subsistence.

Video by Charlie Chaplin- Modern Times
When things done by machines, everything changes, Charlie tightening screws diff from older
model where craftsmen would make shoe from beginning to end
With the introduction of machines to prod, work are reduced to just tightening screws,
specialization of labor done in efficiency and in the name of leading production, when you don't
make the whole car that means labor has been divided, when it appears in modernity the worker
becomes the laborer because he is paid on hourly basis , hours of labor strictly separated from
hours of leisure - Industrial Capitalism
Inequality between social classes appear, happening at same time when ideas of justice, freedom
are important, once labor is divided in this way , worker is alienated from work he does.
On one side you are talking about enlightenment freedom, justice and on other side nothing such
exists, important concept of modernity, no justice to worker

Modernity as a peculiar condition- Utopian and Dystopian side
Spatial consequences of modernity- when populations are displaced, exponential population
growth takes place and modern metropolis emerges.
In Europe, London developed exponentially compared to other cities
Urbanism- study of cities and need of society
Metropolis- Big modern urban city

Problems of Industrial City (ENGELS)
Germany to England to study textile production, he went to Manchester, he made observations to
what was exactly wrong to metropolis under conditions of industrial capitalism
He wrote book in 1845- Engels, describe various condition where working class struggles child
labor, prostitution.
He noticed many paradox- contradiction that cannot be resolved, he noticed in Manchester freedom
meant free market economy, more civilized the nation higher
1848- major revolutions took place, developing nation sinks into Bourgeoisie
He noticed that richer the nation got the more miserably its people lived, poverty closed to palaces
of rich, capitalism and labor settled in modern society
Individuals became atoms- refer quote in class (in metropolis high density population, more denser
the city more isolated individuals feel,
Monet 1873- image showing strangers getting together, each individual is reduced to a little to
stroke of rush, individual becomes movement of brush yet they are forming crowd
Daumier 1864- discomfort of public transit due to crowd, people crowded into tight space to
strangers, no social interaction among- this kind of attitude - Blas attitude- sociologists have
written that you need to develop attitude of indifference.
Back to Engels- Segregated space - talking about Manchester- he is talking about picture shows
Manchester river which separates of city, member of Bourgeoisie can go up and down without ever
passing to working class quarters
Masking- dignified looking buildings mask the misery of working class quarters which are behind it.
Image showing he is looking inside quarter- notices space was made to accommodate maximum
number of people, land acquires value with how close or far it is from street
with this situation of mind, three year later, Marx and Engels wrote a manifesto which is a list of
bad socialisms-


MODERNIZING THE METROPOLIS
Robert Owen 1841, structure of city based on utopian vision, this idea that chaos of traditional
street needs to be replaced by open space, finally other aspect - idea that problems of city can be
solved if you settle outside city near countryside, buy land outside that is cheaper

1).Modernizing the Metropolis 1- Paris
-the entire 19th century is marked by revolutions in France, people show up in streets, fights where
army puts down rebellion, between 1835 -1870 city walls taken down, structure got changed in
name of engineer and called Haussmannization of Paris after name of engineer.
-black line how he cut avenues through Paris, he wanted to improve traffic, connect railroads, he
did all this in general idea of open space, he also did under orders of emperor, also to improve
defense ( made sure state of France would put private property in avenues, regulations were
passed regarding height of buildings, entire city looked as it was single, uniform look, squares
placed to boulevards, people started becoming afraid of open space
-Many public buildings constructed during this phase, parks were added to city, again the Monet
building that it was an incredibly invention, ladies are waling inside urban green space and a
novelty at this point of history
-People would tour the sewage system of Paris, gas lamps, park benches
-Result was bad, as city was ruined for 2 decades due to construction, Edmond- Paris depicted as
lady attacked homosexually by people, people were confused whether it was war zone or under
construction.
-Real estate prices sky rocketed, became rampant, many lower classes had to move from city to
suburbs, centre of city became more Bourgeoisie,
-new social interaction watching and being watched became common, Mary Cassatt at Opera
-Manet, In the conservatory 1879- signs of modernity in the painting- part benches in novelty, title
says that peculiar interaction, men is making a move, girl has three fingers wearing ring, we will
never know if she is married or not married, metropolis is marked by experience of strangers
meeting strangers.
-Monet, Bridge 1874- Pastoral landscape, deer is train coming through.

2)Metropolis VIENNA
Unlike Paris Vienna kept its walls until 19th century, for the sake of security they kept fortification
walls,
taken down in 1860, now fill the space occupied earlier by walls, new buildings built in the space
cleared by walls, University of Vienna, Parliament Building, these buildings had typical 19th century
architecture, they looked like Greek Temple
Ringstrasse - modernizing concept, criticized as it was said to created alienated open spaces with
strange geometry,
Camillo- stressed due to developments, he went to Italy and found that Piazzas would cure, ring
was to instrumental

Other critic of Ring was Otto Wagner, professor at academy in Vienna- his critized ring for being
rational, proposed t add more rings around original, he proposed cities should be connected to
cores through radical modules which would accommodate 150,000 people, every module would
have public facilities, radial boulevards, working with modules, this kind of proposal different as he
wanted to extent infrastructure to the core, how you deal with pre industrial city centre,

METROPOLIS 3 and suggested reading
3 urban proposals made by Le Corbusier, incredibly influential, CIAM urbanism- urban schemes of
Le Corbusier
CIAM adopted his ideas, after the 4th meeting of CIAM,
way Le Corbusier rationalized that his structures would provide better urban life to all,
Berlin 1962- based on Le Corbusier ideas, many critics for this.

SUMMARY OF READING

Principal theater of transformations in the culture of architecture has been due to brutal changes
and decline of old neighborhoods.
The artist who have founded strategies on urban transformations are :
Otto Wagner, Raymond, Le Corbusier, Robert Venturi, Aldo Rossi.
Modern architecture: What was it associated with ?
1. Unprecedented growth of urban areas
2. Control of metropolitan congestion (in Paris, Berlin, and New York)
3. Creation of network of cities expanding beyond continents.

Otto Wagner 1911 project, transform Vienna into a Unbegrentze Groszstadt, a 'metropolis without
limits', whose monotonous and systematic grid seems to expand without effort to borders of
Austro-Hungarian monarchy.

Location of public buildings in European districts of 1920:
Dense network of schools and sports facilities testified to intensification of municipalities politics
and to formulation of new architectural principles. New policies go along with a claim of a new
relationship to light and outdoor space.

Le Corbusier's intervention focused on capitol, containing the major public buildings such as
parliament, high court, secretariat. His 'Plan Voisin' for Paris was linked to the idea of a large
freeway running through the Paris, while project Raymond Hood designed for New York in 1929,
under the title 'Manhattan 1950' was based on intensification of the network of bridges and
thoroughfares crossing the island. Hoods designs featured non utilitarian concepts such as roof
gardens, polychromy and art deco ornamentation. Each of his major buildings were different
suggesting that hoods design artistry was significant factor in the final result.