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January 15, 2010

"Nothing against zoos, but a zoo is not an appropriate model for a city"

What we see in most new cities
and redeveloped areas in older ones – is a kind of architectural zoo, in which the buildings, like animals never intended by nature to share the same ecosystem, live in proximity with one another but remain isolated for their own good, and for ours. Lions over here, penguins over there; Frank Gehry here, Jean Nouvel across the street. Each building is a unique gesture seeking to embed itself in the observer’s memory like a built logo. Together, they constitute an assortment of architectural “collectibles” related only by proximity, bearing little sense of the collection as a whole. -- The View From Rome

Posted by Vanderleun at January 15, 2010 6:51 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

The "zoo" analogy works. City design and social structure is, like the zoo, attempting to maximize survivability of the herd; protecting the live stock from the predators.

Posted by: deweyfromdetroit at January 16, 2010 9:50 AM

Thanks for the useful analogy.

Posted by: monkeyfan at January 17, 2010 3:16 PM

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