Urban Forms

An extended discussion about the impact of Modernist notions of the good city on traditional urban form, meaning above all the urban block. The ordinary multi-plot urban block came under fire because of Modernism, although Panerai claims it was denatured earlier through the work of Haussmann. Panerai's work is invaluable so far as it draws attention to a key fact: the most important structure of the city is not the building, but the building-group, and in particular the traditional city method for grouping buildings, name the European city block. Because traditional city blocks are no longer the default method for assembling the city, architecture is less and less able to contribute positively to the historic city, and the continuity of our space in which stable cultures can unfold in time.