Boulders in a River
Harvey Corbertt's vision of New York as a "Modern Venice" with pedestrians traveling via raised walkways above the street adds yet another level to Koolhaas' vision of a city block with unlimited levels. If the idea had been realized, buildings would have been more than just "parallel islands insulated by the lagoon of the grid" but partially submerged boulders in a river of congestion. However, I do not view the silo'd villages of Koolhaas and Hugh Ferris as the same culture of congestion seen in Coney Island which Koolhaas describes as "a miniature of Manhattan." The technology and mechanization of Coney Island are the encroachment of the Metropolis into the natural island. Instead of taking the shape of the expanding grid of the city, it takes the shape of the excess fluff of modern metropolitan living. Extravagant amusement parks, winding steeplechase rides, and miles of beaches satiate the city's need to decompress and breath. Even if it is an artificial breath.
"City of the Future", 1913
Coney Island
I appreciate your comment about Coney Island being "the city's need to decompress and breath. Even if it is an artificial breath". The thought that this breath has to happen artificially is what bothers me the most about Coney Island. I'm sure my disgust is coming from my small town roots, but it is upsetting that New York couldn't be designed in a way to keep real nature throughout the city. Wouldn't it be great if people could decompress and breathe without having to leave the city that they live in?
ReplyDeleteKoolhaas may not provide the same culture of congestion as there is in Coney Island, but I think the intent is the same. Koolhaas provides the breath of fresh air needed to escape from the congested world. One could argue that his architecture is not excess fluff but that it provides the air that cities lack. Coney Island may take away a bit of the congestion, but it adds a different congestion back into the equation.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the there is an encroachment into the natural stature of Coney Island that tried its best to imitate the very things that made it natural. I understand this in the ways that the modern amusement park allows people from congested or urban lifestyles to get away and submerge themselves in an environment desired but often controlled by the technologies of the present.
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