Critics of Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe and French President Sarkozy have held a seminar in Paris attacking the increasing "urbanilisation" of the city.
Paris, rated by many as the most beautiful and romantic city in the world, is being white-anted by large, poor-quality and clashing developments, speakers said.
Of particular concern is the proposal to de-regulate development around stations on a new circular metro line at the Peripherique (highway ring) that surrounds the French capital.
Thanks to Dr Matthew Hardy
Comments
Mind or matter?
It's amazing how much denial the architectural community is when it comes to articles like this. All these intelligent and thoughtfull Parisians scratching their head as to how to make more beautiful buildings. Start by teaching beauty. Obviously it will always be in the eye of the beholder, but some general rules could be scratched out by the mountains of empirical evidence such as this article. Reform architecture schools by ditching modernism's legacy of being anti-beauty. This isn't to say any style ought to be banned from schools, it's simply saying that proportion, rhythm, and detail shouldn't be shunned no matter what style one is predisposed to.
Ugly Paris
Let's hope that this conference is the first step in stopping the starchitects' plans to destroy Paris' character with dehumanized, look-at-me projects like Herzog & de Meuron's proposed pyramid.
Charles Siegel