La Lignon is one of the largest housing projects on Earth, and stretches over 7/10ths of a mile. John Tagliabue reports that public opinion on La Lignon is pertinent today because Switzerland is facing another housing crisis and is in the process of determining what to do about it:
"Le Lignon resembles nothing more than an immense wall, 12 to 14 stories high, snaking across a ridge above the Rhone. On one end stand two high-rise towers with additional apartments. Between the building and the river are a shopping center, Protestant and Catholic churches and a cluster of schools. Four huge underground garages provide parking for tenants."
"Almost from the start, upscale Genevans peered down their noses at the monster of Vernier."
Comments
Is La Lignon (the mega-building near Geneva) public housing?
I read the article quite thoroughly last night and was most impressed with it. I didn't see a reference to it being 'public' like the HUD projects here. The only close reference was:
"The idea, (Justin McMahon, 34, an artist specializing in murals who grew up in Le Lignon) said, was derived from the work of Le Corbusier, the Swiss-born French architect famed for his huge projects of affordable housing for the residents of crowded cities".
Perhaps a visit to a better reference might help....
.....Irvin Dawid, Palo Alto, CA