Renewing the Idea of a Linear City

A Treehugger column picks up on the historic idea of the "Linear City" as a counter point to the current pressures to build up in cities around the world.

1 minute read

November 29, 2014, 5:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Stahl House Los Angeles

Megan Miller / View from Stahl House

"There is a lot of talk these days about Vertical Cities, the idea we should build supertall buildings that include all necessary functions of a city, and surround them by green space for park and agriculture," writes Lloyd Alter, "but there is another alternative that I always thought made more sense, the linear city."

Alter goes on two provide a brief history of the idea, starting from the Jersey Corridor Project, proposed by Michael Graves and Peter Eisenman in 1965. The current Michael Graves exhibition, Past as Present, showing at Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey through April made the video below to describe the Jersey Corridor Project.

Alter concludes by arguing for the pertinence of the idea to the current development climate: "All over North America, lots of money is being spent on rail and transit infrastructure; perhaps the linear city is an idea whose time has finally come, and could help pay for it all."

Monday, November 17, 2014 in Treehugger

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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