The City Beautiful
Serving as an homage to Le Corbusier's belief in the skillful play of volumes, a new book depicts the Indian city of Chandigarh.
How does one design a city out of a void and invent spaces to function for the present and future dwellers? Cities are heaps of history through which rays of light and poetry emerge. However, people are what define the spaces of each building. Their movement and actions transform the spaces into a stage. The dilemma is one of sensation versus reasoning. Le Corbusier developed a plan, but the use can only be dictated and witnessed truthfully over time.
A blank sheet of paper is not an ideal starting point for a city. Takamasa Yoshizaka recalled the construction process at Chandigarh: holes were dug and the piles became a pay scale indicator for each unit of work. Le Corbusier said a pile of earth is nothing without intent, and intent is what brings a spirit to stir man’s emotion. Peopl...
