Following the widespread construction of industrialised cities within the nineteenth century, the twentieth century brought with it a major change in the fields of architecture and planning. This occurred through the response towards public outcry regarding the substandard living conditions of urban centres at this time, an opportunity for a new type of city became apparent. Fuelled by the new political ideology of the time, a desire for a more fair representation of social justice, the designs for these new cities often favoured fairness and equality over ease of business; as had previously been the case. At the forefront of this development, Le Corbusier performed the majority of his most famous works throughout this time. Despite only a relatively small number of his projects reaching fruition, Le Corbusier remains an important figure of the time, and vital to the development of urban planning as we know it today.
Born in Switzerland as Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris on October 6, 1887, Le Corbusier first began his career in architecture and planning upon moving to Paris in 1917. Initially practicing as an architect under government contracts, Le Corbusier spent much of his free time painting (Bio, 2015). These early artworks clearly demonstrate his ordered and compartmentalised way of thinking, with geometry featuring prominently in his paintings. His 1924 painting ‘Still Life Filled With Space’ shows these ideas particularly well. With it being described as a prime example of purism. The artwork sought to represent precision and balance of man-made materials (Art Institute of Chicago, 2015), and how this concept can allow for basic shapes to contribute to an overall sense of beauty and completeness. Great parallels can be drawn between this early work and Le Corbusier’s more elaborate plans for urban centres, such as Chandigarh, India, his Ville Contemporaine (Contemporary City) and La Ville Radiouse (The Radiant City). These plans were heavily influenced by a sense of symmetry and equality surrounding all aspects of his designs. This equality extended to all aspects of his concept, with his plans for his Radiant City moving away from the recognition of socioeconomic class. This ideology can possibly be attributed to his early depiction of equilibrium throughout his works, potentially indicating a more socialistic mindset in his later years.
The foundation of Le Corbusier’s designs for urban centres revolved around his proposed concept of Immeubles-villas. This housing concept, which is evidently quite similar to modern apartment buildings, involved a large collection of cell-like abodes. The closed ‘estate-like’ residences originally comprised of 5 floors. Hanging gardens and large parks were prominent features of the final design. Once again indicating a socialistic approach to urban structure, every resident of the building was allocated and even portion of space, with all of the necessities available within the structure (Le Corbusier Foundation). Fuelled primarily by Le Corbusier’s own desire to improve the living conditions in the slum neighbourhoods of Paris at the time, many plans involving Immeubles-villas included the demolition and removal of large low-lying houses from urban centres. This made way for modern high density accommodation, while maintaining a superior standard of living to what was previously available. Unallocated space was often assigned as parks or green space, following Le Corbusier’s desire to reimplement greenery into the modern city (Fishman, 1982). The building block structure of Le Corbusier’s design is made abundantly clear, simply through the existence of such a comprehensive ideology of his perfect domestic residence. With the basic structure of his humanity oriented city in place, these building blocks of an idealistic society can be assembled in such a way as to create an urban centre that echoes these values. Extensive similarities can be drawn between this ideology and modern methods of planning urban centres, with numerous examples evident in documents such as the city wide Auckland Plan. In documents such as this, a unified plan is constructed based on fundamental ideology, which is then attributed at the most basic levels of the surrounding society. Auckland can then develop inline with these concepts, much like Le Corbusier’s completed city designs did.
“Man walks in a straight line because he has a goal and knows where he is going” This statement made by Le Corbusier upon the publication of his designs for Ville Contemoraive, or The Contemporary City, effectively summarises the overwhelming idea in this plan, as scene is dominated by straight lines. In this proposal, Le Corbusier compares someone who walks with purpose to a man, while those who are meandering and distracted are not dissimilar to pack-donkeys (Le Corbusier, 1987). The allusion to his confidence in his own proposal is obvious, with Le Corbusier’s ordered and logical thinking evident throughout. His own criticisms of industrial cities are littered throughout, with the disorder playing a central role in the cause of his distaste. While the rigid and unnatural structure of these designs are often criticised, the concept Ville Contemporaive presents numerous benefits to the people of the city. The dense city centre provides adequate housing and recreation options for those working within the area. This compact plan also drastically reduces the need for inter-urban transport systems, as each area is provided with acceptable resources to exist independently. Another benefit of the close proximity is that it allows for cheaper infrastructure costs. In concept, the design has no obvious complications. The close proximity allows for mass distribution of resources to the population, while allowing for an improvement in lifestyle over the industrial city of the time. However, the construction of the plan was limited by both the resources to create such an experiment, as well as the location in which to do so.
Following the submission of his initial design, Le Corbusier then presented his second unrealised plan in 1924, and published it in 1933. Ville Radieuse, or The Radiant City, was somewhat of an extension of The Contemporary City, with a more comprehensive plan being completed. This new plan included designs for integrated transport, as well as an even greater emphasis on green space and natural light (ArchDaily, 2013). Within this plan, as a result of his desire for specificity and order, Le Corbusier established the process of zoning. One that is now in widespread use today. This was used to limit the spread of any particular type of building so that they did not encroach on any other area of the city, which is identical to zoning in modern times. With certain areas being marked for certain purposes, the city can remain true to Le Corbusier’s vision, even after buildings or areas are removed or replaced. In a radio broadcast conducted for The Museum of Modern Art, Le Corbusier compares The Radiant City to a well oiled machine (Le Corbusier, 1935). From this we can infer that he is in fact discussing this concept of zoning as was previously described. In Le Corbusier’s eyes, with the rigid and comprehensive regulations in place, a well planned city could remain intact and true to its purpose for centuries, simply because it remains uncorrupted and suitable for its original function. Once again, similarities exist between this ideology and many modern urban plans, as a desire for long lasting and profitable cities currently exists due to its logical presence in our society. Modern thinking is often analytical and logic based, allowing us to draw more parallels between our ideal society and Le Corbusier’s more than ever before.
The final and most recognisable city plan created by Le Corbusier is that of Chandigarh, India. Unlike his former plans, Le Corbusier’s master plan for Chandigarh was more natural and tangible, therefore leading to its eventual construction at the request of India’s first Prime Minister, Sh. Jawahar Lal Nehru. The needs of the people again played a central role, with the concepts of living, working, care of the body and spirit, and circulation of people appearing as the four major disciplines within the city (Chandigarh & National Informatics Centre, 2014). Originally designed to be an agricultural city, designs included taking advantage of the surrounding fertile land and maximising proximity to nearby rivers. The urban centre’s proximity to the nearby foothills also provides a rain shadow, as shown by topographic maps of the area (topographic-maps.com, n.d.) The consideration of natural features has allowed for Le Corbusier to create a functional city that is able to exist with supporting infrastructure and a suitable, planned source of regional income. This in itself provides a greater sense of depth and plausibility compared to his previous designs, and likely was a major contributing factor into the final construction of the city. In some ways this makes Chandigarh the most relevant of Le Corbusier’s works, as it emphasises the importance of the consideration of the natural environment into the designs of an urban centre. A blank canvas is never available, therefore a holistic design remains crucial to the planning of a city, regardless of time period.
As an important figure in the emergence of the Urban Planning profession, Le Corbusier played an important role in establishing the modern planning conventions that we have in place today. From his designs for The Contemporary City, The Radiant City, and Chandigarh, he teaches us the importance of balance in the design of an urban centre. While an ordered and regulated structure is required to provide a sense of purpose, an understanding of the landscape and the natural environment is also paramount to the successful implementation of a city. From this we learn that Le Corbusier’s greatest legacy is in fact this concept of balance, as it perfectly explains the complexity and insight required for a condensed urban society. The ideas of Le Corbusier continue to influence the planning of our cities today, and will likely be relevant for some time to come.
References
- Bio. (2015). Le Corbusier. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/lecorbusier- 9376609
- Department of Information Technology, UT, Chandigarh & National Informatics Centre, Chandigarh. (2014). Know Chandigarh. Retrieved from http://chandigarh.gov.in/ knowchd_general.htm
- Fishman, Robert. (1982). Urban Utopias in the Twentieth Century: Ebenezer Howard, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier. Massachusetts: MIT Press.
- Le Corbusier. (Narrator). (1935, October 24). La Ville Radieuse [Radio Broadcast]. In The Museum Of Modern Art, Woman’s Radio Review. United States of America: WEAF—NBC.
- Le Corbusier. (1987). The City of To-morrow and Its Planning. Massachusetts: Courier Corporation.
- Le Corbusier Foundation. Immeubles-villas, 1922. Retrieved from http:// www.fondationlecorbusier.fr/corbuweb/morpheus.aspx? sysId=13&IrisObjectId=5879&sysLanguage=fr-fr&itemPos=77&itemSort=frfr_ sort_string1%20&itemCount=215&sysParentName=&sysParentId=65
- Maxwell Fry, E., & Drew, J. (1955). Chandigarh and Planning Development in India. London: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
- Merin, Gili. (2013). AD Classics: Ville Radieuse / Le Corbusier. Retrieved from http:// www.archdaily.com/411878/ad-classics-ville-radieuse-le-corbusier/ topographic-map.com. (n.d.). Topographic Map of Chandigarh [Map data, 2015]. Retrieved May 1, 2015
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