Metropolitics

The complex representations of working-class residential towers

Rachid Kaddour & translated by Oliver Waine — 2016-02-26T05:55:00Z

Rachid Kaddour's analysis of the trajectory of perceptions of the Plein‑Ciel tower in Saint‑Étienne in south-eastern France shows that certain housing tower blocks can take on a system of representations that is far more complex than the often deprecating views presented in discourse intended to legitimize urban renewal.
---- Series: The Resurgence of Towers in European Cities The general image of towers in France is still very much associated with blocks of working-class housing, owing to

- From the Field / France, monument, housing projects, urban renewal, housing estates, towers, representations, Saint-Étienne

The Tokyo skyline, or the hidden order behind opportunistic construction

Raphaël Languillon-Aussel & translated by Oliver Waine — 2015-11-13T06:00:00Z

Behind the apparent disorder, Tokyo's current skyline in fact complies with complex rules. While the first towers in Tokyo appeared in the late 1960s, the “verticalization” of the city has in reality taken place over two distinct periods: the 1980s – the era of the construction of the global city – and the 2000s – Tokyo's renaissance. Since the 2000s, the skyline has tended to respect certain spatial codes, specific to the Japanese context, against a backdrop of dynamic tension between the

- Essays / architecture, culture, skyline, towers, development, Tokyo, Japan, space, verticality

Social housing in New York

François Bonnet & translated by Oliver Waine — 2014-01-22T05:55:00Z

Is high-rise public housing doomed to demolition? A book and article by historian Nicholas Dagen Bloom, focusing on experiences in New York City, show that selecting tenants – and, in the process, discriminating against the most vulnerable candidates – is a key condition for the long-term success of social housing.
For the last two decades, American cities have been knocking down high-rise public housing developments and replacing them with “Section 8” programmes, which provide direct aid to

- Reviews / housing, housing projects, social housing, United States, towers, New York, rental, tenants, rent, rental housing

Towers of Power

Jean-Marie Huriot & translated by Oliver Waine — 2012-01-25T06:00:00Z

Following on from Manuel Appert's contribution, Jean-Marie Huriot discusses what is at stake in the skyscraper race. He believes the arguments presented in favour of building ever higher towers are biased, or even erroneous, and are a smokescreen for the true reason – something of an open secret – namely their role as a symbol of wealth and economic and financial power in the competitive context of declining global neocapitalism.
---- Series: The Resurgence of Towers in European Cities In

- Debates / architecture, capitalism, skyscrapers, towers, high-rise

Skyline policy: the Shard and London's high-rise debate

Manuel Appert & translated by Oliver Waine — 2011-12-14T11:51:33Z

At a time when major cities are racing to build higher than ever, and when the construction of skyscrapers in France is proving contentious, particularly in ecological and social terms, new problems are emerging in the “old” European metropolises concerning the impact of towers on the landscape. As a result, cities such as London have had to revise their policies regarding the regulation of the skyline in an attempt to respond to these controversies.
---- Series: The Resurgence of Towers in

- Debates / architecture, governance, skyline, skyscrapers, London, United Kingdom, towers, high-rise, England