In autumn 2010, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the »General Urban Design Exhibition Berlin 1910« the Berlin University of Technology (TU) will show the exhibition CITY VISIONS 1910|2010. The exhibition CITY VISIONS 1910|2010 is a pilot project of the initiative »National Urban Development Policy« by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development as well as a contribution of the TU Berlin to the »Berlin Year of Science 2010«. Initiators of the project are Harald Bodenschatz and Hans-Dieter Nägelke (TU Berlin) in cooperation with Harald Kegler (Bauhaus University Weimar) and Wolfgang Sonne (TU Dortmund). Christina Gräwe, who has worked at the German Museum of Architecture in Frankfurt am Main and has curated the latest exhibition about Martin Elsaesser, will curate CITY VISIONS 1910|2010.
The German capital Berlin is known, today as well as 100 years ago, as a laboratory to test new visions and ways of urban design. By means of the urban design exhibition in 1910 Berlin for the first time successfully compared itself with the great metropolises in Europe and the USA. The task then was to find answers to the challenges of an ever faster growing city of the industrial age. Today, 100 years later, Berlin presents itself again with an international view. Now as a model metropolis in the post-industrial society in the context of climate change.
CITY VISIONS 1910|2010 shows Berlin as a centre of competence for urban design yesterday (1910) and today (2010). The exhibition will not only show a choice of the great plans from 1910 but present, recent and future projects of urban design for Berlin. As well as in 1910, ideas and visions of other remarkable cities will be depicted: Paris, London and Chicago.
In 1910 London was the Mecca of the garden city movement. Then the aim was to decentralise the city. In 2010 London represents itself completely different – as model of recentralisation, of the successful renaissance of the centre. The Paris of 1910 was mainly influenced by the great visions and plans of Eugène Hénard. »Grand Paris« today shows signs of a new national urban development policy, the background of which is an initiative of president Sarkozy. In Chicago the famous plan by Daniel Burnham to restructure the city that had been growing chaotically was introduced in 1909, initiated by the Commercial Club of Chicago. With the strategic plan Chicago Metropolis 2020 the Commercial Club again presents a plan for the sustainable development of the metropolitan area. Furthermore in 2009, Chicago presents itself with exhibitions, concerts and lectures to the public for the 100th anniversary of the Burnham plan. This great plan was well received – also in the urban design exhibition in Berlin 1910.
All four cities resemble a transatlantic perspective which was of high importance in 1910 and which is once again of growing importance today. The development of cities in Europe and in the U.S. is a global issue. Not only because of the resources that are used in these agglomerations, but also because of the visionary urban design concepts that have been and will continue to be developed here.
CITY VISIONS 1910|2010 will be shown from October, 15th until December 10th at the architecture forum in the TU Berlin at the Ernst-Reuter-Platz. Fascinating and outstanding documents and models from the collection of the Museum of Architecture of the TU Berlin will be shown along with pieces from international collections. A catalogue will be published shortly beforehand.
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Links:
[1] http://www.pro-urbe.net/users/aljoscha-hofmann
[2] http://www.pro-urbe.net/users/harald-bodenschatz
[3] http://www.pro-urbe.net/en/users/aljoscha-hofmann
[4] http://www.pro-urbe.net/en/kategorie/themen/ausstellung
[5] http://www.pro-urbe.net/en/category/kategorien/international
[6] http://www.pro-urbe.net/en/kategorie/themen/st%C3%A4dtebau