Town Planning under Camilo Sitte's vision

TOWN PLANNINGShort analysis of Camillo Sitte’s vision

Course: Visions of the CityGroup 2 – S3020754Kellyanna da Silva [email protected]

Kellyanna da Silva Vasconcelos - S3020754 - Group 2 Course: Visions of the City

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OBJECTIVE

Short analysis of Camillo Sitte’s vision on Town Planning, ilustrating his proposal for a “better” arrangement of the Town Hall Square (‘Radhaus Platz’) and the square around the Votive Church (‘Votiv Kirche’) in Vienna, meant as a correction of the Ringstrasse model.

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CAMILLO SITTE

Austrian architect (19th century). His studies focused on the civic and artistic character of the old european towns

As a good example of his thoughts. In his book ‘The art of reading city, the city reader(2003)’, Sitte states:

"We need, in addition, the talent of the artist. (...) It is only in our mathematical century that the construction and extension of cities has become a purely technical matter. “

Urban planning = technicians + artists

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Based his proposals in the citties of the middle ages and ranaissance

Criticized the modern urban planning project for Vienna by Haussman, and proposed a project based on ancient Greek and Roman concepts of city as a way to recapture the artistic urban planning;

Urbanism as an artistic work: Addorn and embelish public spaces

Art must take place in public squares and be along the plazas, not just in the geometric center;

Enclosed public spaces: Provide the vital and functional use of the squares;

Square must have cohesive/Harmonic effects

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SITTE’S VISION


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In “The art of building cities, the city reader(2003)”, Sitte states as three principal requirements of practical city building:

To rid the Haussman’s system of blocks

To save as much as possible of that which ramains from ancient cities

To approach more closely the ideal of ancient models.

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SITTE’S VISION


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Camillo Sitte, in “City Planning According to Artistic Principles” (1989) shows that the successful spaces – those which are greatly used and enjoyed – have two properties:

partly enclosed, It is the most essencial condition of any artistic effects

they are open to one another, so that each other leads into the next space

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SITTE’S VISION


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URBAN ARRANGEMENT : THE VOTIVE CHURCH PLAZA

Sitte’s project for the rearrangement of the Votive Church plaza(His suggestion consistes on the adiction of elements G,H,J and K).

Negative: According to Sitte, the plaza was not separated from the streets, and it dissolved in its environs.

G. H and J must be built-up lots, which would neutralize the unsuitability of the surroundings.

Artistic monuments should take place at entrances c, d, e, at the corners and at the opened interior of this plaza

Connection between the plazas: c and d must have narrows connections with E and F

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Sitte’s critics The plaza was open in all directions,

without anysense of closure or any concentration of artistic effect.

As an open space it was much too extensive.

For Sitte there was a lack of overall unity between the outstanding buildings of the plaza. It caused an isolated feeling

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URBAN ARRANGEMENT : THE RATHAUSPLATZ

Vienna's Town Hall, view from 1891


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Sitte’s proposal: The place requires an enclosed and broad

plaza of stylistically harmonious design (G)

E and F should be short buildings to emphasize the Rathaus

At H the plaza enclosure ought to be interrupted by a street so that a view of Rathaus would be possible even from A.

Art: Small monuments should take place in quantity along the whole periphery of the plaza.

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The gains from the redesigning of this area would be as follows:

The elimination of conflits in style

A substantially increased effect on the part of each large building

A group of plazas of unique character

The possibility of a unified group of large, middle-sized, and small monuments.


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Huge importance in provide daily art for the citizens

The city must show It's citizens expression and culture trough It’s art !

“Sitte’s major objection to the Ringstrasse in 1889 was not to be found in any of the critiques or activities that preceded him, but envolved instead from his own highly original analysis of old-time urban spaces – probably the most unique contribution of his book.”

Camillo Sitte: The Birth of Modern City Planning . By George R. Collins, Christiane Collins


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fragment from Sitte C, The art of Building Cities, in: Richard T. LeGates and Frederic Stout (eds),The city reader, Third Edition, Routledge 2003, pp. 414-423

Sitte, C., ‘introduction’ in: City Planning according to artistic principles, 1965 (first published 1889, title: Der Stadtebau nach sienen kunstlerischen Grundsetzen), pp. 3-12

Sitte, C., ‘The relationship between buildings, monuments and their plazas’, in: Sitte, C., City Planning according to artistic principles, 1965 (first published 1889, title: Der Stadtebau nach sienen kunstlerischen Grundsetzen), pp. 13-19

Sitte, C., ‘Example of an urban arrangement according to artistic principles’, in: City Planning according to artistic principles, 1965 (first published 1889, title: Der Stadtebau nach sienen kunstlerischen Grundsetzen), pp. 141-159

Collins, George R; Collins, Christiane.Camillo Sitte: The Birth of Modern City Planning

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Town Planning under Camilo Sitte's vision

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