Leon Krier is an influential architect and urban planner born in 1946 in Luxembourg. He is known for criticizing modernist architecture and advocating for traditional European city models. His most notable projects include the new town of Poundbury in the UK and master plans for Cayalá, Guatemala. Krier argues for reconstructing the rational order and typology of traditional architecture and cities. He believes modernist planning has led to detrimental zoning laws and suburban sprawl. Krier's writings have greatly influenced the New Urbanism movement.
An Overview of the City Beautiful Movement - An architectural manifestation of the social response to failing urban life.
Contains details regarding the origin, key characteristics, architects and major cities involved, along with the following case studies :
- Mcmillan Plan
- Plan of Chicago and
- City of Minneapolis.
The first large-scale elaboration of the City Beautiful occurred in Chicago at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The planning of the exposition was directed by architect Daniel Burnham, who hired architects from the eastern United States, as well as the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, to build large-scale Beaux-Arts monuments that were vaguely classical with uniform cornice height. The exposition displayed a model city of grand scale, known as the "White City", with modern transport systems and no poverty visible. The exposition is credited with resulting in the large-scale adoption of monumentalism for American architecture for the next 15 years. Richmond, Virginia's Monument Avenue is one expression of this initial phase.
An Overview of the City Beautiful Movement - An architectural manifestation of the social response to failing urban life.
Contains details regarding the origin, key characteristics, architects and major cities involved, along with the following case studies :
- Mcmillan Plan
- Plan of Chicago and
- City of Minneapolis.
The first large-scale elaboration of the City Beautiful occurred in Chicago at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The planning of the exposition was directed by architect Daniel Burnham, who hired architects from the eastern United States, as well as the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, to build large-scale Beaux-Arts monuments that were vaguely classical with uniform cornice height. The exposition displayed a model city of grand scale, known as the "White City", with modern transport systems and no poverty visible. The exposition is credited with resulting in the large-scale adoption of monumentalism for American architecture for the next 15 years. Richmond, Virginia's Monument Avenue is one expression of this initial phase.
Radburn, New Jersey is a town planned in 1929 by Clarence Stein and Henry Wright and landscape architect Marjorie Sewell Cautley.
It is based on Radburn Theory of Town Planning.
It is America's first garden community serving as a worldwide example of the harmonious blending of private area and open spaces.
The intent was to built a community which made provisions for the complexities of modern life while still providing open spaces and being economically viable
The community was intended to be a self sufficient entity with residential, Commercial and industrial areas each supplementing the needs of others.
iginally a Viking fishing village founded in the 10th century then became the capital of Denmark in the early 15th century. Beginning in the 17th century it consolidated its position as a regional center of power with its institutions, defences and armed forces. After suffering from the effects of plague and fire in the 18th century, the city underwent a period of redevelopment. This included construction of the prestigious district of Frederiksstaden and founding of such cultural institutions as the Royal Theatre and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. After further disasters in the early 19th century when Nelson attacked the Dano-Norwegian fleet and bombarded the city, rebuilding during the Danish Golden Age brought a Neoclassical look to Copenhagen's architecture. Later, following the Second World War, the Finger Plan fostered the development of housing and businesses along the five urban railway routes stretching out from the city centre.
Copenhagen – a pioneer in sustainable urban development
Urban planners are Steen Eiler Rasmussen ,Christian Erhardt “Peter” Bredsdorff and Jan Gehl.
In 2014, Copenhagen won the prestigious European Green Capital award, presented by the European Commission, which recognizes efforts to improve the urban environment, the economy and the quality of life. The city was chosen as “a good model in terms of urban planning and design” and especially for its work as a “transport pioneer.”
Copenhagen is recognized as one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world
Commercial and residential buildings are to reduce electricity consumption by 20 percent and 10 percent respectively
Copenhagen has ranked high in international surveys for its quality of life.
Park Acreage: 6,143
Park acreage per 1000 residents: 1.2 Acres
Copenhagen reacted with a Climate Adaptation Plan to improve the city’s defenses against water and extreme weather. Among the actions being taken are the building of dikes and better management of storm water.
1.2 town planning greek and roman cultureSachin PatiL
Necessity scope principles of Town Planning,
Present status of town planning in India,
Contribution of town planners in modern era,
Sir Patrick Geddes,
Sir Ebenezer Howard,
Clarence stein,
Sir Patrick Abercrombie,
Le Corbusier,
It is an assignment on urban design basic factors, whereas a designer should keep in mind in urban designing.
Here I tried to describe factors by pointing as anyone could find a basic concept o urban design. Hope it'll be helpful.
Radburn, New Jersey is a town planned in 1929 by Clarence Stein and Henry Wright and landscape architect Marjorie Sewell Cautley.
It is based on Radburn Theory of Town Planning.
It is America's first garden community serving as a worldwide example of the harmonious blending of private area and open spaces.
The intent was to built a community which made provisions for the complexities of modern life while still providing open spaces and being economically viable
The community was intended to be a self sufficient entity with residential, Commercial and industrial areas each supplementing the needs of others.
iginally a Viking fishing village founded in the 10th century then became the capital of Denmark in the early 15th century. Beginning in the 17th century it consolidated its position as a regional center of power with its institutions, defences and armed forces. After suffering from the effects of plague and fire in the 18th century, the city underwent a period of redevelopment. This included construction of the prestigious district of Frederiksstaden and founding of such cultural institutions as the Royal Theatre and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. After further disasters in the early 19th century when Nelson attacked the Dano-Norwegian fleet and bombarded the city, rebuilding during the Danish Golden Age brought a Neoclassical look to Copenhagen's architecture. Later, following the Second World War, the Finger Plan fostered the development of housing and businesses along the five urban railway routes stretching out from the city centre.
Copenhagen – a pioneer in sustainable urban development
Urban planners are Steen Eiler Rasmussen ,Christian Erhardt “Peter” Bredsdorff and Jan Gehl.
In 2014, Copenhagen won the prestigious European Green Capital award, presented by the European Commission, which recognizes efforts to improve the urban environment, the economy and the quality of life. The city was chosen as “a good model in terms of urban planning and design” and especially for its work as a “transport pioneer.”
Copenhagen is recognized as one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world
Commercial and residential buildings are to reduce electricity consumption by 20 percent and 10 percent respectively
Copenhagen has ranked high in international surveys for its quality of life.
Park Acreage: 6,143
Park acreage per 1000 residents: 1.2 Acres
Copenhagen reacted with a Climate Adaptation Plan to improve the city’s defenses against water and extreme weather. Among the actions being taken are the building of dikes and better management of storm water.
1.2 town planning greek and roman cultureSachin PatiL
Necessity scope principles of Town Planning,
Present status of town planning in India,
Contribution of town planners in modern era,
Sir Patrick Geddes,
Sir Ebenezer Howard,
Clarence stein,
Sir Patrick Abercrombie,
Le Corbusier,
It is an assignment on urban design basic factors, whereas a designer should keep in mind in urban designing.
Here I tried to describe factors by pointing as anyone could find a basic concept o urban design. Hope it'll be helpful.
Poundbury, the urban extension to Dorchester, in Dorchester, England, is recognised worldwide as one of the most advanced solutions to urban settlement in the twenty-first century. It is used by the UK government as a model for new development and enhancing rural economies.
The Poundbury Series, launched in 2007, is a series of seven lectures and tours which are an essential experience for those involved in the planning, design and building of housing developments in the UK and beyond. Those involved in the development of Poundbury, along with other experts, will demonstrate through a series of lectures, workshops and visits how to implement these cutting-edge ideas.
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist.
John Ruskin- The Seven Lamps of ArchitectureVaibhav Mudgal
From Theory of Architecture the presentation is about the modern philosopher/writer/architect/artist john ruskin and his book seven lamps of architecture
A B S T R A C T
Modernity has significantly influenced the branches of human knowledge; architecture has a substantial share in this effect. Modern architecture, in turn, was not a negative recipient to impact, but it was a positive catalyst for decades. Moreover, it did not limit to certain geographic boundaries, but it has spread all over the world and Cyprus was not an exception. Due to most of the Cypriot pioneer architects were studied in Europe; Cyprus was the incubator that has many architectural distinctive pieces of evidence of modern architecture. Perhaps the expert reader of the modern architectural discourse of Cyprus could distinguish numerous aesthetic features in Cyprus Buildings especially the private residences and their appearance is credited back to one of the pioneers of modern architecture; Le Corbusier. The research paper is an attempt to determine the influence of the principles that Le Corbusier claimed as keystones of modern architecture in early twenty century and how impressed on the emergence of aesthetic values of the modern architecture of Cyprus as well. The paper takes two works of Neoptolemos Michaelides, as case study (Neoptolemos Michaelides is considered the father of Cyprus modern architecture). The first case study is his and wife private residence, which considers the icon of the modern residential architecture of Cyprus and the other is the first residential project designed by him Theotodos Kanthos residence.
CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2018) 2(1), 1-12. Doi: 10.25034/ijcua.2017.3651
Antonio Sant'Elia was an Italian architect and a key member of the Futurist movement in architecture. He left behind almost no completed works of architecture and is primarily remembered for his bold sketches and influence on modern architecture.
http://www.understandingrace.org/images/482x270/society/post_war_economic_boom.jpg
http://afflictor.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/800px-NewYorkCityManhattanRockefellerCenter.jpg
In this week’s lecture and readings we learn about the modern skyscraper as well as the horizontal growth of the suburban areas. In Le Corbusier book A Contemporary City, it gives us a brief overview of his life. We know that he is a founding father to the modernist movement known as the International style, and that he also entered a competition to plan a “contemporary city of 3 million people,” that did not end up winning. Although he did not win, in this book he describes the leading factors that would contribute to his plan of a contemporary city. Of these factors was this topic of skyscrapers. He states, “The skyscrapers are designed purely for business purposes,” he later discusses how skyscrapers are also capable of housing employees, businesses and hotel sections. We also learned that skyscrapers have essential characteristics that define what a modern skyscraper and how there were certain technological requirements that were needed in order to develop a skyscraper. With regards to the development of skyscrapers, zoning properties were quickly established, which ultimately came to the influence of the aesthetic and visual properties of the city as a whole.
In Widogers publication on The "Solar Eye" of Vision Emergence of the Skyscraper-Viewer in the Discourse on Heights in New York City, 1890-1920 we learned how Alvin Coburn, a photographer, takes his camera upon Madison Square in 1921 from the vantage point of the metropolitan life tower, and creates the first abstraction of a city viewed from above. It is also important because he also discusses how modern skyscrapers correspond to the urban transformation in New York City between the period 1890 and 1920. This then brings about the observation on how periods of social upheaval affect individualism and mass identity, which in turn conditions the way artists and writers define their artistic vision in relation to daily life in the city. He also states that, “The tower on Madison Square Garden and the Metropolitan Life Tower had similar features: they were not fully fledged skyscrapers but rather towers constructed either beside or on top of a block-shaped building.” The author also capitalizes on how this metropolitan lifestyle can alter ones behavior due to the environment that surrounds them.
Post World War Two was the beginning of the housing boom. “The transition from a war to peacetime economy was centered on the mass consumerism, ”According to the lecture. The scarce shortage of material forced designers to develop new ways of building. This then lead to large scale housing production where some of these housing parts were sometimes made up of refashioned tank and airplane parts. This allowed for houses to be produced more efficiently and in bulk. During this transition time between wartime to pe.
Structuralism is a mode of thinking .pptxseyefeselasse
Structuralism is a mode of thinking and a method of analysis practiced in 20th-centurysocial sciences and humanities. Methodologically, it analyses large-scale systems by examining the relations and functions of the smallest constituent elements of such systems, which range from human languages and cultural practices to folktales and literary texts.
• Emerged from revolutions in technology, engineering, and
building materials, and from a desire to break away from
historical archtectural styles and to invent sornething that was
purely functional and new.
• Modern architecture is a style ofbuijding that emphasizes
function and a streamlined formover ornarnentation.
Architecture (Latin architectura, from the Greek ἀρχιτέκτων architekton "architect", from ἀρχι- "chief" and τέκτων "creator") is both the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings or other structures.
Architecture (Latin architectura, from the Greek ἀρχιτέκτων architekton "architect", from ἀρχι- "chief" and "creator") is both the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings or other structures. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art.
DECONSTRUCTIVISM
Started in the 1980’s
It views architecture in bits and pieces.
have no visual logic
Buildings may appear to be made up of abstract forms.
More than we say free flow of forms
Ideas were borrowed from the French philosopher, Jacques Derrida.
Biological screening of herbal drugs: Introduction and Need for
Phyto-Pharmacological Screening, New Strategies for evaluating
Natural Products, In vitro evaluation techniques for Antioxidants, Antimicrobial and Anticancer drugs. In vivo evaluation techniques
for Anti-inflammatory, Antiulcer, Anticancer, Wound healing, Antidiabetic, Hepatoprotective, Cardio protective, Diuretics and
Antifertility, Toxicity studies as per OECD guidelines
Introduction to AI for Nonprofits with Tapp NetworkTechSoup
Dive into the world of AI! Experts Jon Hill and Tareq Monaur will guide you through AI's role in enhancing nonprofit websites and basic marketing strategies, making it easy to understand and apply.
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of LabourWasim Ak
Normal labor is also termed spontaneous labor, defined as the natural physiological process through which the fetus, placenta, and membranes are expelled from the uterus through the birth canal at term (37 to 42 weeks
This slide is special for master students (MIBS & MIFB) in UUM. Also useful for readers who are interested in the topic of contemporary Islamic banking.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
Macroeconomics- Movie Location
This will be used as part of your Personal Professional Portfolio once graded.
Objective:
Prepare a presentation or a paper using research, basic comparative analysis, data organization and application of economic information. You will make an informed assessment of an economic climate outside of the United States to accomplish an entertainment industry objective.
A review of the growth of the Israel Genealogy Research Association Database Collection for the last 12 months. Our collection is now passed the 3 million mark and still growing. See which archives have contributed the most. See the different types of records we have, and which years have had records added. You can also see what we have for the future.
Executive Directors Chat Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and InclusionTechSoup
Let’s explore the intersection of technology and equity in the final session of our DEI series. Discover how AI tools, like ChatGPT, can be used to support and enhance your nonprofit's DEI initiatives. Participants will gain insights into practical AI applications and get tips for leveraging technology to advance their DEI goals.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...
Leon krier
1. Analysis of contemporary architecture…
A study on Léon Krier
an architect and urban planner..
Nilakash Dutta
Roll no. 01110201023
3rd year , 2nd sem
Jadavpur University
2. Léon Krier
one of the world's outstanding architects and urbanists.
Born on 7 April 1946 in Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of
Luxembourg
About him:
Leon krier is an architect, architectural theorist and urban planner. From the
late 1970s onwards Krier has been one of the most influential neo-traditional architects
and planners. He is best known for his on going development
of Poundbury, an urban extension to Dorchester, UK for the Duchy of
Cornwall under the guidance of Prince of Wales and his Masterplan for
Cayalá, an extension of Guatemala City. He is one of the first and most prominent
critics of the architectural modernism, mainly of its functional zoning and the ensuing
suburbanism, campaigning for the reconstruction of the traditional European city
model. These ideas had a great influence on the New Urbanism movement, both in the
USA and Europe. The most complete compilation of them is published in his book "The
Architecture of Community". Léon Krier is the younger brother of architect Rob Krier.
3. Krier acts as architectural consultant on urban planning projects but only designs
buildings of his personal choice. Amongst his best known realizations are the
temporary façade at the 1980 Venice Biennale; the Krier house in the resort
village of Seaside, Florida, USA (where he also advised on the masterplan);
the Arqueological Museum of Sintra, Portugal; the Windsor Village
Hall Florida; the Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center on the campus of
the University of Miami in Miami, Florida; and the new Neighbourhood
Center Città Nuova in Alessandria, Italy. Currently Leon Krier is involved in
the planning for the reconstruction of Tor Bella Monaca, a degraded suburb
of Rome.
Education:
Krier abandoned in 1968 his architectural studies at the University of
Stuttgart, Germany, after only one year, to work in the office of architect James
Stirling in London, UK. After working for Stirling for three years, Krier then spent 20
years in England practicing and teaching at the Architectural Association and Royal
College of Art. In this period, Krier's statement: “I am an architect, because I don’t
build”,became a famous expression of his uncompromising anti-modernist attitude. In
1987-90 Krier was the first director of the SOMAI, the Skidmore, Owings &
Merrill Architectural Institute, in Chicago. Since 1990 Krier is involved in designing
furniture for Giorgetti, Italy
4. Career:
Though Krier is well known for his defence of classical architecture and the reconstruction
of traditional “European city” models, close scrutiny of his work in fact shows a shift from
an early Modernist rationalist approach (project for University of Bielefeld, 1968) towards
a vernacular and classical approach both formally and technologically. The project that
marked a major turning point in his campaigning attitude towards the reconstruction of
the traditional European city was his scheme (unrealised) for the 'reconstruction' of his
home city of Luxembourg (1978), in response to the radical modernist redevelopment of
the city. He later master planned Luxembourg's new Cite Judiciaire that was to be
architecturally designed by his brother (1990-2008)
Some of his hand works:
Le Nouveau Quartier des Halles (1979) Reconstruction Proposal
5. Alessandria, Città Nuova, Italy, Masterplan
New College Residence, Oxford, England
(with John Robins)
6. Street View of Alessandria, Italy by Léon Krier
Revision of the Cerda Block, Barcelona, Spain, 1976.
7. Facades on New Piazza in Alessandria, Italy by Léon Krier
and Gabriele Tagliaventi
Village Hall, Windsor Fla,1997, by Léon Krier
New Piazza in Alessandria, Italy
by Léon Krier and Gabriele Tagliaventi
8. New Town of Poundbury, England
Street View in New Town of Poundbury
9. New Town of Poundbury with New Market-Hall
by Léon Krier (Masterplan) and John Simpson
(Market-Hall)
10. On architecture and the city:
The principle behind Krier’s writings has been to explain the rational foundations of
architecture and the city, stating that “In the language of symbols, there can exist no
misunderstanding”. That is to say, for Krier, buildings have a rational order and typology: a
house, a palace, a temple, a campanile, a church; but also a roof, a column, a
window, etc., what he terms “nameable objects”. As projects get bigger, he goes on to
argue, the buildings should not get bigger, but divide up; thus, for instance, in his
unrealised scheme for a school in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (1978), France, the school
became a “city in miniature”. In searching for such a typological architecture, Krier’s work
has been termed “an architecture without a style”. However, it has also been pointed out
that the appearance of his architecture is very much like Roman architecture, which he
then places in all his projects, be it central London, Stockholm, Tenerife or Florida.”
On the development of the city:
Krier has written a number of essays − many first published in the journal Architectural
Design, often in his own handwriting in the form of series of didactic annotated diagrams −
against modernist town planning and its principle of dividing up the city into a system of
single use zones (housing, shopping, industry, leisure, etc.), as well as the resultant
suburbia, commuting, etc. Indeed Krier sees the modern planner as a tyrannical figure that
imposes detrimental megastructural scale.
11. •A selection of manifesto texts by Léon Krier:
•The idea of reconstruction
•Critique of zoning
•Town and country
•Critique of the megastructural city
•Critique of industrialisation
•Urban components
•The city within the city – Les Quartiers
•The size of a city
•Critique of Modernisms
•Organic versus mechanical composition
•Names and nicknames
•Building and architecture
•The reconstruction of the European city
•What is an urban quartier? Form and legislation
12. Books:
Rational - Architecture - Rationnelle
Archives d'Architecture Moderne, Brussels, 1978. (Bilingual French/English text).
Léon Krier: Drawings
Archives d'Architecture Moderne, Brussels, 1980. Introduction by Maurice Culot.
Houses, Palaces, Cities
Demetri Porphyrios, editor, Academy Publications, London, 1984.
Published as the July/August issue of Architectural Design, volume 54 (1984).
Albert Speer: Architecture 1932-1942
Archives d'Architecture Moderne, Brussels, 1985. (Bilingual French/English text).
Architecture and Urban Design 1967-1992
Richard Economakis, editor, Academy Publications, London, 1992.
Architecture: Choice or Fate
Andreas Papadakis Publisher, Windsor, England, 1998. Published in
Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish. Winner of the Silver
Medal of the Académie Française.
13. Krier in others view:
"His view of the city as a document of intelligence, memory, and pleasure is the antithesis of the
concept of the disposable, adaptable, plug-in city of Archigram, Metabolism, and other
advocates, and he has been critical of Post-Modernism and stylistic pluralism, condemning both as
unserious, unintellectual Kitsch. He has seen de-zoning of activities in cities to be essential and is
fundamentally opposed to the views of Le Corbusier, CIAM, and the Athens Charter that seem to be
firmly embedded virtually everywhere, despite efforts by Jane Jacobs and many others to excise
them." -- James Stevens Curl.
"One day I went to a lecture by Leon Krier, the man who designed the English model town of
Poundbury for the Prince of Wales. Krier gave a powerful talk about traditional urbanism, and after
a couple of weeks of real agony and crisis I realized I couldn't go on designing these fashionable tall
buildings, which were fascinating visually, but didn't produce any healthy urban effect. They
wouldn't affect society in a positive way. The prospect of instead creating traditional communities
where our plans could actually make someone's daily life better really excited me. Krier introduced
me to the idea of looking at people first, and to the power of physical design to change the social
life of a community. And so, in a year or so my wife and I left the firm and went off to do something
very different." -- Andres Duany.
14. "Léon Krier is one of the most important influences on the principles espoused by the charter for
the New Urbanism. For those who don't know, Krier is a European architect who has spent a
lifetime writing, drawing, lecturing, and teaching. He has designed a number of noteworthy plans
for European cities, including for Poundbury, whose developer is the Prince of Wales -- who might
be called a New Urbanist. I would highly recommend Krier's books, including
'Architecture, Choice or Fate'." -- Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk.
"Léon Krier was among those who first realized that indiscriminate toleration posing as the
guarantor of democratic freedom had thrown architecture and the city into disarray, undermining
the very discipline of architecture itself. ... Both through his projects and writings alike, [he] has
sought to explain the rational foundations of architecture and the city. ... No architect has
explored architecture's claim to universality better than Léon Krier, and it is this which makes
him the most controversial figure of contemporary architectural culture." -- Demetri
Porphyrios.
"The main tenets of the classical school of architecture and urbanism, now termed 'New
Urbanism' in the USA, began to be laid down by the Luxembourg architect Léon Krier during
the 1970s. The Krier approach was distinguished by its clarity, and matched by an extremely
effective polemical strategy, in which many things which had been 'outlawed' from urban
design thinking since World War II were made to seem once again to be simple good sense." --
Brian Hanson & Samir Younés.