The City after the Automobile: An Architect’s Vision by an outstanding modern architect Moshe Safdie published in 1997 is something to savour. The book concentrates on Safdie’s vision of ideal cities based on the conventional practices of city planning and the revolutionary techniques of combining cities and suburbs, aimed at boosting mobility, flexibility and convenience. Moreover the book dwells on the socio-economic and political aspects focusing on the factors that facilitate living and working in the city.
The book is divided into three parts each focusing on a definite aspect. In part one, the author concentrates on his vision of the city. After the World War the automobile industry developed at a rapid pace forming a new concept of the cities. The cars have been playing a crucial role in people’s lives affecting urban landscape with its constant need for parking and new traffic lines creating a lot of problems for citizens and architects. Therefore, Safdie suggests the reducing of individually-owned cars and the implementation of publicly-owned electric automobiles that would be kept in one place, a depot, and rented to people. This approach is highly beneficial as it saves plenty of parking place in the cities.
In addition, Safdie is an ardent defender of eco-friendly automobiles, so in the author’s point of view, new transport system would be twice beneficial. Moreover, Safdie states that abandoning the suburban shopping malls and building new linear centers that would serve as a public arena would facilitate the mobility of the cities. This idea might seem far from realistic however all innovations are initially taken with suspicion, as a rule. Furthermore, the author makes some suggestions of combining the idea of public space and privacy creating thus more citizen-friendly environment. According to Safdie, the city after the automobile should present a broad network of interconnected and interrelated elements aimed at combining nature and street life, economy and residential opportunities, and “a multitude of services and entertainment” (Safdie 1997, 151).
It is necessary to point out that the book not only provides some ideas but also describes the evolution of American cities, presents some historical facts and examples of the drawbacks of the existing city patterns, states the advantages and disadvantages of the traditional cities and the role of automobiles. It should be stressed that dwelling on the possible revolutionary architectural solution, the book gives the impression of possessing some elements of science fiction since it is not written in the arid scientific language but in an easy and understandable one. In other words, The City after the Automobile: An Architect’s Vision absorbs the reader’s attention immediately. Logically consistent paragraphing makes it easy and interesting to read for both architects and common audience, which I consider to be a major benefit.
My only reservation is that some might argue that Safdie approaches this issue from the totally impractical aspect of the city planning that is next to impossible to achieve in reality. However, from my perspective, the book provides the innovative point of view of the future of urban areas that would enjoy greater mobility without the traffic congestions and the automobiles we are used to at present. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who cares about the future of the cities not to mention the architects who strive to abandon the traditional obsolete principles of city construction in favour of innovative techniques that would enable the planning of ideal cities. Though-provoking, masterly written, never boring, the book engrosses the readers’ attention appealing to their fantasy and the idea of the city of their dream.
Reference List
Safdie, Moshe. The City after the Automobile: An Architect’s Vision. New York: Harper Collins, 1997.