Contribution of Tony Garnier and Le Corbusier - Essay Example

Le Corbusier contributed to urban planning in a wide variety of contexts. One of his first forays into urbanism occurred during the 1920s when he was asked to develop structural ways of dealing with the growing squalor in the Parisian ghettos. Le Corbusier’s intention was to develop new ways of developing urban settings that would raise the quality of life for residents living in the region. Through a number of buildings and texts Le Corbusier would articulate a theory of urban planning that would become highly influential to 20th century urban planning.

This theory was perhaps most comprehensively articulated in his five points on architecture. Within this approach the building structures would be lifted off the ground and walls that could be designed as the architect wished; he also made room for garden terraces and a view of the yard as a means of promoting improved atmosphere. In terms of specific influences, Le Corbusier is recognized as being among the first to recognize the importance of the automobile to 20th century planning. Within his theoretical work in this realm, Le Corbusier made great contributions to the notion of space as a shifting element of the contemporary world that individuals moved between.

While this was initially an abstract notion, it would lead to urban developments in the construction of freeways and other pathways for automobiles. Even as Le Corbusier made great contributions to the theoretical development of the freeway system, his ideas did not go far enough in promoting modes of interaction within this space; as a result, later developers would have to change his theories to include exits and increased emphasis on interstate interaction. He is also credited as being among the first to theorize the contemporary city landscape, and many public housing designers in Europe and the United States have adopted his designs.

His ideas oftentimes took the form of modernist notions wherein the messy urban landscape was replaced by well-designed and formed city-structures, with meticulously planned green areas. While these notions had great influence on later designers they also came under attack by theorists such as Jane Jacobs who argued that such design structures promoted stolid and boring social landscapes that were bad for modern living. Within the potential negative impacts Le Corbusier’s theories had was in its adoption by post World War II commercial real estate developers who sought artistic and intellectual justification for the construction of high efficiency housing domains that capitalized on land-use for the greatest potential profit.

Tony Garnier’s contributions to 20th century urban planning came through a number of theoretical texts and planning projects that he undertook throughout his lifetimes. While his contributions span a wide range of mediums, his overarching theoretical approach is perhaps best articulated in the text Une Cite Industrialle (Hall 2002). In this text Garnier established the cultural context for his theories and linked 19th century planning techniques to the 20th century urban environment. Within the social climate of Garnier’s time were the prominent changes the Industrial Revolution had on daily existence.

Among the most notable changes was the influx of individuals into city environments seeking work; this