Page 119 - Vertical City
P. 119
Postface 119
a densely populated city preserve the habits of com-
panionship that animate the city with their new villages.
Imagine vertical distribution networks, means of trans-
portation, destinations and gathering places. Conceive
urban planning in cross section and not only on the plan,
but through extension and upward stretching instead
of urban spread. Project a double alternative to urban
congestion (by multi-polarity) and the growth of net-
works (by better financial management of resources
and systems of distribution.)
And because the model imagined by Philippe Samyn
gives new impetus to aerial cables, let us not forget that
the rows of pylons that carry energy, because they have
spared areas of ground space that we have deemed
abandoned, will become in reality corridors of bio-
diversity.
The “Vertical City” of Philippe Samyn, carefully orga-
nized, calculated and calibrated, wishes to be an alterna-
tive to the very costly tendencies of a very large city; it
is certainly a utopia; it searches for a solution “from on
high” to the problem of over-use of ground space.
Jean Attali
