The Road to Upward Mobility
In the years after World War II, West Germany (after 1949 the Federal Republic of Germany, or FRG) experienced a severe housing shortage coupled with a demand—unambiguously conveyed by the occupying powers—to “modernize” and socially restructure. With war-torn cities needing extensive repair, politicians and planners made choices that affected not only the physical but also the social landscape, with the federal government ultimately using urban policy in an attempt to redefine identity and help shape a new middle class. This article traces this process by examining three postwar policy directions—suburbanization, urban high-rise housing, and automobile ownership—both as an economic driver and as a first toehold on the ladder to upward mobility. I argue that not only did these policy foci fundamentally change the FRG’s urban landscape, their physical manifestations became central to the nation’s often-acrimonious debate over societal modernization.
Recovering Essence through Demolition The "Organic" City in Postwar West Berlin
ess than fifteen years after World War II had left large parts of Berlin in ruins, the city faced another wave of destruction that was just as devastating to the urban fabric as the four years of air raids had been.1 Between 1960 and 1980, numerous late-nineteenth-century residential neighborhoods were comprehensively torn down as a part of the city's urban renewal policy (Figure 1). In this essay, I relate the demolition practice to a prevailing urban design paradigm that was both modernist and essentialist.2 The paradigm, which was often referred to as the "organic city," was manifested most clearly in two architectural competitions of the late 1950s-the Interbau in the Hansaviertel section of the
The Towns of Roman Britain
THE compilation of this little book was suggested by the author's work in connection with the preparation of an archaeological map of Herefordshire. His object, as he states it, was “to provide a compendious guide to readers who desire to study the fruits of the Roman occupation, to trace the roads they laid down, and to possess themselves of the position and essential features of the centres where they congregated for commerce, pleasure, or defence.” After a short account of the history and results of the Roman occupation of Britain, Mr. Bevan gives, in alphabetical order, a short account of the chief Roman cities. This is useful so far as it goes, but it is confined to the chief Roman cities, and leaves untouched the numerous other places of interest, in particular the villas, the excavation of which has thrown such clear light on the life of the invaders. It may be hoped that the author will be encouraged to extend his survey. This scheme, carried out within reasonable limits, does not require, as he supposes, “a volume of stupendous size.” If, in a new edition, he confines himself to the restricted plan which he has adopted, he would do well to add to his accounts of Roman cities references to the best authorities. A list of the more important general works on the subject would also be a useful addition.The Towns of Roman Britain.By the Rev. J. O. Bevan. Pp. viii + 66. (London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1917.) Price 2s. 6d. net.