La Ville Spatiale Today

After hearing of the works of many of the members of CIAM, Team X and SI, we became interested in further looking into their projects. While looking at Yona Friedman’s La Ville Spatial, we saw how this idea and style of building has many uses for today’s society. Friedman designed a city in the air, a simple framed skeleton, and empty at first, would be filled with houses and other buildings as the community grew and needed them. Friedman was inspired to create this new city structure “by the housing shortage in France during the late 1950s.”¹ As one layer of the city becomes full, a new layer can be placed above it, and more above it as the city continues to grow. The reverse is also possible, if a city begins to contract, the structure of the city will always be able to adapt to the conditions and the situation.

Model of Friedman's La Ville Spatiale

This structure would be useful today in areas affected by natural disaster, or any disaster, as housing would need to quickly be re-established, as to not displace the area’s population. The simple frame structure holding smaller buildings is easy to construct, and could be placed anywhere for however long it would be needed.

We think that it is unfortunate that this structure hasn’t been realized and put into practice for the humanitarian needs of today, as it has so much potential to do good for everyone.

1 "Yona Friedman. Spatial City." MoMA | The Museum of Modern Art. http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A8109&page_number=1&template_id=1&sort_order=1 (accessed November 28, 2011).

Image source: "La Ville Spatiale de Yona Friedman." AIRE Ville Spatiale. http://aire-ville-spatiale.org/la-ville-spatiale-de-yona-friedman-the-ville-spatiale-of-yona-friedman/ (accessed November 28, 2011).