From Syria’s war-scarred citadel of Aleppo, perhaps the oldest city in the world, via London’s first semi-detached house, to the kilometre-high Kingdom Tower in Jeddah (as yet unfinished), our history of cities in 50 buildings series has explored how the urbanisation of this planet has been shaped by politics, culture, religion, technology – and above all, people.
Over the last 11 weeks, we’ve heard about trailblazing transport systems, a failed housing experiment (plus a now-successful one), and a transformative doppelganger art gallery. But clearly, trying to cram the entire story of urbanisation into a mere 50 structures is, shall we say, ambitious – so we also asked for your help in pointing out other buildings that really ought to have been on our list. Here’s a taster of what you came up with ...
Louisville, Kentucky
Sheppard Square Public Housing Complex in Louisville
The Sheppard Square Public Housing complex serves as a stand in for all the public housing complexes in the US, maligned as 'severely distressed' and torn down to hide a long history of constant disinvestment and overt racial and class segregation. These complexes are the sites of a far more complex history that includes 'greening contests' by residents, spaces for women of color to organize around their right to the city, and places that many still call home. Public housing is unpopular to everyone except the hundreds of thousands living there and the equally astounding number of those waiting to get in.
New York City, USA
What about the equitable building in manhattan? At the time, its construction was so controversial that shortly afterwards, the zoning resolution was created to ensure that new, tall buildings in manhattan had to respect envelope restrictions (setbacks) to allow light and air to the street level. It’s interesting that it is not the equitable building itself which generated a particular urban condition, but the city’s desire to avoid more of them. The resulting setback skyscraper became a typology which can be seen to define not only significant parts of manhattan, but also elsewhere across america and the rest of the world.
London, UK
In the modern era, I’d like to make a case for the former Bryant and May match factory in Bow/Poplar, East London. A location that was a landmark of the formation of the labour movement in the UK of the 1890’s, in a street that has examples of almost every major period of British domestic architecture from then to the present day, it is now (and has been since the late 80’s) a leading and early example of the re-claimed industrial site, the gated community, of how the regeneration of those grand old locations can work as some part of the future of cities. It’s also a tremendous example of what the Victorians could do with simple brick-laying.
In many ways it covers the entire evolution of the modern city.
- ece301
.@guardiancities @GuardianWitness this one on Brick Lane. http://t.co/r13LqG8H8e pic.twitter.com/Z9UEKYib4F
— Paul Wellman (@PaulWellman_EG) March 29, 2015
.@guardiancities @GuardianWitness first it was a French Protestant church, then a Methodist chapel, then a synagogue, now a mosque.
— Paul Wellman (@PaulWellman_EG) March 29, 2015
Sao Paulo, Brazil
MASP The Art Museum of Sao paulo by Lina Bo Bardi
Architecture can express many things. The "MASP" (acronym for the Art Museum of Sao Paulo) is a tour de force by Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi. This building has become the expression of a city seeking for modernity and innovation. Its enormous structure is not supported red columns: the whole structure is hanging from them. It gives Sao Paulo and paulistanos identity and pride.
Jakarta, Indonesia
Istiqlal Mosque, a symbol of religious harmony and tolerance
Istiqlal Mosque is the national mosque of Indonesia and the largest mosque in Southeast Asia. Opened to the public in 1978, the mosque was designed as a symbol of Indonesia's independence from the Netherlands. Yet, while the new republic was the largest Muslim country in the world, the authorities deliberately positioned the mosque next to Jakarta Cathedral in a symbol of religious harmony and tolerance. There was also an open competition for the architectural design. The chosen design was submitted by Frederich Silaban, a Christian architect from North Sumatra, with the theme "Ketuhanan" (English: "Divinity").
Frankfurt, Germany
I would nominate #Frankfurt Commerzbank as #hoc50 -the first skyscraper that responds to challenge of #sustainability http://t.co/Nbzp1MCtZq
— Philip Oldfield (@SustainableTall) April 13, 2015
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Rotterdam as a (re)building in its own right? #homeofarchitecturalinnovation @guardiancities @GuardianWitness #Hoc50 pic.twitter.com/DpuT6p8pTQ
— Bas van der Pol (@basvanderpol) April 25, 2015
Catalhoyuk, Turkey
No longer standing, really, but Catalhoyuk [Turkey] is probably the earliest very well known urban development in a sense that we would understand as urban. It’s also been exceptionally well excavated (depending on which members of the archaeological community you talk to) and has a wonderful organic development of overlapping buildings, walls being used as later foundations, layer after layer of floors and walls plastered at different times and is generally magical.
- lentoon
Berlin, Germany
The Berlin Wall
Remains of the Berlin Wall, built in 1961 to stop East Berliners leaving for the west. As communist powers decreased, protesters began to demolish the wall in 1989. It's estimated that around 5,000 people attempted to escape over the wall, with an estimated death toll of up to 200.
Milton Keynes, UK
Milton Keynes. A successful city designed from scratch using knowledge gained from observing cities around the world. Garden Cities of Tomorrow.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Vertical Streets of South East Asia
This picture, taken in the Chinatown area of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a classic example of the way buildings are built/designed in many parts of SE Asia. Many buildings long a high street will a very narrow fascia but will often go back a long way. It's not unusual for every level of a 5 or 6 storey building to have it's very own unique use.
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Sums up Mobutu's "mismanagement": it was never completed #hoc50 #Kinshasa @Guardian @GuardianWitness (2/...) pic.twitter.com/EP0XsTCH2k
— Ben Almeras (@articlequinze) March 24, 2015
Vienna, Austria
Vienna’s Ringstrasse - The 5km long promenade has huge cultural and historical significance, as well as being a masterpiece of urban planning and architecture. It was built - on the former city walls surrounding the old town - to connect the working-class suburbs with the central nobility after the 1848 Viennese Revolution. As well as the magnificent array of Habsburg palaces, theatres, museums and opera houses, a selection of more democratic buildings - such as the city hall, parliament and university - also sprang up around the Ring. In Europe it was the largest urban planning project of the tumultuous 19th Century.
- Ajit Niranjan
Other buildings suggested by our readers included: the Blackpool Tower, the Museum of Liverpool, Hagia Sophia and the Bayon Temple at Angkor Wat.
