CONCLUSION THE CITY OF TODAY AND TOMORROW：ORNAMENT AND DECORATION.pdf

CONCLUSION 8 THE CITY OF TODAY AND TOMORROW: ORNAMENT AND DECORATION INTRODUCTION THE MODERN CITY The theme of this book is the role, form and Modernist architecture, in its puritanical zeal, location of ornament and decoration in the city. rejected ornament and decoration: arguably it The thesis presented is the notion that each incre- denied the city the possibility of a richer and ment of development should be seen as an attempt enriching environment. The rational modernist to decorate the city. It is through the successful use mind which neatly compartmentalized activities of of decoration that, in Alexander’s terms, the city the urban environment into discrete zones rejected can be ‘healed’ or ‘made whole’ (Alexander, 1987). both the complexity of urban life and the rich Decoration can unify the disparate elements in the traditions of urban design. The city was considered urban realm. It has been argued that successful a machine to provide work, housing and other decoration results from an understanding of its activities connected by roads not streets. Le function, where function is used in its broadest Corbusier, by rejecting the street and square, was sense to include symbol and sign. Decoration is not, clearly rejecting a great European tradition of city however, an aesthetic activity divorced from the building (Le Corbusier, 1946; 1947). Le Corbusier realities and practicalities of everyday life in the was an artist, a great architect, who could never city. The city is a place of residence, work, understand and come to terms with the city in all commerce, industry, leisure and education. As such its compl