The planetary garden. Where natural and human intertwine

Copy igh © 2018 The Au ho (s). Published by VGTU P ess This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/), which pe mi s un e- s ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal au ho and sou ce a e c edi ed. *Co esponding au ho . E-mail: [email p o ec ed] Jou nal o A chi ec u e and U banism ISSN 2029-7955 / eISSN 2029-7947 2018 Volume 42 Issue 1: 70–79 h ps://doi.o g/10.3846/20297955.2016.1246983 THE PLANETARY GARDEN. WHERE NATURAL AND HUMAN INTERTWINE Ramón PICO* Uni e si y o Se ille, Hiso ia, Teo ķa y Composición A qui ec ónicas, C/ Luce o, 2, Se ille, 41003 Spain Recei ed 13 No embe 2015; accep ed 4 Oc obe 2016 Abs ac . Sp ing 1935. A e wen y- i e yea s o ascina ion o heigh s and six o lying, s imula ing expe iences, Le Co busie published Ai c a , a eal “Mani es o o a New E a”, acco ding o his own wo ds. E en hough Ve s une a chi ec u e had limi ed he ae onaou ic model alidi y o he amewo k o housing and eas he ics en yea s be o e, he e e ence hen was expanded o he ci y and i s i ing wi hin he na u al amewo k, o he de ini ion o a new global habi a in which public space became he ocus. The lying expe ience allowed him o look in o he pas and ind he sub le balance o man and na u e. Re ela ion and ebel- lion a he same ime. Thanks o he new isual as well as men al pe spec i e p o ided by heigh , he would d i e his e lec- ions owa ds “geoa chi ec u e”, a de ini i e, Humbold ian app oach o Ea h. His ae ial obse a ion o he Alge ian M’Zab alley o he layou o he se lemen s along he Pa aná c ys allised bo h in o ex s such as Su les qua o ou es, Ai c a o Les ois é ablissemen s humains, and a se ies o p oposals o Rio, São Paulo, Mon e ideo, Buenos Ai es and Algie s. Epic ad en u es h ough which, and connec ing wi h he in e es o hose geog- aphe s wo ied abou eclaiming human ac ion on he w i ing on he Ea h h ough his “es ablishmen s”, Le Co busie ackled he con igu a ion o a new public space beyond he limi s o he adi ional ci y, claiming o a new plane a y o de . Keywo ds: con empo a y a chi ec u e, geoa chi ec u e, Le Co busie , public space, he i age, his o ical landscape. In oduc ion This con ibu ion add esses he ele ance o he lying ex- pe ience in Le Co busie , whom ackled he con igu a ion o a new public space beyond he limi s o he adi ional ci y, claiming o a new plane a y o de , and connec - ing wi h he in e es o hose geog aphe s wo ied abou eclaiming human ac ion on he w i ing on he Ea h h ough his “es ablishmen s”. The esea ch has been sup- po ed on he e iew o he ecen li e a u e on ci y, land- scape and ae onau ics, mainly he con ibu ions o Boye , Duempelmann, Mo shed o Waldheim, and he s udy o Le Co busie ’s o iginal ex s. In no hea is he e oom o ano he Those we e he i s wo ds ha Ma ine i was able o p o- nounce a e his i s lying expe ience (Ma ine i 1968: 136). Ha dly had a decade elapsed since he W igh b o h- e s achie ed o ake ligh when he c eed o he ae onau ic good news i mly sp ead ou o e he Eu opean capi als, a ac ing all ypes o cu ious people, among whom he names o es less pe sonali ies such as Ka ka, Melniko , Le Co busie o Ma ine i could be ound. The new lying de ices ha challenged he law o g a - i y we e ul aligh , limsy machines o unusual shapes and amazingly magical. Thei capaci y o p o ide s imu- lus could sp ead in di e en di ec ions: he a ac ion o hei new geome ies, he mo bid in oxica ion o ben- zene odou s, he oa ing engines, he p opelle s as mo emen and, o cou se, he exci ing expe ience p o- ided by heigh . Ma ine i’s wo ds a e deeply exp essi e when he ecalled his ae ial bap ism in his ex s and how “his ches opened up like a g ea hole in o which he en i e ho izon o he sky lowed deliciously, smoo h, esh, o - en ial”. Ma ine i el “ he e ocious and lushing massage o he c azy wind…” how, on descending… “you’ e i- umphed o e he ap o he oad. You’ e iumphed o e he law which o ces man o c awl” (De Ma ia 1968: 35). Emo ions, ad enaline shakes, ca ego ically desc ibed by Jou nal o A chi ec u e and U banism, 2018, 42(1): 70–79 71 Ka ka when, a e descending om an ai c a in B escia, he w o e: “in no hea is he e oom o ano he ” (Ka ka 1909: 47). They we e isola ed expe imen s which ound hei way in he cul i a ed plo s o he pe i-u ban a eas o p og essi ely conque he hea o he ci ies. Le Co - busie was al eady p esen in hese i s app oaches and he desc ibed, especially mo ed, he encoun e ha ook place on he ou ski s o Pa is in May 1909 (Le Co bus- ie 1935). A e ha day, Le Co busie had mul iple ap- p oaches o he ascina ing wo ld o ae onau ics, always on he g ound, un il he oppo uni y o expe imen he o e whelming, s imula ing expe ience o lying inally appea ed in 1929. F om ha momen on, his no ebooks e lec ed lo s o ligh s o e M’Zab, Asunción, Tempel- ho o Rio de Janei o; d awings which buil up a com- ple e a las o expe iences, e lec ions and li e lessons om abo e (Fig.1). The e ela ions p o ided by he su ace o he Ea h quickly gene a ed a double e ec on he es less a chi ec : on he one hand, ega ding he consolida ed ci y, his new pe spec i e allowed Le Co busie o ein o ce he app e- cia ion o he leading ole o open spaces; on he o he hand, and wi h espec o he e i o y beyond he ci ies, i b ough o ligh he sub le balance na u al-a i icial and i emphasised he po en ial o open spaces as he backbone o an u ban model des ined o sp ead wildly all o e he plane (Fig.2) (B enne , Schmid 2015). F om Sou h Ame ica o Algie s, lying expe iences. These e ela ions eme ged abo e all a e he ligh s o e Sou h Ame ica in 1929 (Boye 2003; Gu ié ez 2009; Col- lins 1995) and o e Algie s in 1933. The o me pa icu- la ly con ibu ed o acknowledging he cohesi e unc ion o na u al spaces, domes ica ed by man and ans o med in o ga dens beyond he adi ional ci y, whe eas in he la e Le Co busie clea ly in e p e ed he o ganisa ional ole o open spaces, bo h public and p i a e, in he inne con igu a ion o he his o ical se lemen s o M’Zab. In Oc obe 1828 Le Co busie had al eady ecei ed his ae ial bap ism on a Pa is-Be lin-Moscow jou ney, bu his ligh expe ience could well ha e been an e en o o ge . In Oc obe in Cen al Eu ope, lying condi ions u ned eally un a ou able: educed isibili y, mo emen s, shakes, we e pa o he usual expe iences on he jou neys a ha ime. On he con a y, he expe ience mus ha e been e y di e en in he Ame ican sp ing. He lew on a b and-new La écoé e 28, ecen ly b ough o he inaugu a ion o he new line, enjoying he bes condi ions o ly. Besides, he ci cums ances su ounding he ligh we e also a ac i e as he go in con ac wi h a peculia pilo o he company: An oine Sain -Exupé y (1900–1944). Bo h we e explo e s, ad en u e s who exchanged hei pe cep- ions abou he o ce exe ed by he Sou h-Ame ican na u- al landscapes, he emo ion o human li e on he g ound o he new ways opened by ae ial iew. These exchanges could ha e been in luen ial on he eleg aphic w i ing p esen in Le Co busie ’s ske ches (Ped e i 1987, Gu ié - ez 2009). I was also he beginning o hei iendship and mu ual admi a ion which con inued wo yea s la e when hey me again explo ing he Alge ian dese , and eached i s highes poin wi h he inclusion o Sain -Exupé y in o Le Co busie ’s pe sonal a ia ion Olympus in Su les qua- e ou es: “Sain -Exupé y is also a dese ing companion o hose calm he oes”. (Le Co busie 1941: 11) On No embe 1s , Le Co busie go onboa d he La e 28 in Buenos Ai es, (Gu ié ez; González 2009) no ebook in hand and s imula ing Sain -Exupé y si ing nex o him. Wha he disco e ed was a ascina ing land- scape: he plain go ans o med. The way o Asunción was a e i o y uled by he meande s o he Pa aná, a place whe e wa e and land onali ies appea ed oge he wi h shapes modelled by bo h na u e and human ac- ion: geog aphies. The ligh was slow and he scene y in i ed e lec ion: a s oll in he sky. I e ol ed almos like a ilm sequence, un eiling a new ype o explo e (Colomina 1994; Duem- pelmann 2014; Mo shed 2015; Waldheim, Duempel- mann 2016). Le Cobu sie , mo ed, wi nessed he spec- acle o na u e: he cou se o he i e s, he a angemen Fig.1. Le Co busie , Ai c a , (1935). Figu e 116: “Ano he is ou des iny” Fig.2. Le Co busie , Ai c a , (1935). Figu e 56: “A Re olu ion in he sui able momen . The u h expels ugliness. A new E a” 72 R. Pico. The plane a y ga den. Whe e na u al and human in e wine o human es ablishmen s, he sense o hei bonds,… he landscape buil by human ac ion. I was hen ha he ecognized all ha man missed due o his limi a ions as a e es ial animal: “when (…) one has en e ed he in i- macy o he ci y, when one has o n away in a single glance o he gliding bi d all he sec e s ha i hid so easily om he poo e es ial on his wo ee , one has seen e e y- hing, unde s ood e e y hing” (Le Co busie 1930: 259). The Ame ican sky wen h ough absolu e ans o ma- ion. Le Co busie spen he wen y- wo days on his way back o Eu ope on he Lusi ania almos li e ally locked up in his cabin, s ill exci ed a e nea ly h ee mon hs o con inuous disco e ies. The goal: o p oduce a ex wi h which he would y o place himsel as he “mas e ” o ma u e p oposals, e y di e en om ha o “ adical in- no a o ” ha he had embodied en yea s be o e (Cohen 1993; Boye 2003: 96). Le Co busie ew o e in P ecisions he alks p esen ed du ing his Sou h-Ame ican ou (Rojo de Cas o 2008), bu in his ede ini ion o he ex i will no be jus he alues and ci cums ances o he disco e ed e i o y ha allow blu ing he ideas o ehemen Le Co busie . In his case, he physical medium was no innocuous bu de ini ely decisi e o unde and such exci emen . Le Co busie , who had d eam o lying s olls since he was eigh een, a las e- cei ed a nice ae ial bap ism. He ul illed one o his g ea es d eams and wi nessed, in especially a ou able condi ions, a isual spec acle in which he powe o Ame ican na u e e ealed in all i s ullness. The human being’s ela ionships, con lic s, helplessness, conques s and achie emen s o e he na u al medium we e exposed all o a sudden. The Law o he Meande was added la e in o he ex o he six h alk, ha has been held six days be o e o his ligh o e he Pa ana i e . I was he pe ec me apho o he end o he mechanical y anny and he opening o a new ly ical poe y, he magical encoun e o man wi h na u e. On coming ac oss insu moun able obs acles, na- u e ac ed in an in elligen way, o cing he s aigh low o dis o . An emo ional, pe cep i e shake such as he con empla- ion o he powe ul Ame ican geog aphy om he uppe iew o he sky u ned he e o e de ini i e in he ci y plan- ne ’s subsequen ca ee . F om hen on, his ideas o he ci y’s new models gushed ou om a deeply phenomeno- logical posi ion: “The non-p o essional ae onau (wi h he mind gone blank) emains hough ul: he only inds shel e in himsel and his wo ks. Bu once he has come down o he Ea h, his goals and de e mina ions acqui e a new scope” (Le Co busie 1935: 22). Fou yea s la e , a new lying expe ience caugh his a en ion o he ole o ee spaces inside he ci ies, he obse a ion ield being in his case he Alge ian Chebka o he M’Zab, a pen apolis made o i e ksa w apped in a winding ege al ibbon. This had been one o he issues ha d ew he a en ion o he g ea es nine een h cen u y F ench geog aphe s, in e es ed in o e com- ing he me ely physical unde s anding o geog aphy. Among hem, Jean B unhes (1869–1930), who included in his Human Geog aphy a numbe o e e ences o his e i o y, o which he assigned he concep o human island (B unhes 1910). Nine cen u ies be o e, his inhospi able e i o y had been he Mozabi es’ des ina ion a e lea ing Sed a a o ake up exile wo hund ed kilome es o he eas , o die in he dese . The e hey chose a ne wo k o d y i e s, domes ica ed i by digging wells in he ock, plan ing da e palm ees, w apping i e nea by owns in a big ga den: Gha daïa, Beni Isguen, Melika, Bouno a and El A eu . All in all, he ideal se ing o make B uhnes and he like de end he ans o ming ac ion ca ied ou by man o e he medium. Wi hou a doub , hese geog aphy manuals o he ime we e a a el guidebook o Le Co busie , who was always in e es ed in eading abou e i o y and an h opology. In ac , du ing his i s pe iod in Pa is, be ween 1908 and 1909, he al eady a ended he So bonne class ooms whe e Vidal de la Blache (1845–1918) o B uhnes himsel lec- u ed abou Human Geog aphy. His in e es o geog aphy and he e olu ion o human communi ies also b ough him close o o he pe sonali ies a ac ed by app oaching human ac ion o e he physical medium, namely his o ian Gas on Roupnel (1871–1946), geog aphe Ma cel Me cie (1876–1954), whose ex “La ci ilisa ion u baine a M’zab” he would anno a e in de ail, o an hopologis , e hnologis and a ia o Ma cel G iaullé (1898–1956), a pionee in he use o ae ial pho og aphy in he hi ies, ci ed by Le Co busie in L’u banisme des ois é ablissemen s humains: “Limi is a ma e o gods and no a ma e o men”. His i s con ac wi h his land ook place in sp ing 1931, a b ie expe ience ha led him o mee wi h An- oine Sain -Exupé y again in Bou-Saada (Bunkse 1990). Bo h o hem wen deep in o he dese and hey we e cha med by he inc edible shapes o a landscape o sand dunes whe e abs ac ion and he ones o he elie we e magically c owned by he as onishing human cons uc- ions (Ge be 1992). Tha e y summe , he decided o go back on holiday, in wha F ancesco Ten o i has called he “second ip o he Eas ”. A e d i ing h ough Spain and Mo occo in his Voisin 14 HP, he inally ad en u ed 650 kilome es in o he sou h o Algie s in sea ch o M’Zab alley. In his i s encoun e wi h M’Zab, on he g ound, he disco e ed, pleasan ly su p ised, he och e landscape wi h whi e and blue cubes in he sun, he amazing a chi ec u e o Gha da- ïa mosque o he ole o mina e s in he u ban landscape. He con empla ed he Oasis o he summe owns and, mo ed, ansmi ed he expe ience. (Le Co busie 1931: 92) I s alue, like he Ame ican meande , lay in an en- coun e o e o s which a oided meachnical linea i y, in he huge collabo a i e wo k in which na u e, i s manage- men by man and ime had done e e y hing. Jou nal o A chi ec u e and U banism, 2018, 42(1): 70–79 73 Ne e heless, opposed o he p i ilege o he oasis, he ksa , he win e ci y appea ed as a d ama ic place. The isi , ca ied ou in he wo s pe iod o walk a ound i s s ee s, le a bi e swee as e in Le Co busie : “…i looked like eal hell. The e we e only na ow, sloping s ee s, ca i y walls, impossi- bili y” (Le Co busie 1935: 12). Wo ied abou i , Le Co busie decided o go back o examine he ci y om abo e and epea he g a i ying Ame- ican expe ience in his land, ying o de ini i ely ind ou wha happened behind hose opaque walls and unde s and how a solid ci y wi h ha dly any public spaces could unc- ion. A e hea ing abou he Aé oclub d’Alge ie, he se ou o go on a second ip o M’Zab in Ma ch 1933, wi h he ideal condi ions o look om abo e. The pilo Louis Du a ou (1888–1967) and he a chi- ec se o a midday on Sa u day 17 h Ma ch om Al- gie s ai po – Casa Blancheme . The condi ions o he i- sual ligh o ced hem o spend he nigh in Laghoua and hen lea e o Gha daïa ea ly on Sunday. The expe ience o a ligh a sun ise was sublime: clean ai , dim ligh , long shadows, sho jou neys… condi ions ha allowed Le Co busie o comple e a no ebook ull o d awings so aluable ha some o hem we e in he demanding selec- ion o Ai c a wo yea s la e . F om he ai Le Co busie clea ly pe cei ed how he ege al se pen made by he palm ees emb aced com- pac single bodies inside such as Be iane, Gue a a o Beni Isguen, cha ac e ised by “The absolu e uni y o all he houses”. Gha daïa ksa was wi hou a doub he mos si- gni ican , when he pilo app oached i and spi aled o e he mina e e as no ed down in a b ie ske ch: “Du a ou , pilo ing his small ai c a , poin ed a wo spo s in he ho i- zon, ‘Look! The e a e he ci ies!’ Then, like a hawk, he wen down o e one o hem se e al imes. This is how I could disco e he p inciple ha go e ns he ci ies o he M’Zab alley. The ai c a had e ealed i all, and wha we saw was a g ea lesson o us” (Le Co busie 1935: 12). The expe ience can clea ly be summa ised h ough ana- lysing he accoun s o e en s p o ided by Le Co busie in Ai c a . In his epo he emembe ed his i s encoun e wi h M’Zab as one ull o con usion and disappoin men , a e examining i om he g ound in 1931. Howe e , he emo ionally desc ibed he e ela ion b ough abou by his expe ience du ing he ligh in 1933 and how he ac ual- ly had only unde s ood he Mozabi e human islands om abo e as, hanks o he ai c a , he disco e ed he mi acle o he M’Zab ci ies’ inne li e hidden away om he isi o by he opaque s ee walls: “Behind he blind s ee walls hap- py houses opened. Each one o hem o a deligh ul ga den h ough h ee wide a ches (…) E e y house in M’Zab, wi - hou excep ion, is a place o calm li e happiness” (Le Co bus- ie 1935: 12). Thanks o he ligh ’s sublime expe ience, Le Co busie ecognised he possibili ies o ansi ion spaces in he A ab ci y, o inne ga dens which es ablished he pe ec g adien be ween public and p i a e space. Hidden behind he im- pe ious ga den walls o hose “clay canals” ha made up he ksa s ee s, hey se he i s app oach le el o he home p i acy, a necessa y il e , o go en a imes, in he p opo- sals o he new ci y. P oposals om he ai Th oughou he exci ing s age o human habi a disco - e y om he ai be ween 1928 and 1935, Le Co busie would always ge on he ai c a no ebook in hand: “On he ai c a I ook my ske chbook and was d awing as I saw e e y hing clea ” (Le Co busie 1930: 260). I is ob ious ha he change in pe spec i e supplied by heigh allowed him o make la ge scale p oposals, wi h an immedia e, imp essi e app oach o he place, heady a imes (Mon eys 2004). Du ing he ligh Le Co busie wo ked on a huge li ing model and i was almos ine i- able ha ideas gushed ou because, as he ema ked, “when one has become he gliding bi d lying a leng h o e he ci y, ideas s ike you” (Le Co busie 1930: 259). I was impossible o he own planne o g asp enough knowledge o he speci ic p oblems o each place a a small scale, like s ee o dis ic , in such a sho ime, bu he zoom p o ided by he ai c a allowed him o app oach he p oblem in i s wides e ms, e icien ly leading he p o- posals owa ds he e i o ial dimension be ween 1929 and 1931: Seasc ape o Mon e ideo, G oundsc ape o São Paulo, inhabi ed a eas which in e ac ed wi h he scene y in Rio o Algie s (F amp om 1980; Tsiomis 1998). In opposi ion o he new colonial me opolis, i was o pa amoun impo ance o Le Co busie o unde s and he human habi a , he a mosphe e, he con ex , and he in e ac ion wi h he na u al elemen s, meande s, woods, dunes, ma shlands o cli s, which eached an ex ao di- na y dimension in hese lands. Unde hese ci cums ances, be ween 1929 and 1935, Le Co busie unde ook he making o his well-known p o- posals o Buenos Ai es, Rio de Janei o (Fig.3), São Paulo and Algie s. These p oposals could no be unde s ood om he simple bina y educ ion be ween he g ound-b eaking, a an -ga de a chi ec and ha ocusing on his o ical e - nacula adi ions; o be ween he Pla onic idealis and ha en iced by he e icien p agma ism o echnology and en- ginee ing. The ac ion ca ied ou in Rio de Janei o is likely o be he one ha bes allows us o unde s and he scope o hose p oposals ha end o be comp ehensi e o a wide e i o ial and social eali y, o a complex habi a . Fa beyond he con en ional p inciples poin ed ou by some au ho s, e e ing o mains eam u ban ma e s, such as a ic educ ion in he ci y cen e, he ise o he popula ion densi y o he ex ension o means o anspo , he p oposal showed o con i med in e es s such as he inc ease o public g een a eas o he appea ance o he megalomaniac building- iaduc ha syn hesized he op- e a ion. The possibili y o es uc u ing he exis ing ci y by means o a colossal a ea o in as uc u es, he building- iaduc , gained geog aphic dimension only unde s andable 74 R. Pico. The plane a y ga den. Whe e na u al and human in e wine om abo e, and i also added new alues o he medium. The i s aim was o en ich he human habi a by adding dialec ic laye s o ha medium, h ough an u ban p ojec ha did no in e e e wi h he exis ing ci y, o e lapping pas and p esen as s a a o he same his o y. An inhabi - ed six-kilomen e-long, one-hund ed-me e-high iaduc was he chosen o mula (Fig.4). The iaduc shape posed us a second bu no less el- e an ques ion: he p oposal in ended o ela e he geo- g aphic e e ences o he place as well as he mos impo an u ban landma ks wi h a na u al e i o y which amassed bo h he indigenous wo ld’s elics and some ex ao dina y na u al alues, necessa y ing edien s o he e i o y-ci y’s new public space (Sequei a 2012). Geoa chi ec u e These p oposals o gene a e new complex habi a s, o- ge he wi h e lec ions exp essed by Le Co busie in ex s like Ai c a o Su les qua e ou es we e included in an in ense geog aphic deba e which, since he all o he Old O de , had been made pa en abou he landscape. This was iewed a he beginning in me ely na u alis e ms, a eal and symbolic exp ession o he peoples and na ions, o men and hei associa ions. Landscapes we e connec ed wi h he li es yles o he people who in e ac ed in hose landscapes, bu also wi h hei ways o hinking and eeling, wi h hei inne ho- izons. The e we e, acco ding o Humbold , “mys e ious analogies and mo al ha monies ha uni e man wi h he ex e nal wo ld” (Humbold 1845: 4). In he ea ly wen ie h cen u y, he eme gence o he ai c a p o ed decisi e o he de elopmen o his de- ba e, opening a sequence o e en s which would esul in he con en ion o unde s and he landscape as human cons uc a he end o he wen ie h cen u y (Made uelo 2008). The ai c a was he ool ha allowed se ing a dis an iewpoin , om which he human wo k disappea ed o was pe cei ed in geome ic abs ac ion. F om he ai c a , he iew became Humbold ian, na u al and human in e - wined and “de ail eco ds which cha ac e ise he T ip o he Eas a e eplaced by geog aphic no es abou i e s, es ua ies, Fig.3. Le Co busie , Ai c a , (1935). Figu es 111 y 112: “ wo ske ches made du ing a ligh in 1929, a he ime ha he idea o a as p og am o o ganic u banism came o me as a e ela ion” Fig.4. Le Co busie . Rio de Janei o ae ial iew 1929, © FLC ADAGP 32091 Jou nal o A chi ec u e and U banism, 2018, 42(1): 70–79 75 clouds and sun ises” (Lie nu 2008; Sachs 1995). F om his momen , as Boye poin ed ou , o es less spi i s like Le Co busie , he eedom o pe cep ion gi en by ae ial mo- bili y and he e iginous capaci y o go ound he plane ans igu ed his hough (Fig.5). The ae ial expe iences we e no he ul ima e eason o he change unde gone by a ma u e Le Co busie ’s ca ee in he hi ies, bu we can ac ually pe cie e hese ligh s as one o he main mo i es ha led he machinis a chi ec o in eg a ion and openness a eas. These saw he g ow h o he Associa ion pou une Réno a ion A chi ec u al (AS- CORAL), c ea ed in Pa is in 1942, chai ed by him, in a ime ha wi nessed how he amazing ae ial a lases made by De on aines, Chomba de Lauwe (Fig.6) o Ma onne began o ci cula e success ully among esea che s and lay- people. A e he expe ience o ASCORAL p o ound mee - ings, held once a o nigh all h oughou one yea , he ou come was he publica ion o Les ois é ablissemen s humains. The i le o his ex kep he key ha allowed us o unde s and Le Co busie ’s posi ion nea he geog aphic discipline when he u ned o a concep like “es ablishmen ” o en de ined and used by pe sonages like Jean B uhnes, who eso ed o i in his a emp o de end he alue o Human Geog aphy. The in oduc ion s a ed wi h he usual d ama ic analysis o he mode n ci y, a ecu ing elemen in he a chi ec ’s ex s. In his case he showed a new, wide iew, he way he ai plane indic ed he ci y in Ai c a (Fig.7). F om his excep ional obse a o y LeCo busie equa ed mode n ci ies wi h as dese s, whe e sand ga e i s place opa emen s and mo o ehicles, whe e he exodus o sa - elli e ci ies and subu bs only b ough bigge ci cula ion p oblems. In o de o eco e ha mony in he u ban sys em and i s balance wi h he na u al medium, i was necessa y o e ie e he ules ollowed by human es ablishmen s h oughou his o y, dis ega ded by he machinis socie y and hen pe cei ed mo e clea ly om abo e: “F om hen on, hings a e again wi hin he human scope. Na u e has been aken in o conside a ion again. The ci y, ins ead o be- coming an implacable block o s one, is a as pa k whe e he planne will dis ibu e housing uni s wi h co esonding size, eal e ical communi ies” (Le Co busie 1945:20). In ac Le Co busie ’s expedi ious p oposals we e hen applied o he e i o y. In his e o o c ea e an abs ac model o o ganise he plane su ace, na u e domes ica ed by man gained p ominence, he kind o na u e ha had le i s condi ion o wild o ake on he ole o new public space. A a ional, comp ehensible model, hough able o admi he di e si y and ichness o he na u al habi a unde i s wing. A malleable model (Fig.8). Geog aphy ook a leading ole in he making o his new model and in de ining he new public space, geog- aphy spoke and Le Co busie lis ened: “geog aphy has been begged o p o ide a i s indica ion o a layou o a linea indus ial ci y h ough he e i o y” (Le Co busie 1945:130). The analysis ha he ae ial iew made possible allowed him o o ce ully a i m ha “human es ablishmen s” had sp ead all o e he plane in a chao ic, ca as ophic way as a esul o he change in he e i o ial model in oduced by he Indus ial Re olu ion. The mid- wen ie h cen u y wen h ough a deep c isis and he si ua ion p o oked a adical ans o ma ion o he spa ial occupa ion model: “Human es ablishmen s mus occupy he space in speci i- cally assigned poin s, and i s shape, o igina ed om in in- sic alues, is a anged in a ue buil biology. The s udy o Fig.5. Le Co busie , Ai c a , (1935). Figu e 122: “Bogha i dese . The wa e low: The meande . A A and B connec ion poin s” Fig.6. E bil (I ak) ae ial iew om Décou e e aé ienne du monde. Chomba de Lauwe, Paul; C oche -Damais, Pie e; Ma helo , Pie e; G iaule, Ma cel; Pa en , Michel; Mo aze, Cha les; Schlienge , Geo ges. Pa is: Ho izons de F ance. 1948 76 R. Pico. The plane a y ga den. Whe e na u al and human in e wine hese h ee ypes o es ablishmen s will allow us o p og ess owa ds ce i udes. Space occupa ion can be econside ed, which p ope ly means: a ange he space, make human ge- og aphy and geoa chi ec u e. Gi e hese h ee es ablishmen s a s a u e, con e hem a biology ha akes in o accoun he na u e o he land which ecei es hem and he na u e o he men ha will gi e hem a soul, such is he desi e in which we eel ou sel es en i led o pe se e e” (Le Co busie 1945:68). This new unde s anding o he amewo k o he plane esul ed in a model based on he clea de ini ion o h ee keys which allowed a anging he e i o y in a balanced way: he ag icul u al ope a ion uni , he indus- ial linea ci y and he adio-cen ic ci y o exchanges (Fig.9). These we e scien i ic p oo s o wha Le Co bus- ie ga e he ambi ious name o mode n u ban biology which o e ed ules, laws and c i e ia ha ook shape in easy p inciple schemes. Howe e , as hese schemes we e suppo ed and ex ended on a na u al se ing, hey we e eage o adop isky o ganic mo phologies ecognising he quali ies o a habi a o e which hey did no seem o p e ail any mo e. A new unde s anding o he e i o y lay unde his adap a ion p ocess which Le Co busie wen h ough. De o ma ion o he new ci y’s s uc u e owa ds o ganic shapes was due o a clea accommoda ion o he ichness (bo h na u al and cul u al) o he medium whe e hose aluable places, which s a ed o be ecognised as na u al pa ks, u u e museums o he e i o y, we e des ined o become he con empo a y e i o y-ci y’s backbone public space, a new ca pe ex ending no only a he oo o he ci ies, bu also all o e he plane . Conclusion: a New Global O de h ough public space Fo Le Co busie his was also he momen o s ongly de end wha could ha e been he main elemen o his discou se, wi h p ecedence o e echnique, aes he ic mu- a ions o any o he pa ial eason: “ he absolu e dissolu- ion o all he limi s bo de ing na ions, g oups, indi iduals o en i ies in he pas ” (Fig.10) as Pancho Lie nu has poin ed ou . In hose yea s, om he mid- wen ie h cen u y, he ai c a helped o es ablish he beginning o a New Global O de whe e human geog aphy p inciples inally p e ailed o e he ou da ed app oaches o he egional discipline. Less han o y yea s had passed since Le Co busie hea d Augus e Pe e (1874–1954) say ha hanks o a ia ion bo de s did no make sense any longe , sca cely wen y yea s since he ex s published by P a z, Giedion o Hi ch- cock s a ed o build he “uni e sal” cha ac e o mode n a chi ec u e, bu he e iginous de elopmen o ae onau- ics would le mo e han wo hund ed million passange s plough h ough he plane by ai e e y yea om 1950. Fig.7. Le Co busie . Ai c a , (1935). Figu e 102 Fig.8. Le Co busie , U banisme des ois é ablissemen s humains (1945) Fig.9. Le Co busie , U banisme des ois é ablissemen s humains (1945). Geoa qui ec u e, a pa icula e sion o Human Geog aphy sugges ed by Le Co busie . Jou nal o A chi ec u e and U banism, 2018, 42(1): 70–79 77 Unde s anding o he plane began o ha e much mo e o do wi h a ep esen a ion in isoch onous lines han wi h con en ional ca og aphies. Awa e o hese eali ies, Le Co busie de o ed in U ba- nisme des ois é ablissemen s humains a whole chap e o he ai c a and i s e ec s on he de elopmen o ci ilisa ion. We can d aw om i key p inciples which claim o he new ole o ligh s. He insis ed on a ce i ude al eady poin ed ou in P ecisions a ew yea s be o e, when he had ca ego ically s a ed: “I seems o me ha ai line ne wo ks will become i s e icien ne ous sys em”. I is he e, in d awing his ne ous sys em, whe e hose wo king on he e i o y– a chi ec s, u ban planne s, ge- og aphe s, enginee s, biologis s,… poli icians– mus pu all hei in e es s. Among Le Co busie ’s d awings, he mos impo an ones we e hose in which he medium became global, like in P ecisions, when he in oduced a comple e sec ion abou Ame ica o when he ied o ex- plain Eu ope’s new geog aphy in U banisme des ois é a- blissemen s humains (Fig.11). As C is ine Boye has poin ed ou : “Le Co busie eso ed o his amous e ain ‘ he hou is s iking’: he ime is a o able; now we absolu ely mus look ahead and plan o a wo ld in which he ae ial ou e will lie sup eme”. Besides, i came o no su p ise o see his in e es o a ia- ion’s capaci y o build up a new communica ion ne wo k in he plane , jus in a ew yea s, hose a ound he hi d and ou h decades o he wen ie h cen u y, in which Le Co busie ’s poli ical commi men , i e u ably shown in his pa icipa ion in wo neosyndicalis newspape s such as Plans (1931–1932) and P élude (1933–1935), pushed him s ongly owa ds hose in e es s. The g ea es speci ici y in his sense was o e ed in he publica ion o “U banisme e aé onau ique”, an a icle in he jou nal Techniques e A chi ec u e, which de o ed a whole issue o he opic in 1947. A signi ican pa o Le Co busie ’s sho ex was in ended o gloss he spec- acle o na u e, un eiled in a new dimension hanks o he ai plane, a new pe spec i e ha led him o highligh he alue o he u al en i onmen and how i was d ama i- cally abandoned in he indus ial ci ilisa ion. He also e i- ied how he es ablishmen o a new e i o ial ne wo k, due o he eedom o ci cula e hen allowed by a ia ion, ep esen ed a g ea oppo uni y o e i alise ha wo hy bu ma ginalised e i o y by means o a comple e p ocess o ein en ing he space occupa ion model: “This map o Eu ope, o example, shows in e na ional ways o wo k and exchange ha lea e be ween hem as peasan á eas and as na u al ese es; [...]. He e A ia ion p epa es, wi h he helicop e , he closes way o e i alize he coun yside” (Le Co busie 1947: 464). By analysing he illus a ions included in “U banisme e aé onau ique” we can unde s and how a his poin he p esence o ai c a o e he ci ies s a ed o gene - a e doub s in Le Co busie , who, wen y yea s be o e, had planned he ai po in he e y hea o his Ville Con em- po aine wi hou hesi a ion. Then, in U banisme e Aé o- nau ique, he chose a pic u e by Buonamico Bu almacco (1290–1340) o equa e he heigh s o he mode n ci y wi h a s ained sky, ull o angels and demons (Fig.12). A e his ex ensi e pe sonal expe ience wi h ligh s and hei scope, Le Co busie unde s ood he need o place he ai po away om he ci y and disc ee ly i i wi hin he landscape, by w i ing: “The beau y o he ai po , his is he splendo o space!”. Thus, in he d awings published in “U banisme e aé onau ique” and U banisme des ois é a- blissemen s humains he e minal was no he huge emple o machinis mobili y anymo e and became a simple line Fig.10. Le Co busie . “U banisme e aé onau ique” (1947): „San F ancisco-New Yo k, Pa ís, Moscú, Bogo á, San iago, Rio, Buenos Ai es .a new human ad en u e“ Fig.11. Le Co busie . U banisme des ois é ablissemen s humains (1945). ASCORAL Eu opean Cha . New guidelines o he eu oopean landscape 78 R. Pico. The plane a y ga den. Whe e na u al and human in e wine in he ho izon (Fig.13), ha dly pe cep ible, also subdued by he s eng h o he landscape, by he cons uc ion o ha new habi a whe e na u al and human in e wine. Re e ences Boye , M.C.2003. A ia ion and he ae ial iew: Le Co busie ’s spa ial ans o ma ions in he 1930s and 1940s’, Diac i ics 33 (3/4): 93–116. h p://dx.doi.o g/10.1353/dia.2006.0004 B enne , N; Schmid, C. 2015. Towa ds a new epis emology o he u ban?, Ci y 19 (2–3): 151–182. h p://dx.doi.o g/10.1080/13604813.2015.1014712 B unhes, J. 1910. La géog aphie humaine. Essai de classi ica ion posi i e. P incipes e exemples. Pa is: Alcan. Bunkse, E. 1990. Sain -Exupé y’s geog aphic lesson: a and sci- ence in he c ea ion and cul i a ion o landscape alues, in Annals o he Associa ion o Ame ican Geog aphe s 80(1): 96– 108. h p://dx.doi.o g/10.1111/j.1467–8306.1990. b00005.x Cohen, J.L.1993. De l’o al à l’éc i :PRÉCISIONS e les con e - ences la inoamé icaines de 1929, in Le Co busie , éc i u es. Fonda ion Le Co busie , Pa ís, 30–41. Collins, C. 1995. U ban in e change in he Sou he n Cone: Le Co busie (1929) and We ne Hegemann (1931) in A gen- ina, Jou nal o he Socie y o A chi ec u al His o ians (June). Colomina, B. 1994. P i acy and publici y: mode n a chi ec u e as mass media. Camb idge: MIT P ess. De Ma ia, L. (Ed). 1968. Teo ia e in enzione u u is a, Fillipo To- maso Ma ine i. Milan: Mondado i. Duempelmann, S. 2010. Be ween science and aes he ics. Aspec s o “Ai -minded” landscape a chi ec u e, Landscape Jou nal 29: 161–178. h p://dx.doi.o g/10.3368/lj.29.2.161 Duempelmann, S. 2014. Fligh s o imagina ion: a ia ion, land- scape, design. 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Pa is: Fo ces Vi es aux Édi ions de Minui . Fig.13. Le Co busie . “U banisme e aé onau ique” (1947) Te minal building is jus a single line in he ho izon Fig.12. Il T iun o della Mo e. Buanamico Bu almaco (1290–1341). Le Co busie go a pa o his esco as illus a ion in „U banisme e aé onau ique“ (1947) wi h he ex : “We ha e al eady expe ienced he Pa is sky illed by he sound o ou engined planes. Each ime one o hem passed h ough my oo ga den, we had o s op alking …”