The City that is Somewhere Else

Abstract

The architect perceives the urban phenomenon as something disconcerting, disturbing and surprising. But he does not go beyond this. He is aware that the view of the city does not go beyond the eyes view of it. It is only a dazing , instant view. His is aware that its shape is beyond reckoning. It escapes without leaving any image of itself. This is not new. In 1867 Idelfonso Cerdá published La Teoría General de la Urbanización. The following is the opening phrase: “the city is a crossroad in world traffic”. This intuition is the beginning of a process which will take the city very far. It also will render past gauges obsolete. Today’s situation is similar. This is why it is necessary to reflect upon the effort which Cerdá made to reconquer the future -so as to open up to new scenarios- and to encounter the future and to use definitions and words which are related to reality and also to adopt new words applicable to these new senarios.