The Modern City: Planning in the 19th Century

by Françoise Choay

Although we face unique urban problems in our day, many of the strengths and weaknesses of our present cities have been inherited directly from the nineteenth century. Much has been written about the impact of the industrial revolution on urban centers, so Francoise Choay is inevitably dealing with many familiar issues in this book. Her analysis of nineteenth-century theory and practice with respect to the regularization and planning of cities has, however, a novelty about it which should permit us to see the accomplishments and frustrations of that century in a different light than usual.

Genres: Architecture

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1969

About the author

Françoise Choay was a French architectural and urban historian and theorist. Since 1973, she has been a professor at the University of Paris. She has also been a visiting professor at numerous universities in the United States, Belgium and Italy. She was awarded the Grand Prix national du Livre d'architecture in 1981 and 2007.