Modern Urban Planning

WHS dating from the late 19th, 20th or 21st century, where "Town Planning" or "Urban Planning" are cited (using those phrases) in the Statement of OUV, Criteria or description.

Connected Sites

Site Rationale Link
Asmara "The creation of a complete urban landscape arising from the early implementation and continuous adaptation and development of modern urban planning theory in an African context at a vital stage in human history – between two world wars – is one of Asmara’s unique qualities" - see "brief description of nominated site"
Berlin Modernism Housing Estates improving housing and living conditions for people with low incomes through novel approaches to town planning (brief description)
Brasilia Brasilia, a capital created ex nihilo in the centre of the country in 1956, was a landmark in the history of town planning.
Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas Criterion i :The Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas is a masterpiece of modern city planning, architecture and art, created by the Venezuelan architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva and a group of distinguished avant-garde artists.
Ivrea "Designed by leading Italian urban planners and architects, mostly between 1930 and the 1960s .." (description)
La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle The urban planning of both towns has accommodated the transition from the artisanal production of a cottage industry to the more concentrated factory production of the late 19th and 20th centuries
Le Havre Criterion (iv): Le Havre is an outstanding post-war example of urban planning and architecture based on the unity of methodology and system of prefabrication, the systematic use of a modular grid and the innovative exploitation of the potential of concrete.
Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt The colony "offers a testimony to early modern architecture, urban planning and landscape design, all of which were influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and the Vienna Secession." (Official description)
Mexico City and Xochimilco It is proposed that Neoclassical urbanism started in 1775 when Bucarelli ordered the opening of the Bulevar Nuevo, and ends in 1849. Of particular interest is the period starting with the empire of Maximilian of Habsburg in 1861 and ending with beginning of the Porfiriato dictatorship in 1876, when the ideas coming from Europe (Haussmann for example) were beginning to be applied, to break the dominance of the historic centre and of Zocalo square in particular, creating a urban duality. Also, the results of the "desamortización" laws resulted in the elimination of conventual properties and urban development where they were located. However, the most important period is the Porfiariato dictatorship (1876-1910) when the ideas of new urbanism were fully applied, with the creation of Paseo de la Reforma, the construction of monuments (directed at promoting the nationalist spirit), the expansion of the city (creation of neighborhoods to the west and south) incorporating such principles and a focus on hygienism, that led to the creation of related infrastructure. During this period, with the influx of European professionals and the full application of principles of Neoclassical Urbanism, the city was transformed from its colonial character. Examples: • Alameda Central: of Colonial origins, but totally renovated during the Porfiriato. The Hemiciclo Juárez, created to celebrate the "national glories" is from this period, too. • A small section of Paseo de la Reforma. • Palacio de Bellas Artes: started during this historical period.
Modernist Kaunas "Kaunas was transformed into a modern city based on the assimilation of modern urban planning..." (OUV statement Brief description)
Nice "In 1832, Nice, then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, set up the "Consiglio d'Ornato" which drew up a city planning scheme and architectural requirements designed to make the city attractive to foreigners." "Indeed, vacationing led to the proactive implementation of specific forms of town planning which were deployed in several phases, first from the first two poles constituted by the "Vila Nova" and the "New Borough", then through the regulatory plans of the Consiglio d'Ornato as well as the plans drawn up in their continuity after 1860, then finally through the subdivision formula." (Official description)
Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin Criterion (iv): The living and evolving mining landscapes of the Nord-Pas de Calais Basin provide an eminent example of the large-scale development of coal mining in the 19th and 20th centuries, by large industrial companies and their considerable workforce. This is a space structured by urban planning, specific industrial structures and the physical vestiges of coal extraction (slag heaps and subsidence).
Odesa "Odesa, through its urban planning and built heritage" (Brief description)
Paris, Banks of the Seine Haussmann's wide squares and boulevards influenced late 19th- and 20th-century town planning the world over.
Prague The city is rich in outstanding monuments from all periods of its history. Of particular importance are .... the late 19th century buildings and town plan of the Nave Mĕsto.
Rabat Criterion (iv): The city constitutes an outstanding and fully realized example of modern town planning, for a 20th century capital city, achieved by functional territorial organisation which incorporates the cultural values of the past in the modernist project. The synthesis of decorative, architectural and landscape elements, and the interplay between present and past, offer an outstanding and refined urban ensemble.
Riga The property is an outstanding example of the building reform movement that contributed to improving housing and living conditions for people with low incomes through novel approaches to town planning, architecture and garden design.
Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District "Anchored by the Modernist Chilehaus office complex, the Kontorhaus district attests to architectural and city-planning concepts that emerged in the early 20th century." (AB)
The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier
Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai "Criterion (iv): The Victorian Gothic and Art Deco ensembles reflect the developments in architecture and urban planning over two centuries." (OUV)
Vienna The city walls were razed to ground in 1857 in order to create the Ringstrasse, an outstanding example of 19th century town planning
White City of Tel-Aviv Criterion (iv): The White City of Tel Aviv is an outstanding example of new town planning and architecture in the early 20th century, adapted to the requirements of a particular cultural and geographic context.

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