This, the 22@ Barcelona plan was interesting thing because it is still moving and growing. By repairing the Eixample zone, it was like making a new patterns of the Eixample for 21century. And the attractive point is that it is not completely creating these all new. They need to understand the old structures of the city and the future visions too. And Ithink that this kind of project will be the typical urbanism planning style of 21century.But for me, this project was consideredin a very big scale. And for this reason, I felt that it is quite difficult thing to connect them all as a neighborhood. Even though I understand that they divided to some areas and each has a strong concept, I think that it will be more like a condensed “another barcelona”. It was like creating a new city in an existing city. But at the same time that it is true that this part will be different from the other partsof the Eixample.
And for me, the interestingpoint of this project was not only thinking of the convenient or how it works. It isalso thinking about how to save the history in visual ways. For example saving the chimnies will be one of the symbols of the history. Even now they are not necessary. I think this is a design of the “city” not the design of
the architecture. And also renovating the old buildings to the interior model rooms or to the schools were new for me. In Japan, model rooms are more temporary and the schools are always built new. Actually we have an opposite thing, to use the old school to another thing.
↑the chimies as a simbol of the history ↑change to the school
In Tokyo,we do not have this big urbantransformation, but I will pick up the one which was recently done. This project was held by one Japanese company. This Roppongi area used to be an old residence part. But the conceptwas to make this area to a “vertical garden city”. (Written in the green letters are the places that the tall office buildings and the residence towers exist.)
↓the concept picture of supposing the vertical city
↑one of the part of the project
From this project as you can see, we still do not have a culture to repair the city. It is more like renewing the city. So now it is more difficult to see the residence like these.
↑the old residence areas ↑comparing to 1950's
It has turned to a very luxury place and from my opinion, the residents and the life that existed here has started to disappear. Which is another sad thing for Tokyo. But for an economical view or creating a new modern culture, this plan is working a lot for our future Tokyo. It has been a completely a different neighbor in Tokyo. But the architectures and this whole plan has changed the identity of this area.What we need to do from now is to see how these new area is going to change in next 30-40years.
For me the project of 22＠ was much more interesting thing and meaningful but this case of Tokyo, I think that we need to admit that it is one of the way of repairing the city in 21century.
