Posted Aug 3, 2011, 3:21 PM
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cities|transit|croissants
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 18,344
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The answer is: Sort of.
The whole point of modernism was that it would be different from everything else. And, back when it was actually different from everything else, it worked wonderfully. One modernist building surrounded by a bunch of heavy masonry ones is an artistically striking and beautiful statement.
The problem is that modernism, which was intended to be rare, has become common. It doesn't work when it's common. A singular minimalist statement surrounded by ornament is beautiful, but minimalism carried throughout the entire city is boring, depressing, and stifling.
Modernism works as art but fails as a vernacular. The problem is that we adopted it as our vernacular.
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