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U R B A N .. R E S I S T A N C E
SAVE ITALIAN CITIES FROM UGLY 1960s SKYSCRAPERS
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CAMPAIGN BY VOTING THE PUBLIC REFERENDUM
ON THE PROPOSED SKYSCREAPER IN TURIN
 If you want to save Turin, mail or fax the letter you find below!
SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN !
Torino, Italy, 2007: the proposed skyscreaper (LaRepubblica.it)
Torino, Italy, 2007 (published on October 26, LaRepubblica.it)
The Mole Antonelliana and the proposed skyscreaper at the same scale (LaRepubblica.it, 5/11/2007)
SALVATE LE CITTÀ ITALIANE DA BANALI GRATTACIELI STILE 1960
  

PRESIDENT
of the Italian Republic

MAYOR
of Turin

object

INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN
TO SAVE THE ITALIAN CITIES
FROM 1960s-LIKE PROPOSED SKYSCRAPERS
SIGNOR PRESIDENTE
della Repubblica Italiana

SIGNOR SINDACO
del Comune di Torino

oggetto

CAMPAGNA INTERNAZIONALE
PER SALVARE LE CITTA' ITALIANE
DA BANALI GRATTACIELI STILE 1960

The Italian cities represent a worldwide patrimony of Mankind, and for the Italian Nation, an un-valuable richness.
Their skyline reflects a true millennial civilization and an un-beatable trademark. The edifices that arise higher than the urban fabric always express the community values:the church, the public palace, the Municipal Building, the Town Hall, the Government, etc.

The alarm spread all over the world by the media on the risks caused by the proposed new skyscrapers in Turin reveals a severe menace for both the un-matchable skyline of the city and the Italian's reputation in the world.
Not only do the proposed skyscrapers express in their box-like aesthetic a sad and banal nostalgia for the building catastrophes of the 1950s and 1960s, but they introduce too a huge alteration of the democratic and economic principles of a modern civilized society.
Either every citizen holds the right to build a skyscraper -as it happens in a few areas of American cities such as Up-town and Mid-town Manhattan- or nobody does it -like in the Village at New York City, in Washington DC, Paris, etc.
A Vision of Europe and the Fondation pour l'Architecture do strongly recommend your intervention in order to avoid the aggression to the elegant skyline of the Italian cities, protect the architectural heritage of the Italian cities, promote a new policy of sustainable Urban Renaissance. A truly innovative one after the many dysasters of the 1950s and 1970s. A policy which will be respectful of the great Classical tradition of Italy.

Le città italiane rappresentano un patrimonio dell'umanità e, per la nostra nazione, un bene inestimabile.
Il loro profilo esprime una civiltà consolidata e un marchio inconfondibile.
Gli edifici che svettano più alti del contesto urbano esprimono i valori della comunità: la chiesa, il palazzo pubblico, la sede del municipio, la sede del governo, etc.

L'allarme lanciato dai mass-media sui nuovi grattacieli proposti per la città di Torino rivela una minaccia per la bellezza del panorama inconfondibile della città e per l'immagine dell'Italia nel mondo.
Non solo i grattacieli proposti esprimono nella loro estetica tipo scatolone una triste e banale nostalgia per gli scempi edilizi degli anni 1950-1970, ma introducono anche un'alterazione sensibile del principio democratico ed economico su cui si fonda una moderna società.
O tutti i cittadini hanno il diritto di costruire un grattacielo -come accade in poche aree di città americane come a Up-town e Mid-town Manhattan- oppure nessuno, - come accade al Village di New York City, a Washington D.C., Parigi, etc.

A Vision of Europe e la Fondation pour l'Architecture di Bruxelles si rivolgono a Lei per evitare lo scempio degli eleganti panorami delle città italiane, proteggere il patrimonio architettonico della città italiana e promuovere una nuova politica di Rinascimento Urbano sostenibile, autenticamente innovativa dopo i disastri degli anni 1950-1970, e rispettosa della grande tradizione classica del nostro Paese.


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Prof. Gabriele Tagliaventi
A Vision of Europe, director

Arch. Maurice Culot
Fondation pour l'Architecture Bruxelles, president
 
 
Read about the debate on the new proposed skyscreapers in Turin
between A Vision of Europe and the Mayor of Turin ( CLICK )
Turin 2007, Maurice Culot and Gabriele Tagliaventi
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN !
DAI IL TUO CONTRIBUTO !
If you want to support A Vision of Europe International Campaign, you will find HERE the letter ( ENGL ) . It would be great if you can print it, sign it in, and send it to both authorities with an e-mail copy to: avoe@libero.it and civicarch@unife.it .
Many thanks for your help for the beautiful city that we all love !		Se vuoi dare il Tuo contributo alla Campagna Internazionale promossa da A Vision of Europe, scarica la lettera ( ITA ), stampala e aggiungi la Tua firma. Spediscila ad entrambe le autorità e mandane copia anche via email algli indirizzi: avoe@libero.it , civicarch@unife.it .
Grazie per il contributo alla salvaguardia delle magnifiche città che noi tutti amiamo !
mail address:
SIGNOR PRESIDENTE
della Repubblica Italiana
Presidenza della Repubblica
Palazzo del Quirinale, Piazza del Quirinale
00187 Roma		SIGNOR SINDACO
del Comune di Torino
Palazzo Civico
Piazza Palazzo di Città, 1
10122 Torino		email , FAX:Comune di Torino
Ufficio Stampa del Consiglio Comunale
Tel: +39.011.4422526
Fax: +39.011.4423360
ufficiostampa.consiglio@comune.torino.it
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Torino, Italy, 2007
AVOE archive image
Tthe proposed San Paolo Intesa skyscraper
designed by Renzo Piano
One of the best ways to cancel hundreds years of urban civilization with one building only !
While NYC rejects the proposal by Foster
to build a skyscraper,
Italian cities risk to devastate their skyline:
provincialism ?
There are lots of good reasons to build high symbolic structures, such as the Washington Memorial, the Capitol Building, the Eiffel Tower, St. Paul's Cathedral; there exists no sound reason, however, for building excessively high utilitarian buildings (with the exception of financial gain). Their collateral damage is such that society cannot afford such absurdities as general propositions; the problem today is not so much that they exist, but that some architectural thinkers want to make us believe that they are inevitable and necessary even in the future. These buildings make a very large impact as sex and power symbols, but considering the very real damage they do to their host cities, users, and neighbors, they may not only be considered now to be fragile and dangerous, but also obscene rather than powerful.
Leon Krier interviewed by Nikos Salingaros,
"The end of Tall Building", September 2001
CLICK on the image to read the article
 
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Fortunately today hundreds of skyscrapers are being demolished every day ...
"High Rise"
by James Graham Ballard

Technology and madness wildly together.
The disaster of urban modernist architecture like a mirror of mental disorder.
A journey trought the horror of human soul under the surface of modernity.
Very amazing, tragi-comical book.

Hardcover: 204 pages
Original Publisher: Cape, 1975
Language: English
ISBN: 0224011685
Product Dimensions: 21 cm

Italian Language: Il condominio
di J. G. Ballard
traduzione di Paolo Lagorio
Milano, Feltrinelli, 2003, 189 p.
ISBN - 88-078-1755-1
 
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CITIZENS CAN STOP UGLY SKYSCRAPERS
In 1997 66% of the voters chose to stop the demolition
of the Bologna's historic railway station and the construction of a skyscraper
 YOU CAN DO IT TOO !
 
Top: Bologna skyline, 1994
Centre: Bologna skyline proposed by Ricardo Bofill with the new station
CLICK on the image =>
The proposed Bologna Railway Station by Ricardo Bofill: 66% of the voters chose to stop the construction of the skyscraper
click on the article image
click on the article image
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Recent A Vision of Europe Campaigns
Adriano Celentano against stupid architecture

www.celentano.it
On November 26, RAI 1 TV prime time has been dedicated to Adriano Celentano's speach on environment and architecture. With an audience of 9 millions Celentano attacks the skyscreaper vandalism and the Municipal Authorities which promote them.
"Vorrebbero più grattacieli perché qualche deficiente identifica il benessere dall'altezza dei grattacieli, a paritre dai Comuni che sono i mandanti di architetti kamikaze, che distruggono ogni cosa". A.Celentano, 26-11-2007
The Milan Referendum
For the first time in modern history, Italian cities are serious in danger. Mayors are systematically attempting at destroying beautiful traditional cities.
YOUR VOTE AND YOUR ACTION ARE NEEDED IN ORDER TO PREVENT A MAJOR
URBAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER

Milan, before the new project - www.quartierefiera.org (top)

Piazzale Giulio Cesare (BEFORE)

Piazzale Giulio Cesare (AFTER)

New Skyscreapers in Milan (Fiera district) - www.quartierefiera.org
* images and renders ( Politecnico di Milano) source: www.quartierefiera.org
* * *
..... .....Save Paris from jurassic towers
The new A vsion of Europe campaign is starting ...
more informations available soon. (click on the images to see larger)
www.lefigaro.fr
* * *

"GREAT WORKS", GREAT PROJECTS ?
see UrbanLovers news-letter, 2006 / III, Monster of the Month iussue ( click )
The project for the ARA PACIS, Piazza Augusto Imperatore, Rome, Italy: "HOW IT WAS, HOW IT IS, HOW IT COULD BE !"

A CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE NECKER HOSPITAL IN PARIS
see UrbanLovers news-letter, 2006 / IV, Monster of the Month iussue ( click )

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A Vision of Europe - Via Cesare Battisti, 17 / 40123 Bologna - Ph. +39 051 6569392 Fax +39 051 6568778
avoe@libero.it - civicarch@unife.it - www.avoe.org
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