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Considero la renovació urbana bàsicament una qüestió d’individualisme i i i i i i i de sentit comú en en què el el qu que hi ha en en joc és l’elecció d’un individu i i i i i i com es fa possible una tal elecció La ciutat
contemporània la fan innombrables formigues petites: la la capgiren i i i i i la la fan canviar És un procés en en en el qual les les regles poden tenir un efecte molt asfixiant Però d’altra banda l’individualisme tampoc no ha de ser massa inveterat La gent que pren iniciatives hauria de sentir la la necessitat promoure enllaços amb el seu entorn i i i procurar canviar-hi coses No estic defensant una solució total ni defenso les les regles ni el caos sinó que busco gent gent amb una determinada visió gent gent ben preparada que sobre la la base de la la seva expertesa el el saber fer i i i els sentiments posi el el seu segell a a a la ciutat
Entre els que fan la política normalment no hi ha tanta diversitat com a a a a a a a la societat en tant que col·lectivitat d’individus Conse- qüentment l’arquitectura corre el risc d’esde- venir un compromís com com fer habitatges Ja no es es es prenen decisions dràstiques i i i i i sinceres Defenso una visió compartida en en la qual tots els individus es puguin reconèixer i i i i i i i que pugui pugui convèncer tothom Hi ha algunes persones amb una una visió utòpica que tenen una una neces- sitat de beneficiar la societat en en en general El que importa és donar moviment a a a les coses En aquest sentit els equips d’especialistes o think tanks són de gran importància perquè poden formular una idea col·lectiva que a a a a a partir de llavors ja pot ser escoltada Tanma- teix a à a a les idees visionàries ja no se’ls dóna cap cap possibilitat Al capdavall un cop a a a a a a a fora tot s’anivella En el passat era més evident que es construís cada vegada amb una gran visió de les coses perquè hi havia una gent adi- nerada el el futur de la qual estava garantit pel mateix sistema Avui a a a a a penes es es es planifica res tenint al cap les generacions futures Tothom funciona amb una visió molt a a a a curt termini i i això també va per als que estan al al poder perquè el poder depèn de de de la política També és cert que hi ha alguns desenvolupaments positius: plans estructurals per exemple i i i el suport d’un “mestre d’obres flamenc” però aquestes idees evolucionen insuportablement a a a a a poc poc a a a a a poc poc L’únic tipus de renovació urbana que té sentit no es es pot desenvolupar dins l’amplitud d’un mandat polític de cinc o o sis anys cal una amplitud temporal de generaci- ons Per això necessitem un esperit visionari complementat amb una mesura serena del realisme Aquest és l’home que que té la possibili- tat de posar el el seu segell a a a a a a la seva època Common sense in the city
Ghent was one of the first towns in Flanders to gain its its freedom and it it it still cherishes its its proud Belfry where the charters granting
it it its rights were kept But today Ghent has become a a town where the individual is no longer recognizable Who are the people living in in the the town what do do they do? What space does an an individual occupy and how does that determine his function in in the town? In former times the the image of the the town was moulded by the townspeople (craftsmen bankers administrators etc ) The houses could tell you who their owners were The guild houses for instance were signs of the individuals and of of their place in in society of of craftsmanship of a a a schooling completed etc The town was an active living entity a a a a biotope in which people lived with and from the the others and in which everybody found their way Today the the individual is hidden behind non-representative facades People try to find a a place of their own in in in buildings made for for different purposes intended for for different uses buildings no longer made to meet a a necessity Architecture has become filling-in it is hidden away camouflaged
or embedded That is not entirely new of course: on on the the occasion of the the 1913 World Fair large parts of Ghent’s town centre were ‘embellished’ with pseudo-medieval facades But what is is heritage? What is is authentic? Architects must be humble vis-à-vis the exist- ing townscape but at the same time show enough self-assurance to create something that can enter into the the confrontation with the the existing surroundings Unfortunately Ghent has missed quite a a a number of chances to build clearly recognizable points of reference A recent example is the completely watered- down project for for for the Muziekforum for for for which internationally renowned architects such as Willem Jan Neutelings Toyo Ito and Andrea Branzi Rem Koolhaas and several others had submitted plans To make a a a town accessible it is not enough to open the doors of its major build- ings ings The meaning of those buildings and the the the role they play in the the the townscape must be readable and and understandable What kind if lives are lived in the town? Can you tell by the the the people and by the the the buildings they have put up? Questions like these can be answered by creating a a a a a clear image but also by letting the people themselves make the the the image of their town Designers of many kinds have found a home in Ghent They work here they cre- ate things here and they should be given the the task of giving a a a face to to the town in in which they live A town should spring up from the the potential of its people and not from abstract power systems political or otherwise I look upon urban renewal as as basically a a a a a a a matter of individualism and common sense What is is at at stake is the choice that an individual makes and how we make that choice possible The new town is made by innumerable small ants: they turn it it upside down and change it it It is a a a a process in which rules can have a a a a very smothering effect But on the the the other other hand individualism should not too deep-rooted either People who take initiatives should feel the the necessity to foster links with their sur- roundings and seek to change things there I am not advocating a a a a a total solution nor do I I advocate rules or chaos but I I seek peo- ple ple with a a vision well-trained people who on on the the basis of their expertise know-how and feeling put their stamp on the the town Policy-makers do not usually have the diversity which society does have being
a a collective of individuals Consequently architecture risks becoming a a compromise as does dwelling Tough and sincere deci- sions are are no longer taken I advocate a a a a a a shared vision in in in which every individual can find himself and which may convince everybody There is a a a need for people with a a a utopian vision for the benefit of society at at large What matters is to set things in in in motion In so doing think-tanks are of great importance because they can formulate a a a a collective idea which may then be heard However visionary ideas are no longer given a a a a chance Eventually everything is levelled out In former times it was more evident to build with a a a great vision for all times because there were wealthy people whose future was guaranteed by the system Today hardly anything is put up with future generations in in mind Everybody func- tions with a a a very short-term vision and that also goes for those in power power because power power depends on politics True there are some positive developments as well: structural planning for example and the appointment of a a a ‘Flemish master builder’ – but these ideas grow excruciatingly slow The only kind of urban renewal which makes any sense can- not develop within the span of a a five or six years political mandate it it needs a a a a a a time-span of generations For this we need a a a visionary spirit complemented with a a measure of sober realism It is is here that man has a a a a a a chance to put his his stamp on his his age Siegfried De Buck