| | Urbanscape Switzerland (aka Urban Landscape Switzerland). Angelus Eisinger and Michel Schneider, editors.
Subtitled "Investigations and
Case Studies on Topology and Regional Development in Switzerland",
this book is the product of a commission by Avenir
Suisse (Think Tank for Economic and Social Issues) to
examine the European country's contemporary urban condition
and its future potential. Essays and interviews feature
experts from various fields, including economics, sociology,
politics and architecture, commenting on issues like the
urban agglomerations of Geneva, Basel and the Ticino; areas
of cross-border fertilization and intense development that
belie the traditional view of small villages and towns dotting
the Swiss countryside. Interspersed between these texts
are color photographs by Joël Tettamanti that give
relief to the 400-page document and illustrate the problems
these thinkers are addressing. The book's highlight is Dutch
firm MVRDV's contribution, a three-part analysis of 1) the
country's geography and politics, 2) land use and density,
and 3) development possibilities based on the previous two.
Their graphic analysis helps to give an outsider an understanding
of the current Swiss state, while their future scenarios
(and the book as a whole) address the dilemna of this and
other countries in today's globally interconnected situation:
balancing both international and internal interests.
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