On balance: architecture and vertigo

Abstract

economic urgencies, in particular the postwar increase of private car ownership and the subsequent rise of car traffic in the city. Responses to this situation included the construction of the subway, the demolition in 1939 of the elevated railway line ‘EL,’ the public debate and political rift over the above-ground Midtown Manhattan Expressway and the under-ground Mid-Manhattan underpass proposed by Robert Moses, and the proposals for new lighting systems and covered walkways. At the same time, the fragmented urban structure of small buildings, which surrounded the avenue at the beginning of the twentieth century was replaced by towers with curtain walls occupying one block each. This transformed the Avenue of Americas into a skyscraper boulevard, somewhat contradicting the supposed Pan-American identity. The new transformation also highlighted the delicate relationship between the skyscrapers and the surrounding urban fabric. To visualize her analysis Barioglio presents useful axonometric views of this urban transformation at the end of the book. Interestingly, the book also portrays the actors that were directly involved in the transformation, including the Rockefellers. In this context, it also focuses on the pivotal contribution of associations promoting and protecting the interests of the property owners, such as the Sixth Avenue Association and the Avenue of the Americas Association. Finally, ‘Avenue of Americas’ opens new research questions on the ‘delirious’ transformation of New York, the capitalist city par excellence Highlighting both the symbolic and physical conversion of 6th Avenue, drawing and retracing its multiple nuances and contradictions, Barioglio’s book is a unique case study to dissect American history, including the discussion and experimentation of regeneration models for the post-war city. The book is written from the perspective of an outsider with European/Italian cultural background. As such, it contributes to an understanding the multi-faceted trajectories and flows of urban design ideas and provides ground-breaking new reflections on the role of policies, socio-economic aspects and regulatory instruments in the decision-making processes of New York.