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Social Engineering and "Leftist Architects"

Haven shaken my fist at a fair number of right-wing billboards calling public transit and New Urbanism "social engineering" (but freeways and suburbs aren't?!?), I've got to wonder if former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist and current head of the Congress for the New Urbanism knew exactly what he was doing when he used the phrase "leftist architects" to describe architects
like Le Corbusier, who championed glass-encased, high-rise apartment buildings set apart from cities, and Oscar Niemeyer, who designed the city of Brasília with its high-rise, above grade roads. Norquist added that the only life and culture you will find in Brasília is outside the city limits in the slums.
As much as I like his other designs, I'd add Frank Lloyd Wright to that list, simply for Broadacre City. Ugh. Now, I know from a philosophical and artistic perspective, it's an accurate description of their work (ooh, Stalinists!). But in using it in opposition to New Urbanism, I'm wondering if it's a bit of a god whistle to conservative civic leaders. Trying to trigger a little bit of Tea Party logic: "If New Urbanism is against liberals, then it must be a good thing!" Hey, if it gets a few more people to read "Twelve Anti-Transit Myths: A Conservative Critique" (I swear you'll never seeing me favorably link to anything by Paul Weyrich again) then I'm all for it.


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