Book, Urban Aesthetics from the Greek Polis to the Contemporary Metropolis 2/19[LS]

The urban landscape: from Greek classicism to modernism. The book Urban Aesthetics — From Greek Pólis to Contemporary Metrópole, by Sonia Hilf Schulz, explores the different aesthetics of cities based on a dialogue between urban projects and philosophy. The city is built through the coexistence and interaction of multiple architectures and non-architectures, of different functions and scales, that design urban landscapes. As it is an active space, in permanent transformation, the real city challenges idealized urban models of organization and control of the built environment, instigating a reflection on the recurrence of idealism in city projects, from Antiquity to the mid-20th century. In this revised and expanded edition, the strategies adopted by architects to generate urbanity and, thus, stimulate aesthetic experiences are discussed. The participation of actors and authors in the continued process of construction of urban spaces are critically analyzed. In this context, architectural and urban legacies gain relevance, as the city emerges not only as a work of art, but, above all, as a symbolic and cultural space.