The readings that stood out to me the most would be both The Charter of Athens and Criteria for Mass Housing because of the way they both highlighted the issue of sanitation, especially when it came to cities. The Charter recognized that that sections of cities that didn’t have access to a green area and that were densely populated tended to fall into a state of disrepair. “In the congested urban areas housing conditions are unhealthy due to insufficient space within the dwelling, absence of usable green spaces and neglected maintenance of the buildings” (Charter 2). These areas tended to see little economic investment because of their already bleak state, which would only continue to deteriorate over time. The Charter recognized that the overpopulated parts of the cities needed to be opened up if there was any hope of improving them.
A. and P. Smithson not only acknowledged the physical health issues with overly dense part of cities, but that there was a mental health aspect as well. The document highlighted that when physical conditions in these areas were poor, that tenants would have to deal feelings of anxiety over things like neighbor proximity, the lack of sunlight, as well as a general disconnect from nature. Both documents realized that in order to create a thriving urban environment, neglected areas had to be opened up and resigned to provide an adequate living space for the tenets.
- Congress Internationaux d’Architecture moderne (CIAM), La Charte d’Athenes or The Athens Charter, Trans J.Tyrwhitt. Paris, France: The Library of the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University,
1946.