In 1960, Claude Parent and Lionel Mirabeau proposed a highly concentrated system of spatial urbanism. Seeking to free up the maximum amount of surface area on the ground with the aim of preserving the landscape, each little city of approximately 2,000 housing units (for a population of 10,000), took the form of a cone resting on its tip. The cone is divided into six parts, three of which are for housing, alternating empty and occupied volumes. The other two key principles underlying these cities are the effort to provide permanent sunshine for the housing units, which are arranged in a staggered fashion with a garden on the upper level and the possibility of unobstructed views. The various circulations (pedestrian, vehicular, etc.) are located underground. High speed elevators and escalators carry passengers from the foot of the conical structure; they transport inhabitants to the various “housing trunks”, which are linked at upper levels by bridges.
Audrey Jeanroy
