Challenge of the new Geneva, peremptory and timeless, the Master plan of 1935 brings together four urban planners: Maurice Braillard, head of the Department of Public Works, Albert Bodmer, Hans Bernoulli and Arnold Hoechel. A reflection on the theme of rejuvenating cities – developed by Braillard and his partners in 1929 – is attained with this unique plan, formulated within the socialist government of Léon Nicole. Confronted with this unprecedented issue, they refound their technical and conceptual knowledge by reinventing their roles not only as architects and town planners, but also as civil servants, politicians and intellectuals. By bringing together European town planning traditions and lessons from America, Geneva is turning into a genuine experimental laboratory. The aspiration for an uncompromising international modernity, the importance of territorial permanence and the protection of landscape combine in an exceptionally broad territorial vision.
Slatkine Editions, 2003
