The Art of the City

Raffaele Milani

"In The Art of the City Raffaele Milani reflects on the ways in which inhabitants of the cityscape have interacted on a spiritual, psychological, and philosophical level with the architecture that surrounds them. Working with the premise that the city has a "soul," which is externalized in the physical structures of its urban space, Milani expresses alarm in the face of sprawling megacities that typify the postmodern age and endanger the survival of cities' distinctiveness. While he laments that the surrounding nature near cities is disappearing under concrete, his concern is counterbalanced by the realization that there are ongoing projects of urban reclamation, renewal, and reutilization aimed at preserving an ancient, almost mystical rapport between the citizen and the lived space. Milani illustrates his argument by citing the works of modern architects, including Emilio Ambasz,...