The agrement about program and method (A contribution to the discussion on urban planning of Zadar from the general cultural standpoint)

Abstract

In the introduction the author points to some difficulties in the disciplinary definition of humanistically oriented interpretation of contemporary urban problematics. Under the title ’’The living body of the city in the service of human beings” the author gives a short review of some representative thinkers on the development of modern urban thought (from Marcel Poete, Patrich Gedde, L. Mumford and S. Giedion to Gaston Barder and Norberg-Shulze). The he documents a very apparent presence of the humanistically founded theories and especially stresses the great importance of the permanent coordinating actions of experts and inhabitants which is educational in character for both sides and it also contributes to the succes of plan solutions. In the third section under the title "The instability of Zadar theory and praxis” the author primarily points to a weak or almost non-ecistant presence of humanistically motivated thinking and the lack of complete urban approach and the weakenesses of the relationship between experts and Inhabitants. The most disagreement arises in the extra importance given to the role of experts on one hand and the disqualification of the sensivity (emotions) which play such an important part in the solutions of the living space on the other hand. In the final part the author establishes that the crisis of Zadar urban planning is only a reflection of the crisis in urbanism in general as a result of the crisis of humanism so that ”a better planning inside a community is possible only with the development of complete culture and general social actions on the humanizing of life in general.« In the summary part under the title ’’Perspectives of concrete actions” the author gives directions for the organization of permanent activity on the scientific, cultural and practical levels and points to the necessary technical conditions which are necessary for such an action.