Appreciating Site-Specific Qualities in Urban Harbours: Urban Culture and the ombrière in Marseille

Abstract

When “site-specificity” becomes a central value in city and harbor transformation, it soon proves necessary to address the ways in which scholars and professionals actually determine site-specific qualities in urban fabrics and social life. This paper delves into the above questions by means of observa-tions from Marseille in southern France. After modernization and dislocation of its harbor territories in the early 20th century already, this city is currently taking important steps from industrial urbanism into cultural planning. This transformation allows for new and unprogrammed experiences of site-specificity, even in the traditional harbor settings. Considered with conceptual care, such situations may teach us what it means to “appreciate site-specific qualities”.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSite-specific design : Driving force for harbour transformation
EditorsLisa Diedrich, Andrea Kahn, Caroline Dahl
Number of pages7
PublisherSveriges Lantbruksuniversitet (SLU)
Publication date2015
Pages58-64
Commissioning bodySveriges Landbrugsuniversitet (SLU), Alnarp
ISBN (Print)978-91-576-8917-7
Publication statusPublished - 2015
SeriesLTV publication series
Volume2015:27

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