AHTTEP / Doctoral thesis defense : Loup-Marie Calosci
James Rouse, December 22, 1966 – © John Loengard, Life Collection
Loup-Marie Calosci will defend his doctoral thesis in planning entitled “Shaping the new city in the United States (1963 – 1973). Une enquête sur la circulation de modèles urbains, architecturaux et paysagers : les exemples de Columbia (MD) et de Reston (VA)”.
The thesis was prepared at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and ENSA Paris-la Villette under the supervision of Karen Bowie (ENSA Paris-la Villette) and Isabelle Gournay (University of Maryland).
Summary
This research examines how the transfer of models and the circulation of ideas and people influenced the design and development of the New Communities of Reston (Virginia) and Columbia (Maryland) during their first decade of existence (1963-1973), notably under the impetus of their promoters Robert E. Simon (Reston) and James W. Rouse (Columbia).
The Garden City of Tapiola (Finland), designed by Heikki von Hertzen, is analyzed as a point of conceptual convergence, revealing the transatlantic dialogue and its impact on American designers. The corpus includes correspondence, master plans and planning documents held by the Columbia Association and George Mason University, among others.
Our approach articulates the study of the circulation of actors and concepts with a morphological analysis, to uncover the mechanisms of influence and their concrete manifestations. Our methodology questions the concepts of cultural transfer and cross-history, emphasizing that ideas are transformed and reinterpreted according to their host context.
Jury composition
Denis Bocquet, ENSA Strasbourg
Clément Orillard, École d’Urbanisme de Paris, Université Paris-Est Créteil
Cédric Feriel, Rennes 2 University
Virginie Picon Lefebvre, ENSA Paris-Belleville
Corinne Jacquand, ENSA Paris-Belleville
Karen Bowie, ENSA Paris-la Villette – thesis supervisor
Isabelle Gournay, University of Maryland – thesis co-director
