Friedman expanded on the principles for Mobile Architecture to the idea to create an elevated city space where people could live and work in housing of their own design (see also self-planning), the Ville Spatiale. With this idea he also hoped to introduce a methodical approach to enable the growth of cities while restraining the use of land.
Ville Spatiale over the city of New York, Yona Friedman, 1964
Projecting the Ville Spatiale on real life locations Friedman meant to explain the advantages of the idea and furthermore that it was not necessary to demolish older city parts to create new housing. Compacting the city, as building above the existing city, could also diminish expanding the city outwards.
Friedman designed methods of choice for future inhabitants of the Ville Spatiale to enable them to create and position the living space they wanted. These were published in the so called Manuals and integrated in a computer program called The Flatwriter in 1967.
In the Ville Spatiale, Friedman combined many of his principles: the flexibility of housing to enhance the freedom of choice for the individual, the flexible multilayered use of city space, and the grip of city dwellers to give meaning to their environment. (See also Principles Ville Spatiale).
He opened a wide field of discussion on the fundamental right to self expression of individuals, on the inclination to build more and more, and on ways to be self sufficient in a modern society. These topics implicated subjects as the role of the state, the role of capitalism in urbanism, the use for architects and the matter of respect for the natural environment. (For further reference see also Biography and Bibliography and the summary of slide shows of Balkis Productions).
In the earlier years he made studies on the technical feasibility of the Ville Spatiale. Later his ideas and projects for the Ville Spatiale served mainly to help people to think ‘outside the box’ and enhance awareness to the idea that an unconventional approach may well yield good solutions for the ongoing problems of our modern cities. From 1998 on, his ideas regained worldwide interest and Friedman was once again invited to make exhibits and give lectures. (For further reference see also in Public events and in the Summary of public events).
Sub themes (links):
–Principles Ville Spatiale
–Self-planning
–Ville Spatiale projects
–Green City
–Bridge Towns
Projects Ville Spatiale (links):
–Ville Spatiale, visualization of the principles, 1958-2006 (Principles Ville Spatiale)
–Technical aspects Ville Spatiale (Principles Ville Spatiale)
–Span Over Blocks, 1957-1958 (Principles Ville Spatiale)
–Spatial settlements, 1959 (Principles Ville Spatiale)
–Early models Ville Spatiale, 1958-1962 (Principles Ville Spatiale)
–Urban voids, 1964, 1970, 2006 (Principles Ville Spatiale)
–African Projects, 1959 (Ville Spatiale projects I)
–Paris Spatiale, 1959 (Ville Spatiale projects I)
–Tunis, 1959 (Ville Spatiale projects I)
–Venice of Monaco, 1959 (Ville Spatiale projects I)
–Various studies Ville Spatiale (Ville Spatiale projects I)
–American projects, 1964 (Ville Spatiale projects I)
–House of Parliament, Dar es Salam, Tanzania, 1967 (Ville Spatiale projects I)
–Umbrella for Les Halles, 1969 (Cultural Space I)
–Variations on a façade with no structure, 1970 (Cultural Space I)
–Ville Spatiale Nice, 1970 (Ville Spatiale projects I)
–Centre Pompidou, 1970 (Cultural Space I)
–Opera House Paris, 1982 (Cultural Space I)
–Tête Défense, 1982 (Ville Spatiale projects II)
–MoMa, 1990 (Cultural Space II)
–Musée 21 Century, 1999 (Cultural Space II)
–Photomontage with Balkis in Paris, 2000 (Ville Spatiale projects II)
–Project Berlin, 2003 (Ville Spatiale projects II)
–Ville Spatiale deco, 2003 (Ville Spatiale projects II)
–Vienna Ville Spatiale, 2004 (Ville Spatiale projects II)
–Ville Spatiale Milan Stadium, 2004 (Ville Spatiale projects II)
–Venice Projects from 2000 (Bridge Towns)
–Brescia, 2008 (Exhibitions II)
–Binckhorst, The Hague, 2010 (Exhibitions II)