Alternative Models for the City-Density: The Case of Lazar Khidekel

Abstract

This paper intends to propose a reflection on the issue of urban form, in particular, on the tendency, today homologating, of constructing new parts of the city by following a vertical densification model. Through the selection of case studies considered significant, this work will approach some research that investigated the possibility of dealing with the problem of urban density and land consumption through an alternative scenario. The cases presented include some experimental projects developed within the framework of the Soviet city developed at the beginning of the twentieth Century. The debate of those years— particularly from 1929 to 1931—was of fundamental significance for the development of soviet urban design, and today, it still constitutes one of the most important moments in the research for new forms of settlement and new ways of life for contemporary society. In this context, the experience of Lazar Khidekel raises particular interest, and the settlement aspect of his experimental projects will be analysed. Khidekel's aero-cities develop the idea of a settlement generated by the superimposition of linear structures elevated mechanically above the ground, which represented a solution for preserving the soil addressing the issue of density, from which it is possible to derive some principles susceptible to innovative development.