Die Faszination der Stadt / The Power of the City

“Therefore, all the anti-capitalistic, architectural visions or the anti-postmodern Agitrop-installations of the last two decades should no longer be an issue. Instead, it is to be kept in mind, that today a certain realization is gradually gaining ground more and more on the international scene: namely, just how very much Coop Himmelblau was right in those days, with all the activities, ​“right” in regards to its trenchant criticism of the status quo and concerning their tenacious insistence on continuing ​“to walk” upright; so right that by now, others copy Coop Himmelblau minutely, that competition juries and clients can no longer get around a serious discussion of the Viennese cranks’ approach.” (Excerpt foreword Frank Werner) 

The book focuses on a specific urban design process that Coop Himmelblau started within the late 1970s (“The Dissipation of our Bodies in the City”) as well as three urban planning projects: Melun-Sénart, Skyline/​Hamburg, and Karlsplatz/​Vienna.