INDUSTRIAL COLONIES IN EARLY 20TH CENTURY: RE BUILT TRADITIONS CONQUER IDENTITY -GARDEN-CITY OF HELLERAU GERMANY AND VISTA ALEGRE PORTUGAL

Year 2016, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 11 - 22, 01.12.2016

Sofıa Senos

Abstract

This paper adresses the importance of "identity" to improve urban quality. By analysing the Garden City of Hellerau 1984 and Vista Alegre 1924 , both Industrial Colonies.The choice of these two examples is justified for two main reasons: 1. the typology - small villages built around a factory, mono-functional and mono-socials, promoted by the boss paternalistic system , 2. both models reflect the way of thinking of the time on the issues related to the working class, the models of production and the social organization, as well as on issues related to the construction of the concept of nation and national identity that proliferates throughout Europe.In a context of peripheral neighbourhoods marked by the growing migration, the lack of identity is a real and serious problem. So it is useful to look at the history of urban planning that reflects similar philosophical/political/economic concerns.Identity is a complex concept. This paper focuses on the "identity of the place": theories and methodologies to create "identity" by "artificial traditions", "folkloric revivalism", "iconization of the picturesque".The city involves a set of complex and paradoxical relationships for solving the most basic instincts of human life shelter, food, protection , and responding to spiritual needs religion, education, culture . Empirically, we understand that there is a population that inhabits, uses, sells, buys, etc. in a particular physical space and identify with , by creating a common collective history rites and tradition , often reflected in historic buildings monuments , and in the social organization associations, art, power .The concept of “city”, although not easily explainable, is easily recognizable, mainly in cities with a medieval root. But cities have always existed? Traditions are ancestors? On the other hand, in dispersed urban contexts suburbs some recent, some not, is there an "identifiable identity"?The statement of the German Empire during Wilhelmine period is marked by a conservative ideology anti-socialist , with a belief in progress based in applied-arts industry. The movements like Garden City Society influenced by the English experiences of Ebenezar Howard, Unwin and Parker and Deutscher Werkbund emerge.Hellerau, promoted by Karl Schmidt with the support of relevant architect and member of the Prussia govern, Muthesius , was an experimental ground, with the aim of improving the urban life of the workers, maintaining the order and the social hierarchy. Identity issues are the root of urban and housing design: private property, picturesque style and German folklore Maciuika 2005 . The urban plan by Richard Riemerschmid is assumedly anti-urban: the "antithesis of existence uprooted workers in industrial contemporaneity." These options create an interesting discussion: William Tessenow designs some neoclassical buildings in Hellerau in a direct confrontation with the initial ideas. Gropius working with Peter Behrens in the AEG project's plant refers to Riemerschmid language as anachronistic, as "subjective farmhouse romanticism" Figure 2 . As in Germany, Portugal was concerned about national identity. In architecture, Raul Lino who studied in Germany is the head of "Portuguese House” movement that resurrects a Portuguese romantic sensibility the picturesque , anti-modern anti-international style .The porcelain factory of Vista Alegre and workers' colony was founded in 1824, influenced by the theories of utopian socialism of Charles Fourier and Robert Owen. In 1924, the worker´s colony grows: new streets, new houses, new services and social buildings. Following the principles of the Garden City movement, it is a hierarchical plan, with family houses, in a language that refers to the Portuguese regional imaginary models.One hundred years later, these two examples allow assessing the arguments of the time and understanding possible pertinent options to the present day, in a balance between social and individual identity. Industrial Colonies The Industrial Colonies, as a model, arise from the early nineteenth century in order to solve a particular problem of a particular industry, sometimes built in isolated contexts at a time when mobility is difficult or non-existent, with specific needs such as specialized manpower, raw materials, location issues. In this context appear many examples of small villages built around a factory across Europe but also in Latin America, influenced by the philosophical current of Utopic Socialism Charles Fourier, Saint-Simon and Robert Owen . Some of the most interesting examples built or idealized belong to the history of urban planning, reflecting about the problems of the industry and the working class, the overcrowding, the intolerable living conditions, which then emerged. In general, the urban planning, as a discipline, focuses on the history of urbanism Benevolo, 1982 or on the relations of the megapolis and its relation to the suburbs, the suburban, the hyper-mobility Ascher 2010; Boudain 2011 , but is not concerned about small cities or villages . Therefore, the study of industrial colonies can contribute to a methodology including urbanity concerns that help to dissect urban issues. The Industrial colonies, with the sole purpose to create work communities, in theory, are near the concept of "non-places" Augé, 2007 . Mono-functional and mono-social communities, constituted by workers, more or less specialized, from different contexts, could feature it. This requires, on the part of the promoters, several efforts to impose an urbanity paternalistic systems to promote the rooting of workers, in order to create a sense of permanence convince workers and their families to stay - housing and services , to create know-how specialization - educational systems and create work motivation to promote identification with the brand, the organization and the boss - labour law . Throughout the nineteenth century, the way to do that, changes and evolves. Initially, the urban options have a collective character, from which one of the most optimized examples is the “familistery” of Godin in Guisé , where a single building is the entire city. Progressively, and according to the ideological and social current, the options become focused on the family as the main unity , believing that the stabilization of a social hierarchy anti-communist comes from the improvement of the middle class, introducing new values, as property, comfort, hygiene, health, sports and from transforming the works in new consumers. On the other hand, throughout Europe, also arises the nationalist movements of worship of the country and of the folklore: establishment/statement of national identities. In this sense, this research focuses on the first three decades of the twentieth century, through two industrial colonies analysis: Hellerau Germany - 1907 and Vista Alegre Portugal - 1924 . Both were designed following the garden-city model the English urban current of Ebenezer Howard and seek a sense of identity through the use of a national iconic language the picturesque and the folklore . The urban form and the architectural options are complemented by social activities theater, music, sport, etc . This is an opportunity to identify the moment zero of certain traditions that may seem seculars. Another particularity of these examples is that they are based on a kind of artistic industry furniture and porcelain . That is, beyond the mechanical worker it requires a special worker: the craftsman, the aesthetic, the artist which maybe contribute to increase the urban interest of these special communities

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