The noble and logical city of Carlos Contreras
"A noble and logical city. Carlos Contreras Elizondo's proposals for Mexico City ", is the title of the Book of Alejandrina Escudero that was recently recognized in the Mexican biennale of Architecture. Here we share some comments on this important work.
It is an imposing book, in every sense. The volume of the edition makes it little portable, but the real weight of the 428 pages that constitute it, is precisely that of the history of a city in transition, growth and recomposition, that during the first half of the twentieth century dreamed of the Modernity.
Book of weight, but not heavy, because its design, the capitulation, the writing and the images make this an attractive specimen with multiple possibilities of reading. Co-edited by the Directorate General of Publications and Editorial Development, the Institute of Aesthetic Research and the Faculty of Architecture, as well as the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, a Noble and logical city is an essential text for lovers Of the history of our city and for those interested in knowing the processes that gave shape to the town we know.
The publication problematizes the Urban imaginary from the history of art, among them, the aspiration of a city project that can be seen in maps, plans, texts, photographs and studies, where the utopias of its contemporary colleagues are based, which They shared the yearning for an orderly and harmonious city.
One can say that they are two the protagonists of this book, the City of Mexico and Carlos Contreras, architect, Urbanist, professor, graduate of the University of Columbia of New York in 1921 and pioneer of the scientific urbanism in Mexico that was based on data, coordinates Accurate, demographic information and modern statistics.
In the post-revolutionary political and social landscape, Carlos Contreras promoted and theorizeded territorial planning exercises involving various sectors of political, business and social life. Managed and developed regulatory proposals to define the guidelines and standards of national regularization plans; He sought to make the complex urban reality a clear, logical, accessible mechanism with the desire to improve harmoniously various cities in the country.
In addition, it constituted several associations of professionals in the field, created specialized magazines, had an important teaching activity and founded in 1927, together with other architects, founded the National Association of Planners of the Mexican Republic "ANPRM" , with which he carried out the general plans of development of different cities at national level.
The research work of the author is noteworthy, since it was given to the task of interpreting and contextualizing the information gathered from a file composed of photographs, postcards, photographic plaques, documents, writings, books, drawings and drawings. Therefore, we can say that it is a work that must be celebrated, enjoyed and valued because it allows us to immerse ourselves in a city that does not stop growing, imagining, interpreting and writing its own history.