The Built Expression of Washington D.C.

In class we have learned about how urban settings and architecture are a built expression of a conceptual idea. In all the cases that we have looked that, this concept was one of power and control, but do all built environments convey this concept? The United States of America is one that prides itself in its democratic society. In the national anthem, they even refer to themselves as “the land of the free”. The capital of a nation is one that is meant to represent the values and culture of a nation. Therefore by examining Washington D.C. on Google maps, I will determine whether there is such a thing as a free urban setting.

                The national mall is not a shopping center but in-fact a big open park. Insofar, it does not seem very different from any other colonial city we have seen before. The city is built in a grid formation; the only difference is that the city center is not built around a rectangular plaza. Instead, Washington D.C. is built around a cross shaped park, where the architectures surrounding it, is dedicated to administration buildings and cultural museums. The park is also often used as a place of spectacle and gathering during special celebrations. It is clear that this section of the city is a propagandist display of power and culture that is meant to represent America. At each extreme of the cross are monuments that emphasis this point. There are four monuments in total; two monuments dedicated to two great presidents of the American history, the White House, and the US Capital Visitor Center. As the name implies, the capital Visitor Center is dedicated to the use of tourist. It is a big and sumptuous architecture that is sure to make an impression. The architecture resembles that of the ancient Roman Pantheon with its rectangular colonnaded façade and round domed center. I have also noticed that this Roman style had been applied to all of the architecture surrounding the National Mall. This is clearly a conscious attempt by the American leaders to associate themselves with the one of the greatest empires of Western History and their democratic points of views. The Romans were known for being the first nation to establish a democratic government. Furthermore, they want to represent that they are also founded on the Catholic faith which is represented by the cross plan of the National Park.          

Law of The Indies

The the designs of colonial cities in Central and South America were based on pre-fabricated ideas from Europe mixed together with Pre-Colombian influences. The Spaniards made their way to the Americas with these prefabricated grid-plan designs developed which also contained Roman and philosophical influences. These plans were also linked to a set of laws explaining how to properly found and build a new city. These laws were originally signed in 1573 and have been rewritten and reformed over the 500 years of Spanish occupation in the West. They are most commonly known as the Laws of the Indies.  

Some of the guide lines mentioned in Graziano Gasparini´s essay, ¨The Spanish-American Grid Plan, An Urban Bureaucratic Form¨ are:  

1-      Select a good site with clean water and abundant natural resources

2-      Plan the city before any construction begins

3-      The town should be planned with ‘cord and ruler’, with a central square and a layout that can grow in a planned manner

4-      The plaza or central square should be rectangular, with a length one-and-a-half times its width

5-      The plaza’s four corners should point towards the cardinal directions

6-      The main streets should lead from the town square out and two minor streets diverging from each corner of the square.

7-      All town streets should be straight and at right angles to each other.

8-      Smaller open spaces would be allocated elsewhere in town to provide for churches and other public amenities.

9-      There will be a town common for livestock and agriculture.

10-  The town will be developed without the presence of natives, in order to impress them when they were allowed to enter.

The selections for these sites were therefore based on the best location that the Spaniard colonialists could find. Many of them were unfortunately pre-occupied by natives and were forced to leave or be re-located. The cities we see today in South and Central America are all constructed on these grid-plans. The main objectives behind these plans were to keep order and control over its inhabitants through regulated movement through the space, maintain social hierarchy by maintaining a separation between racial and social classes, and finally to make the city safer and more defensible.