Monuments of Everyday
Life Interplays of City, Infrastructure,
and Architecture in São Paulo

Published by Jovis | 224 pages | colour and b/w illustrations | English | ISBN 978-3-86859-555-0, 2019

Monuments have fascinated human beings and enriched cities throughout different periods and in various forms—as repositories of history and memories, as places to spend time, as meeting points, and as points of orientation. However, as a major component of the discipline of architecture and urban design, the term “monument,” along with its relationship to the city, is in crisis.
This book explores a rediscovery of the concept of monuments as essential and creative parts of cities. The ideas in Monuments of Everyday Life are outlined by the rereading of four powerful, multifaceted urban locations in São Paulo. It reveals the specific spatial patterns around monuments, which are understood as alternatives to places of instability and the commercialisation and homogenisation of urban space. It discusses the relevance of monuments as reference points for collective life and material representatives of collective values. Monuments of Everyday Life draws conclusions from the past—but more than that, it addresses relevant questions and possibilities concerning urban futures.
 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD | p. 4
by Jörg Schröder

CITIES NEED MONUMENTS! | p. 6
Statement of the book
Research and urban design in São Paulo

MONUMENTS AS MULTILAYERED INTERPLAYS | p. 34
Hypothesis
Infrastructure and urban planning in the centro expandido - Past and present
Relations of city and architecture in São Paulo
Interplays of city, infrastructure, and architecture case studies

CONVERSATIONS ON MONUMENTS AND CITY | p. 86
Framework for a reinterpretation
Conversations

EXPLORING MONUMENTAL LAYERS | p. 114
Reading through a transversal taxonomy
Figure: Open objects
Process: Reciprocal loops
Context: Unfolded streetscapes
Practice: Performative platforms

MONUMENTS OF EVERYDAY LIFE | p. 188
Relational figure
Reflection one: Keys for São Paulo
Reflection two: Urban design devices
Reflection three: The capacity of monuments of everyday life

OUTLOOK | p. 206
by Mosé Ricci

ANNEX | p. 208 
Bibliography
Imprint