Les Halles

In Paris the destruction of Les Halles, a former market area, resulted in a complex attitude and even a neurosis with regard to this issue. After the centrally-located markets were torn down, people’s view toward modern city planning became complex, and we should point out that the only lasting attempts at creating a modern cityscape were the large and somewhat diluted projects of Mitterrand, that gave the impression that modern building projects could only be those on a grand scale, neutral, abstract and a little cold. This perhaps explains the current lack of a shared conviction on the status of modern architecture in the city. This evolution can even be seen in the fact the word “tower” has become a bad word in a city where the Eiffel Tower is its most identifying landmark!