A City Beautiful For The 21st Century

A City Beautiful For The 21st Century. . During the mid 20th century, Modernist Design brought attention to utility and the expression of building materials and structure, in architecture and in engineering. The new design system replaced classical forms preferred by the City Beautiful Movement. Structures designed in the Modernist styles were meant to be constructed anywhere, regardless of the specific place or cultural and historic context in which they were built. The era of the concrete arch bridges had come to an end as Modernsim replaced historic styles. During the last quarter of the twentieth century, however, a greater concern for context began to take hold among design professionals and the general public alike. , Since the 1980s, engineers, planners and designers in Dayton have embraced a context-sensitive, or 'Placemaking' approach to urban and infrastructure design. Bridges in Dayton constructed and maintained by the City and Montgomery County are examples of the new approach. Designers of these new bridges have considered the latest structural engineering innovations and technologies in their plans. These ideas are put into action with an understanding of the the specific contexts in which the bridges are erected. , This planning and design process process, while contemporary, is similar to that of the early concrete arch bridges. Those early bridges brought together late 19th century engineering advances and City Beautiful thinking that focused on remaking the urban environment for the 20th century. Dayton's new bridges are also important elements of a novel, well-rounded approach to engineering, planning, and urban design. Their design is guided by the idea of Placemakng and the use of cutting-edge, 21st century technologies. Together with projects such as the reimagined River Corridor, Dayton's new bridges display the continuing evolution of the city in the 21st century.