Berlin: City Without Form

Berlin: City Without Form by Philipp Oswalt examines how Berlin was shaped by the events of the twentieth century in a process of "automatic urbanism." More than any other metropolis, the city absorbed the forces of that epoch—modernity, fascism, two world wars, Stalinism, socialism, the Cold War, revolt, capitalism—and gave them form.

This book demonstrates how, even today, opposed ideological, political, economic, and military forces continue to produce unplanned structures and activities. These urban phenomena exist beyond the categories of urban design and architecture, yet they conceal rich potential. Berlin reveals phenomena that have influenced urban development in the twentieth century across the globe: conglomeration, collision of borders, destruction, void, mass, metabolism, and simulation.

The current edition of the book, which caused a sensation when it first appeared in German twenty years ago, is now being published in English for the first time. It offers a surprising and informative analysis of Berlin as a prototype of the modern city, challenging the ideologies of heroic modernity as well as emerging nationalisms. Oswalt shows how the modern city "as found" can become the starting point for new forms of context-specific architecture and urban planning.