New Human, New Housing

In the 1920s, an unprecedented program of architectural and cultural r enewal was established in the German city of Frankfurt am Main. This scheme became inscribed in cultural history under the name "The New Frankfurt." Under the city's lord mayor, Ludwig Landmann, and the head of the municipal planning and building control office, Ernst May, mo dernity as a way of life took shape there: As part of the housing and urban devel opment initiative decided in 1925, more than 10,000 new residential units were planned. The Building Ministry's archi tects, recruited from home and abroad, created pioneering work in many areas. Examples include the typification of family oriented flats, plans for afford able apartments for those on low incomes, the first standard kitchen, the in dustrial prefabrication of building shells, the construction of schools designed around children's needs, and integrated urban and green planning. In this book, four essays delve into the cultural back ground of the scheme and provide illu minating insights into the context of the work of its many actors. Richly illustrated short texts highlight the most important topics, settlements, and buildings, and provide an overview of the New Frank furt phenomenon. Each featured object includes the address and information on public transport links, inviting readers on a tour of the New Frankfurt.