Manfredo Tafuri, Marshall Berman and Jane Jacobs all share an interest in modern architecture and the role that city planning plays in the creation of new buildings. At the same time, however, these three authors differ greatly in their unique perspectives on the topic.
According to Tarufi, the rise of modern architecture is connected with the rise in capitalist values which took place during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In fact, Tarufi believes that the relationship between building and production allowed the architectural profession to become one the first fully commercialized institutions in the world (48). This view is expressed in Tarufi's book Architecture and Utopia, which was originally published in 1973. Tarufi is an Italian with a Marxist point of view, and both these factors influence his outlook on the situation. In particular, Tarufi's Marxism causes him to denounce the problems of the free enterprise system and to favor the socialist ideals of equal distribution. His thesis is that the rise of capitalism had a negative impact on city planning as well as on the subsequent development of architectural styles. In Tarufi's view, the dog-eat-dog world of capitalism has detracted from the utopian ideals which existed in architectural theories during the nineteenth century. The relevance of Tarufi's viwpoint is that it reflects a Marxist approach to the problems of modern cities. Although there are problems with this approach, it nonetheless provides important insights into the potential faults of capitalism as well.
In his 1982 book All That is Solid Melts into Air, Berman claims that the city planner Robert Moses had a negative impact on the development of the area surrounding New York City. According to Berman, Moses was able to maintain his personal power because he made the public believe that he was a spokesman for "modernity" in urban development (294). Berman's thesis is that mu...