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In den letzten zwei Jahrzehnten sind weltweit so viele Hochhäuser gebaut worden wie nie zuvor. Auch in Europa, wo lange Zeit vor allem Kirchtürme und Schornsteine vertikale Akzente setzten, prägen sie vermehrt das Gesicht der Städte. Die neuere monumentale Architektur ist mit vielfältigen Versprechen, Begehrlichkeiten und Befürchtungen verknüpft. Am Beispiel von Paris, London und Wien diskutiert diese Studie, welche Vorstellungen von Urbanität dabei im Spiel sind. Sie verortet das vertikale Bauen im Spannungsfeld von globalisierten Vergleichshorizonten und städtischem Eigensinn.

More high-rises have been built worldwide over the past two decades than ever before. Even in Europe, where vertical accents have traditionally been placed by steeples and chimneys, towering buildings are increasingly shaping the face of cities. This new monumental architecture is associated with a variety of promises, desires and fears. Based on the examples of Paris, London and Vienna, this study discusses the concepts of urbanity that come into play here. It contextualizes vertical construction in the field of tension between globalized horizons of comparison on the one hand and urban specificity on the other.

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I Introduction 7
1 Point of departure, research question 7
2 Research design-Methodological approach, empirical material 11
3 Structure of the study 16
II Theoretical points of reference 19
1 Simmel´s concept of "spatial form" as a starting point 19
2 Tracing urban specificity 20
3 City, globalization, fields of observation 34
4 Architecture as "built society" 38
5 Contours of sociological high-rise research 46
III Vertical construction between globalized patterns and local specificity-Case studies of European metropolises 53
1 Formative constellations, translation dynamics 53
2 Paris 62
2.1 A ring road as a picture frame 64
2.2 "Delano‰ a plus d´une tour dans son sac" 77
2.3 Opposing voices 84
2.4 Images of Paris and the fixation on beauty 88
2.5 Omnipresent London and distance from the city´s own history 93
3 London 99
3.1 The "patchwork" principle and an extraterritorial, surveilled center 102
3.2 Verticalization as a tour de force-Building practice and justifications 111
3.3 "The skyline of London is out of control"-Unease in the verticalized city 120
3.4 Global city, hierarchical interpretation, and dissociation from "the Continent" 124
4 Vienna 129
4.1 Fragile refortification of the center and the Danube as a social boundary 134
4.2 "Vienna is growing again"-Where high-rises (still) promise modernity 143
4.3 Cat-and-mouse games with UNESCO-Critique of Viennese building practice 154
4.4 Images of the city-Vienna between morbidity and regained centrality 159
4.5 Dominant East-West axis of perspective 163
IV Forms of use and symbolism of tall buildings 167
1 Local production of meaning-High-rises and urban specificity 167
2 The role and perception of "iconic" architects 173
3 "Monsters of the mere market"-High-rises, capitalism, and the logic of one-upmanship 178
4 Conclusion 180
Notes 183
Bibliography 219
Acknowledgments 251

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Andrea Glauser ist Privatdozentin am Soziologischen Seminar der Universität Luzern und lehrt qualitative Forschungsmethoden an der Hochschule Luzern.

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