Awakening from the 20th Century

"In the streets of the city a revolution was taking place."

The bicycle, like photography, is a 19th century invention. By 1895 it was a practical form of personal transportation sharing the road with horse drawn wagons and trams. Like cinema, the automobile was invented at the very end of the 19th century and became a dominent shaping force during the next hundred years.

Critical Mass is an event that originated in San Francisco. On the last Friday of every month, bicyclists gather and ride through the City streets, often ensnarling rush hour traffic and angering stalled motorists, confronting the demon in traffic.

(Benjamin writes:)
"The true goal of Haussmann's works was the securing of the city against civil war {...} The width of the avenues was to prohibit the erection {of street barricades}, and new streets were to provide the shortest routes between the barracks and the working-class sections. Contemporaries christened the undertaking "strategic beautification."
            - Buck-Morss, p 90