Positioning Postmodernism: Instances In Parisian Parks

In France, a cultivated savoir-faire of landscape design and robust socio-political histories have established parks as not only functional components of urbanism but aesthetic compositions with potent psychological impact. Contemporary Parisian parks are integral to the French lifestyle and their designs openly encourage joy, innovation, and profound meaning. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the intersection of culture and creativity in three contemporary Parisian parks as tied to postmodern theory. An analysis is conducted on the intellectual, historical, and socio-political history of Parc de la Villette, Parc André Citroën, and Parc de Bercy from conception to realization and subsequently synthesized into five central characterizations of the postmodern condition identified by Jean-François Lyotard’s in his exhibition: Les Immatériaux. In all, this thesis reveals the phenomenology of French postmodern landscape architectural design to engage the human spirit through underlying cultural referents and history of place.