Townscape and sociology of architecture : Thoughts about the work of Elisabeth Lichtenberger

Abstract

This paper presents Elisabeth Lichtenberger’s (1925-2017) theses from the point of view of architectural sociology. The study discusses the ways Lichtenberger's ideas about urban space and townscapes make her the forerunner of the relatively young discipline of architectural sociology. The analysis draws on Lichtenberger’s empirical urban research, and interferences between architectural environment and sociological (political) forms, like the typology of houses, ideal urban forms of different political regimes in history and the dynamics of change.

The paper concludes by a summary of Lichtenberger’s theses: (1) some methodology of architecture research can be used in sociological research as well; (2) the interplay between social and architectural space produces particular patterns; (3) the methodology of retrospective analysis draws attention away from impressive to more modest architectural heritage, which however carries important sociological implications; (4) inherited architectural elements of the townscape determine actual changes both in architecture and in society; (5) layers of time appear in very different ways in townscapes and these layers depend on cultural values.