"The Man Who Tried to Change the Soul of Paris" (as opposed to the &£%@# Brent Cross Living Bridge)

Link to 'The Atlantic Cities' web site

"Forty years ago, Holley’s residential towers called Olympiades were the pièce de resistance of the city’s biggest renovation in over a century. Holley drew inspiration from Le Corbusier, who famously envisioned Paris as gridded, severe high-rises. Today, the towers sway between vitality and decay. Holley, who also worked on Montparnasse Tower and the Front de Seine, led controversial, sweeping projects to accommodate immigrants, baby boomers, and cars in 1960s Paris:

"I dreamed a lot, in those days. These were inventions and creations in advance of their time, and I dreamed a lot, and I realized my dreams, realized my utopias."

"The eight high-rises of Olympiades house more than 11,000 people, and stand on a massive concrete slab, 26 feet above the ground. Holley’s idea was to separate functions of this city-within-a-city, sorting spaces to walk, shop, and drive on different levels.

"Early on, however, newspapers raised alarm when citizens were evicted, and their homes razed for the renovation of the 13th. These were the first large projects in the city’s history carried out by private developers, not the government, which caused distrust." [We know the feeling.]

"Then, the Olympiades developers ran out of money." [Yep, we know the feeling.]