ABSTRACT Streets-in-the-sky were conceptualized by architects Alison and Peter Smithson as collective space, an articulation between individual and civitas. This essay argues that streets-in-the-sky are a particularly democratic type of urban element, which also has many positive sustainability potentials. The first use of this concept was in the Smithson’s unbuilt Golden Lane estate (1952), which became a hallmark in post-WW2 debates over urban structure, domesticity, and social housing. Park Hill, the first streets-in-the-sky estate by Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith, was a success in the 1960s. The Smithsons continued to explore the idea in several urban projects, only to put it to built form in Robin Hood Gardens (1968–1972). These estates have adapted streets-in-the-sky and afterward evolved to very different states of maturity. While Park Hill is a refurbished Grade II listed building, Robin Hood Gardens is awaiting full demolition. Streets-in-the-sky were generally abandoned in more recent housing schemes, but the situation of these estates suggests that no consensus exists as to their urban value. Here, we analyze streets-in-the-sky at the time of their emergence as a concept. To assess their cultural, morphological, social, and political implications, we explore their development in built and unbuilt housing schemes, using the abovementioned case-studies to point out how streets-in-the-sky evolved, including their possible role in important urban debates of the present. Since many social housing estates employing streets-in-the-sky have been and continue to be demolished in redevelopment projects, we aim to understand what losses—aesthetic, functional, and environmental—may be implied in the decimation of this element of urban form.

中文翻译：

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在空中漫步：民主城市的建筑

摘要建筑师艾莉森（Alison）和彼得·史密森（Peter Smithson）将天空中的街道概念化为集体空间，即个人与市民之间的联系。本文认为，空中街道是一种特别民主的城市元素，也具有许多积极的可持续发展潜力。这个概念的首次使用是在史密森（Smithson）的未建黄金街房地产（1952）中，这成为第二次世界大战后关于城市结构，住宅和社会住房的辩论的标志。杰克·林恩（Jack Lynn）和艾弗·史密斯（Ivor Smith）创立的第一座空中花园公园山（Park Hill）在1960年代取得了成功。史密森一家（Smithsons）继续在几个城市项目中探索这个想法，直到在罗宾汉花园（Robin Hood Gardens）（1968-1972年）中将其变成建筑形式。这些庄园适应了天空中的街道，后来演变成完全不同的成熟状态。虽然Park Hill是经过翻新的二级保护建筑，但Robin Hood Gardens正在等待完全拆除。在最近的住房计划中，空中大街通常被废弃，但这些房地产的状况表明，关于其城市价值尚无共识。在这里，我们将天空中出现的街道作为概念进行分析。为了评估其文化，形态，社会和政治影响，我们使用上述案例研究来探讨其在已建和未建住房计划中的发展，指出天空中的街道如何演变，包括它们在重要城市中的可能作用。目前的辩论。由于在重建项目中已经并且继续拆除了许多使用空中街道的社会住宅区，因此我们旨在了解哪些损失，包括美学，功能，