Built Eiffel Tower

How the 'Bilbao Effect' Influences Seoul's Urban Regeneration

Bilbao is a small Spanish port city. After its mainstay steel and shipbuilding industries became rivaled by Asian countries and falling into recession, Bilbao became better known for its architecture and culture. The Guggenheim Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry, boasts a unique façade that has drawn widespread praise and become an instant landmark since opening in 1997.

Bilbao became a new model for urban development, quickly drawing a million annual tourists. Nowadays, the phenomenon whereby the architecture of a given city often leaves visitors awestruck is known as the "Bilbao Effect."

The Bilbao Effect has launched a global trend. For example, with the Beijing Olympics China succeeded in highlighting itself as a "modern city" by creating unique stadiums and buildings designed by renowned architects, such as Jacques Herzog, Norman Foster and Rem Koolhaas. In the Middle East, oil-rich Abu Dhabi is aspiring to become a regional tourism and cultural center after investing US$27 billion to construct museums and performance halls designed by renowned architects such as Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Tadao Ando and Zaha Hadid.

Korea is also experiencing the Bilbao Effect. The Seoul metropolitan government has hired Zaha Hadid to plan a Design Plaza & Park, which will be built on the former site of Dongdaemun Stadium. Major projects in Gwangyo, Gyeonggi Province and other areas are also being handled by renowned architects. But with so many designs in the hands of elite architects, some observers say the similar-looking buildings cropping up around the world are becoming standardized, while some structures are simply horrendous. Many buildings in Seoul were built by famous foreigners, but few could be called masterpieces. Even fashionable architects cannot produce consistency great works indefinitely.

After all, the Bilbao Effect -- which describes how one building can improve a city -- is something of an exaggeration. Cities around the world are seeking to emulate Bilbao by investing astronomical sums of money, but few have been even half as successful as the Spanish port city. Even Frank Gehry said recently that it was nonsense to believe that a single building could change the fate of a region. He said Bilbao succeeded because of its urban rejuvenation master-plan, which included blueprints for an airport and subway system.

Moreover, there's no fine line between a landmark and an eyesore.

A Day with The Mistress Borghese: The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower which is located on the Champ de Mars in Paris was built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest building in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world. It has also been used in many a movie. I personally have always loved photography of the tower, morning ,noon and night shots, but I love even more when fashion is thrown in the mix. Here are some of my favorites. Love the way the softness of the clothes feels against the cold iron steel. Now I off to enjoy the beautiful weather we have finally gotten! Tootles!

Eiffel's tower, and the World's Fair where Buffalo Bill beguiled Paris, the artists quarreled, and Thomas Edison became a count

Advances in Natural Language Processing, 7th International Conference on NLP, IceTAL 2010, Reykjavik, Iceland, August 16-18, 2010, Proceedings

Bigger, better, bolder!

Eiffel Tower

Reading Comprehension, Grade 5