Rebirth Of The Flaneur

The art of the flaneur -- wandering aimlessly around the city, observing its daily rhythms -- has been revived by photobloggers.

1 minute read

April 18, 2006, 7:00 AM PDT

By Kilgore Trout

Maisonneuve urban affairs columnist Christopher DeWolf takes a look at the flaneur, the dandyish boulevardiers who wandered aimlessly around nineteenth century Paris, observing the city and its inhabitants. Flaneurism was dealt a blow by car culture and suburbanization, but lately, it seems to have made a comeback. Can part of the credit for this revival be given to photobloggers? "Today's flaneur is the photoblogger," writes DeWolf. "Wandering around town, snapping photos of places and faces, these men and women are urban ethnographers, observing and interpreting the city around them."

FULL STORY: The Urban Eye: The flaneur is alive and sauntering in the modern metropolis

Monday, April 17, 2006 in Maisonneuve

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