The Aerial Turn. On the Conquest of the Air and its Impact on the City, the Territory and the Planet

With the dawn of the modern age, the con¬quest of the third dimension-the aerial domain-set in motion a spatial revolution that irrevocably transformed humanity's relation¬ship with the city, with territory, and with the planet itself. The view from above introduced an unprec¬edented form of spatial knowledge, one from the outset charged with profound practical implications: the command of space, large-scale planning, control and surveillance, and aerial warfare. At the same time, aerial-or aero-spatial-vision gave rise to fundamental ethical and political experiences, including the emergence of an early global consciousness and the first stirrings of ecological awareness. Through a historical and philosophical lens, this book investigates the impact of the aerial revolution on both fronts, tracing the continu¬ities and ruptures that have shaped humanity's gradual conquest of the skies.