Tony Garnier’s visions for Lyon and his paper architecture are displayed for the world to see! They are shown on the very buildings that he conceptualized and created to foster community, health and increase quality of life among impoverished and low income people! His forward thinking is described for the world to see in murals painted in the housing that he built. Along with murals of his visions, there are murals done by artists commissioned to interpret their ideal cities! His work inspired other idealists and artists to imagine a world where people flourish! This is so important because we cannot progress as human kind without people envisioning far into the future. Because these pieces of art are displayed for the population to see, a walker by such as myself is able to be pushed to contemplate my ideal city and society!

In the past weeks, we have seen many visionaries push against societal norms and industry norms! From artists making installations out of unconventional materials, ballerinas pushing their physical limits, and museums asking their audiences to question basic ideas, I have learned to constantly ask questions! I think one of the most important outcomes from Lyon’s seemingly infinite access to different art, is that it spurs the city to constantly be curious! This cycle of questioning and problem solving is a direct result of art surrounding innovation! The society seems constantly open to new questions and new ways to solve those questions! And this is exactly how art and technology and progress are so interwoven throughout history in Lyon!