Frank Lloyd Wright. (Art Watch).

The "living city' as defined by architect Frank Lloyd Wright is currently on exhibit in Mexico City, in stark contrast to the realities of urban planning--or a lack of--in this sprawling city.

In conjunction with Germany's Vitra Design Museum, Arizona's Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Mexico's National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA), the Museo de Arte Moderno hosts the exposition "Frank Lloyd Wright and the living city," as it makes its way across the globe.

Consisting of plans, sketches, drawings, photographs and small-scale models, "the living city" encompasses the architect's vision for the design and urban planning of an entire city.

Considered to be one of the founders of contemporary architecture, Wright's work, which spanned seven decades, culminated in the establishment of elements that would eventually shape the modern concept of space.

His goal of uniting humans with their environment via architecture is at the core of the exposition. Wright materialized this utopian vision with the publication of his book "The Living City" in 1958. Defending organic architecture as society's opportunity to "live in harmony with nature and restore the relationship between the free individual and the community,' the "living city" was meant to be a blueprint for the future.

City Living

The exposition is divided into nine themes, each one focusing on the balance needed to fully take advantage of the space we occupy on a daily basis.

Office buildings, which he preferred to call community workspaces, should be designed in a way to feed human conscience, because after all, "A building is not just a place to be. It is a way to be."

Ever mindful of convenience and location, the architect stressed the importance of placing commercial buildings next to highways. The emphasis for buildings of worship should be placed on one creative concept: a central structure, divided into substructures, lit from above with natural light.

His schools and universities aim for what he saw as the ideal for democratic education, with students not just studying, but also working.

As an avid fan of the arts, his idea for buildings dedicated to the arts was to more directly link the public with productions. Public art buildings should be places for people to meet, where they can exchange and explore ideas. Social centers should likewise be tranquil places for study and introspection.

Designing his first house in 1893, Wright's relationship with single-family homes was an intimate one, stressing the concept of the family as a nucleus through design. And in his buildings for community living, where several families would share space, the importance is placed on striking a balance between functionality and privacy.

National Architecture Museum Director Sara Topelson said the exposition "gives us the opportunity to remember the influence, to greater or lesser degree, that Frank Lloyd Wright has had on Mexican architects."

If Wright affected Mexico's architecture, his theories of social urban planning are conspicuously absent from the nation's capital city.

Emily Hinch is BUSINESS MEXICO's contributing editor.