Gallery: urban landscapes in black and white

The materials of city planning are: sky, space, trees, steel and cement; in that order and that hierarchy
Le Corbusier

How many of our cities reflect that hierarchy I wonder? Sky we have, of course, but space is often at a premium and trees can be squeezed out. However when urban planning is at its best, open spaces and nature are not forgotten.

Nevertheless, it can seem odd to talk about ‘landscapes’ in the context of urban areas and I often use ‘cityscape’ instead. But whatever you call such scenes, they have a strong appeal to the photographer in many of us, and perhaps especially if we like to work in monochrome. Strong architectural lines, contrasting materials and interesting shapes, particularly those of some modern architecture, are well-suited to black and white compositions.

And that is what Leanne is looking for in this week’s Monochrome Madness challenge. And as nowhere does ‘urban’ better than the United States, I’ve decided to focus on US cities for this post.

My feature photo is of the iconic Bean in Millennium Park, Chicago.