Oculus - Spring 2014 - (Page 13)
first words
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
n my mind, it was in the immediate aftermath of
9/11 that the importance of public spaces truly
entered the consciousness of all New Yorkers.
It began with the ad hoc memorials attached
to fences and left at firehouses that created a
community of shared grief. The feeling of loss was
palpable - and shareable - on so many levels. The
sense that the public wanted - and deserved - a
place at the table in deciding what would be built,
or not built, at Ground Zero went well beyond
the more typical neighborhood clash of interests.
As a key player in establishing the New York New
Visions planning and design coalition, the AIA
New York Chapter was integral to empowering
public participation. It still is.
AIANY and the Center for Architecture continue to be vital to keeping the public informed,
and bringing it into conversations about how
best to build a thriving - and beautiful - city
that serves the needs of all its residents. It isn't all
smooth sailing, but the efforts and (most) results
have been worth it. One example is the evolution
of privately-owned public spaces (POPS). It is now
more difficult for developers to just pay lip service
to POPS to win zoning variances by including lifeless, and sometimes airless, plazas or atriums.
Oculus has played its own part over the last 11
years by covering the projects and politics that
affect the public realm. While the Spring issue has
always been dedicated to the annual President's
Theme, this issue represents an unprecedented collaboration between the Oculus Committee, 2014
AIANY President Lance Jay Brown, FAIA, and
Thomas Mellins, curator of this year's presidential theme exhibition, "Open to the Public: Civic
Space Now," on view at the Center for Architecture
beginning June 12. We share our editorial space
with five essays, commissioned for the exhibition,
that compare public spaces in New York City with
those in Los Angeles; Columbus, Ohio; Athens,
Greece; and Havana.
Our feature articles continue the theme, with
profiles of projects that range from redesigning
I
and redefining mega-places, such as Times Square
and Governors Island, to a smaller endeavor, but
a saga in its own right - the NYC AIDS Memorial, rising on a small triangular island on Seventh
Avenue in Greenwich Village. A bright note for
the future is the J. Max Bond Center on Design for
the Just City, a laboratory for CCNY faculty and
students, as well as local high school students, to
research and apply placemaking and city-building
with the civic good in mind. Regular departments
also have their say on the subject. For this issue,
"One Block Over" becomes "Some Blocks Over,"
highlighting post-Sandy streetscapes across four
boroughs that are being brought back to life by
a young design firm revitalizing small-business
storefronts through a city-sponsored program.
"In Print" is a "bibliographic essay" on a number of books that offer insight and guidance on
urban design and civic engagement. And "50-Year
Watch" revisits a plan for a major civic center near
City Hall that, had it come to fruition, would have
drastically changed the face of Lower Manhattan.
Tompkins Square Park was a place to avoid
at all costs when I lived in the East Village many
years ago. Several years later, it hosted boisterous but (mostly) peaceful demonstrations against
gentrification of the neighborhood. Now it has
gracefully settled into its old age as a peaceable
kingdom of dog walkers, yoga classes, concerts,
and sunbathers. And on a recent winter day as
I was crossing Zuccotti Park, I spotted an obviously Midwestern family taking photos of each
other, and offered to take a group shot. When I
enquired why they wanted pictures in that park,
the response surprised - and pleased - me: "This
was the birthplace of the Occupy movement!" As
we continue through this post-9/11, post-High
Line, post-Sandy era, I can't help but feel optimistic about the city's future. But it will require our
continued vigilance and advocacy if our public
spaces are to truly welcome and be embraced by
the public.
©Tami Hausman
Shared Spaces, Shared Pages
Editor at a favorite open
space: a construction site.
Kristen Richards, Hon. AIA, Hon. ASLA
kristen@ArchNewsNow.com
Civic Spirit: Civic Visions
Spring 2014 Oculus
13
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Oculus - Spring 2014
Letter From the President
Letter From the Editor
Center for Architecture
Some Blocks Over
Opener: Open to the Public: Civic Space Now
The Search for the Soul of Cities
A Different Tale of Two Cities
Public Space Reasserts Its Political Role
Gatherings of One
Time to Welcome Woonerfs
Redesigning the Crossroads of the World
A Magical Place on the Water
How to Remember a Plague
Sustainable Models for a Just City
In Print
50-Year Watch
Last Words
Index to Advertisers
Oculus - Spring 2014
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