Oculus - Fall 2016 - 44
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Raves + Reviews
R E V I E W S B Y S TA N L E Y S TA R K , FA I A
Dream Cities: Seven Urban Ideas that
Shape the World
By Wade Graham
Cities of Empire: The British Colonies and
the Creation of the Urban World
By Tristram Hunt
Graham profiles seven building types and planning approaches, the architects and planners who
pioneered these ideas, and the process by which
they were adopted and became pacesetters. Two
big ideas come forward: the visionary concepts
that emerged with Modernism in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries have become major patterns
for urban development; and architect-driven urban
concepts don't always translate well.
The consequences of the British Empire are still
with us, and among the most vivid is the string of
global cities it created. Hunt's book looks at the
empire and urban globalization through portraits
of 10 major urban centers created, developed, or
enhanced by Britain's imperial efforts, many of
which have grown to global prominence: Boston,
Bridgetown (Barbados), Dublin, Capetown, Calcutta (now Kolkata), New Delhi, Hong Kong, Bombay (now Mumbai), Melbourne, and Liverpool.
Each portrait intertwines political and urban
history, the influences of local geography and climate, urban design, and the organizing idea, since
the development of each was driven by a dominating purpose. Different as these cities are, they share
common roots: the important role of trade; strategic support to the British navy; Britain's cultural
imprint on the physical environment; and history
revealed through streets, squares, monuments,
institutions, and sewers. This look at urban globalization from the perspective of Britain's nearly 400
years of imperial reach is revealing, enlightening,
and sobering.
Graham organizes the discussion into seven
categories:
* Bertram Goodhue and the influential romantic,
historicist suburb, and suburban city such as
Santa Barbara, which became a national model
for high-end suburban enclaves.
* Daniel Burnham and the City Beautiful Movement, which endowed cities with everything from
master plans to monumental, historically styled
buildings to top-down planning approaches.
* Le Corbusier's "towers in the park" vision
coupled with Robert Moses' ruthless execution
of urban renewal - questionable ideas producing
disastrous results globally.
* Frank Lloyd Wright's 1930s car-centric, anti-urban Broadacre City translated on a massive scale
as the post-war suburb.
* Jane Jacobs' critique of the anti-urban Le Corbusian/Moses model, oddly paired with Andrés
Duany and the New Urbanists' initiatives, to
create an urban-suburban hybrid.
* Victor Gruen and Jon Jerde and the energized,
entertainment-infused shopping mall initiatives
to create a centrally focused urban or suburban
place.
* Kenzo Tenge/Moshe Safdie/Norman Foster
(another odd pairing) as avatars of the multiuse
urban mega-structure serving as a complex habitat, which, taking many different forms, has been
an anchor for urban developments.
Noted but Not Reviewed
New York: Harper Collins,
2016. 336 pp. $29.99
New York: Metropolitan
Books, 2014. 544 pp. $35
New York: Routledge, 2016.
276 pp. $39.95
Ethnography for Designers
By Galen Kranz
A guidebook and primer for designers on conducting research to reveal the significant cultural and
sociological aspects underlying design projects.
Cartographic Grounds: Projecting the
Landscape Imaginary
By Jill Desimini and Charles Waldheim
A visual exploration of cartography, design, and
cartographic representation.
New York: Princeton
Architectural Press, 2016.
272 pp. $50
Manual of Section
By Paul Lewis, Marc Tsurumaki, David J. Lewis
A visual reference to one of architecture's most
important drawing types and visualization tools.
While some examples are occasionally stretched,
Graham's analyses are useful and cautionary.
Stanley Stark, FAIA, served as chair of the Oculus Committee from 2005 to 2007.
44
Oculus Fall 2016
New York: Princeton
Architectural Press, 2016.
208 pp. $29.95
Authenticity + Innovation: Architecture Repurposed
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Oculus - Fall 2016
First Words Letter from the President
Letter from the Editor
Center for Architecture
One Block Over
Opener: Authenticity and Innovation
Civic Purpose Repurposed: Brooklyn
Civic Purpose Repurposed: Bronx
A Study in Contrasts
WeLive on Wall Street
A Preservation Paradox
Industrial Strength
Innovation Rooted in History
In Print
97-Year Watch
Last Words
Index to Advertisers
Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover1
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Oculus - Fall 2016 - First Words Letter from the President
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 14
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Letter from the Editor
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 16
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 17
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Center for Architecture
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 19
Oculus - Fall 2016 - One Block Over
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 21
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 22
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 23
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 24
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Opener: Authenticity and Innovation
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Civic Purpose Repurposed: Brooklyn
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 27
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Civic Purpose Repurposed: Bronx
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 29
Oculus - Fall 2016 - A Study in Contrasts
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 31
Oculus - Fall 2016 - WeLive on Wall Street
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 33
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 34
Oculus - Fall 2016 - A Preservation Paradox
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 36
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 37
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Industrial Strength
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 39
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 40
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 41
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Innovation Rooted in History
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 43
Oculus - Fall 2016 - In Print
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 97-Year Watch
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 46
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Last Words
Oculus - Fall 2016 - Index to Advertisers
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 49
Oculus - Fall 2016 - 50
Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover3
Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover4
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