Oculus - Fall 2016 - 44

in INprint PRINT 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