January 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 54

Grand Design continued from page 51

of is ordinary buildings that are well-designed and executed
with craftsmanship.
In Chicago, for example, the most ordinary buildings are
still better than most in the rest of the country. Everything is
better built, more interesting. I think we need more emphasis on that.
I find that the preparation of architects today is all about
styles, and not enough about what's involved in creating a sustainable environment. There are lots of different angles here,
and I think we're giving these things short shrift.
Zimbabwe: I wouldn't characterize modern architecture as
falling short. I'm a modernist in my design sensibilities, but
I've arrived there because of a deep appreciation for historic buildings and fabric and a sense that our generation's built
works should have a currency with our zeitgeist, just as the remarkable buildings of history did with theirs.
Modern architecture only fails when it is corrupted by the
influences of undervalued design, poor planning, and a misunderstanding of how people will use and activate a place.
The greatest contributions to our cities in the last decade have
come from decidedly modern designers like Renzo Piano, Studio Gang, Frank Gehry, James Polshek, and Steven Holl.

Is there a vision for the " perfect city, " or is this a fairytale concept?

An adjunct professor of architecture at Yale University,
Alexander Garvin teaches design as well as practices it.

Garvin: I think it's poison. I think that all cities are different,
and that all parts of all cities are different. To create some fake
utopia is to miss the point. Paris is a wonderful city. Now take
a city like San Francisco that doesn't look like Paris. Does that
make it a terrible city? I don't think so. It's not a fairy tale concept at all.
Zimbabwe: The " perfect city " is a contradiction in terms. Cities are sublime precisely because of their complexities, their
contradictions, and their constant demand for tinkering and
change. To achieve a perfect city would require it to remain
static, which would stifle it.

We hear a lot today about " work, live, play " environments. Is this attainable?

Garvin: I think we need to have a multi-functional public
realm. I believe we have fought too narrowly. Streets are not
just for moving motor vehicles. They are also for shopping,
for hanging out, for meeting your friends. I would say that the
multi-functional public realm is what it's about. If you went to
Paris and asked if you could turn the Champs-Élysées into a
work-live-play environment, they would laugh at you: " Look,
that's what we have. "
Zimbabwe: The " 24-hour " neighborhood, or downtown, is a
laudable and often achievable goal, but it can take a long time,
and many cities won't have the demand for more than a few
blocks of fully energized land. Most cities have successful
neighborhoods that have only two major uses: retail and office,
or housing and entertainment. The really dreadful places are
large swaths of land with only a single use. Those places are
soul-depleting.

Douglas Viara is a freelance journalist who lives in Charles

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