The three tower designs unveiled for Ground Zero last week mostly miss the point, writes The Slatin Report: It's not about them.
Though the designs are far from final â€" the NYPD, for one, will have a crucial role in determining the ultimate configuration of each building's base and placement â€" they do offer a serous glimpse of what could eventually rise at Ground Zero...
...Given the astounding absence of anything to truly unify this complex, one could hope instead for the kind of bracing but reconcilable tension that makes, for example, Foster's new Hearst headquarters building such a triumph in the way it pits old and new against one another yet toward the same end. Foster, recalling that he was on his way to present designs for that building to the Hearst board of directors when the planes struck on 9/11, spoke meaningfully about how the feelings of that day have commingled with the honor of being chosen for this commission by Silverstein. But he and his colleagues have failed to move beyond their own buildings and engage each other's, or to extend out into the breadth of Ground Zero. That's what they need to do, and what we need, for this hole to become a place."
FULL STORY: Vision Not Accomplished
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
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