A new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York provides an opportunity for reflection on what Rem Koolhaas once called "the most courageous act of prediction in Western civilization."
On the 200th anniversary of its creation, Manhattan's Grid is being celebrated and contemplated in a new exhibition titled "The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1811–2011" (on view through April 15). In two thoughtful pieces in The Architect's Newspaper and Metrpolis, Phil Patton and Karrie Jacobs reflect on the exhibit, and inevitably turn to an evaluation of the pros and cons of the grid itself, furthering an ongoing discussion taking place in the pages of Planetizen.
For Jacobs, "Manhattan's grid-the reliable network of numbered streets (20 to the mile), and the more widely and irregularly spaced avenues-is the city as God intended it. Of course, there's nothing remotely natural about it."
Jacobs goes on to ruminate about the grid's encouragement of creativity and contradiction. "The grid is actually more accommodating than it appears. While it has reined in the size and, to a certain extent, the shape of Manhattan's buildings, the grid has motivated developers, architects, and planners to either subvert or compensate for it...Happily, the grid's consistency is frequently offset by anomalies."
Patton dismisses complaints about the failure of the grid to provide for the veneration of architecture with an ode to democracy, "a city without a central cathedral or palace was more a democratic society and, in a city without a center, anywhere could be central."
He sees as a failing of the exhibit its inability to, "bringing into the gallery the sense of the grid as perceived on the street or in the popular mind....How to represent the mesmerizing quality of the short blocks that make people walk farther than they plan, or the flickering passage of street numbers in a taxi window, like shuffling cards?"
FULL STORY: Review> Net Advantage
![Large blank mall building with only two cars in large parking lot.](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_454837700.jpeg.webp?itok=k2g_9rvD 1200w,
/files/styles/large/public/images/AdobeStock_454837700.jpeg.webp?itok=3EcEPoBS 992w)
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
![Street scene in Greenwich Village, New York City with people walking through busy intersection and new WTC tower in background.](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_391644166.jpeg.webp?itok=Vz0395yN 1200w,
/files/styles/large/public/images/AdobeStock_391644166.jpeg.webp?itok=3qxAGVbY 992w)
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
![Rendering of wildlife crossing over 101 freeway in Los Angeles County.](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/wildlife-crossing-render-sq-2048x2048.jpg.webp?itok=DZmq1qo0 1200w,
/files/styles/large/public/images/wildlife-crossing-render-sq-2048x2048.jpg.webp?itok=CJhMWOlf 992w)
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
![View of downtown Seattle with Space Needle and mountains in background](
/files/styles/large/public/images/AdobeStock_167537914.jpeg.webp?itok=hbqg_FEB 992w,
/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_167537914.jpeg.webp?itok=BDSMo14e 400w
)
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
![Rendering of Brightline West train passing through Southern California desert](
/files/styles/large/public/images/brightline%20train%201.jpg.webp?itok=GlwQACID 992w,
/files/styles/small_400/public/images/brightline%20train%201.jpg.webp?itok=kYX0Bk30 400w
)
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
![Aerial view of gold state capitol dome in Denver, Colorado and Denver skyline.](
/files/styles/large/public/images/AdobeStock_323750643.jpeg.webp?itok=ogpM-jur 992w,
/files/styles/small_400/public/images/AdobeStock_323750643.jpeg.webp?itok=StY1qt1V 400w
)
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.