An editorial weighs in on the impact New Urbanism pioneer Andres Duany will have in the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, and his dubious legacy in West Palm Beach.
"The governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour, has turned to Miami architect Andres Duany to lead the rebuilding of Gulf Coast communities destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The mayor of West Palm Beach, Lois Frankel, has turned to Miami architect Bernard Zyscovich to undo the work of Mr. Duany, whose firm wrote the city's downtown plan more than 10 years ago...
Mr. Duany is on a national stage in Mississippi, invited to bring his common-sense ideas about community design to a string of towns with unique culture, diverse influences and daunting obstacles. How can the Gulf rebuild to withstand hurricanes but still have homes most of its blue-collar port and casino workers can afford? Should Bible Belt towns be resurrected around the fast money of casinos that previously were limited to the water? Can Mr. Duany and New Urbanism forever shed the false image that they deliver cartoon cutouts of cities but never the real thing?"
Read the full story: Mississippi vs. West Palm Beach
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