Tom Engelhardt explores the architectural and political significance of the mammoth US embassy construction project in Baghdad.
"[T]he architectural firm of BDY (Berger Devine Yaeger),[has] designed...the still-uncompleted American embassy, the largest on the planet, being constructed on a 104-acre stretch of land in the heart of Baghdad's embattled Green Zone...
When the BDY-designed embassy opens in September [it] won't lack for the amenities that Americans consider part and parcel of the good life, even in a "hardship" post. Take a look, for instance, at the embassy's 'pool house,' as imagined by BDY...Note the palm trees dotted around it, the expansive lawns, and those tennis courts discretely in the background.
When you look at the plans for it, you have to wonder: Can it, in any meaningful sense, be considered an embassy? And if so, an embassy to whom? ...Whatever its specific functions, it might best be described as the imperial Mother Ship dropping into Baghdad."
FULL STORY: The Mother Ship Lands in Iraq
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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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.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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