Many of famed landscape architect Lawrence Halprin's optimistic 1970s public spaces are being updated and reconsidered. Historic preservationists fight back, but supporters say, "It's a living, breathing space, not a museum."
"While discussing the proposed $7.5 million renovation of the Downtown Mall, city planners and the MMM Design Group, the Norfolk-based design firm contracted to do the work, have repeatedly vowed to remain faithful to the original Lawrence Halprin design. Interestingly, no one bothered to consult Halprin himself.
Reached at the California studio where he's busy working on his memoirs, the 92-year-old landscape architect says he was unaware of the current plan to update his 1976 Charlottesville Mall design. Still, it wasn't unfamiliar news. Quite a few of his landscapes have been renovated and altered over the years-- and in 2003, the same year he received the National Medal of Arts from President Bush, the nation's highest honor for artistic excellence, his Skyline Park in Denver was demolished.
"My immediate reaction is anger," Halprin told the New York Times after that demo. "Then it's 'gee whiz.' We were like scouts in war, working on point to induce people to move back to the city."
Halprin, perhaps now best known for his sprawling memorial to FDR in Washington, says he has "fond memories" of his Charlottesville project, and he recalls the success of workshops among city planners and citizens.
"I've always been proud of my design for the Downtown Mall," says Halprin. "It remains close to my heart.""
Read the full story: Mauling the Mall? Don't change the bricks: Halprin
Can Urban Design Truly Impact Loneliness?
Some theorists want to design cities to reduce loneliness and isolation. Others want to accommodate them.
How Cities Can Avoid Perpetuating Segregation
Residents of big cities, known as the ‘melting pots’ of America, have fewer interactions with people outside their socioeconomic group than those in smaller communities, according to new research.
What Would Cities Look Like if They Were Designed by Women?
Cities are built by men, and so too often urban design does not reflect the needs, perspectives, and realities of women.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
This MA town is drowning in its own sewage — and residents like it that way
Susan Murcott, a waste water expert, said if Carlisle didn't address their leaking sewage, the problem could turn “deadly.”
Iowa taxpayers are paying thousands to clean manure out of their water
While the Clean Water Act makes states responsible for regulating factory farms that discharge pollutants, Iowa has turned a blind eye to the polluting farms.
Amtrak cuts ribbon on Seattle Airo maintenance facility
The $250 million, nearly 100,000-square-foot building can house an entire Cascades Airo trainset.
To power data centers, Google seeks autonomous control of thousands of homes’ electricity
The tech company has signed a deal to indirectly pay Mid-Atlantic residents to reduce their power demand when the grid is strained.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello