As landscape urbanists hover in the exalted world of the designer-hero-genius, Emily Talen asks — where are the people?
In this piece from New Urban Network, Emily Talen provides a serious critique of the landscape urbanism. Although she admits that "it's easy to poke fun at landscape urbanism...the rapid growth of literature, academic appointments, and conference themes associated with it forces a more serious appraisal."
Upon exploring The Landscape Urbanism Reader during a recent trip through China, she concludes that "landscape urbanists are really, really good at describing things" and the movement is essentially unoriginal, contributing "nothing more than a series of restatements - in a hundred different ways - of the same issues that have been reframed, reconceptualized, and rewritten for the past 150 years."
Ultimately, Talen asserts that "by far the most serious problem with landscape urbanism is that it completely leaves out of the discussion something many of us consider to be pretty essential: humans."
Thanks to Scott Ulrich
FULL STORY: A tire in the park
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
In More Metros Than You’d Think, Suburbs are Now More Expensive Than the City
If you're moving to the burbs to save on square footage, data shows you should think again.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)