A European Perspective on New York's Design Community

Several years after arriving in New York from Lisbon, MoMA Curator for Contemporary Architecture Pedro Gadanho offers his perspective on the city's architecture scene.

1 minute read

June 25, 2015, 12:00 PM PDT

By satellitemag


Portuguese architect, critic, and writer Pedro Gadanho moved to New York in 2011 after being named Curator for Contemporary Architecture at MoMA. He spoke with Satellite about his impressions of the city's design community.

Gadanho discusses his surprise at finding architecture events, organizations, and conversations more inward-focused than those he was used to in Europe. He also bemoans what he sees as an overly market-driven mindset. "The economic pressure in the city makes it more difficult to have alternative creative practices that are not just driven by commercialization and try to push the boundaries of the profession," he said. "In a city in which the pressure to survive economically is so strong, at a certain point people have a real difficulty maintaining an independent discourse."

Tuesday, June 23, 2015 in Satellite Magazine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 14, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

Regeneration of contaminated industrial land used for waste dumping, West Midlands, UK, 2006 .

EPA Awards $267 Million to Clean Up and Reuse Contaminated Sites

The EPA is investing the funds to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites nationwide, supporting economic growth, community revitalization, and environmental restoration.

2 hours ago - Environmental Protection

Archway made of bikes in Knoxville, Tennessee over Tennessee River.

Knoxville Dedicates $1M to New Greenway

The proposed greenway would run along North Broadway and connect to 125 miles of existing trails.

4 hours ago - WATE

25mph speed limit sign with digital "Your Speed" sign below it.

Philadelphia Launches ‘Speed Slots’ Traffic Calming Pilot

The project focuses on a 1.4-mile stretch of Lincoln Drive where cars frequently drive above the posted speed limit.

6 hours ago - WHYY