1 comments about Housing and Urbanization: Building Solutions for People and Cities.

1. This book offers a fine compilation of Charles Correa's housing projects (who I AM SURE did not apprentice with Louis Kahn). Correa has achieved his status as an international architect of relevance in two ways: one, through his rich vocabulary of images and ideas as employed in the various cultural centres like the Jawahar Kala Kendra; two, by his concern for shelter and his attempt to reconcile communitarian needs within the growing shortage of space. The book is about the latter. In a Corbusian way, the houses are micro-urban laboratories to be replicated and used in larger schemes. Sometimes they reflect his ability to inject a poetic sensibility even in the most banal of projects. Many of the projects and drawings of his houses, housing schemes, and urban proposals have been published elsewhere, but some delightful new houses, seem to throw his postmodern work volte-face and return to an invigorating rigorous modernism. It is time to to focus on the unfulfilled socialist agenda of the Modern Movement which seems to have been always Correa's goal in his role as an architect not only of elite institutions but the most important public institution -- housing. More architects should take note of Correa's experiments, and this book provides a wide range of both evocative and sensible designs.

1 comments about The Rule and the Model: On the Theory of Architecture and Urbanism.

1. The Rule and The Model is the primary work on contemporary architectural theory and the city. Theory is traced through instaurational (foundational) texts into architectural, utopian, urban, and quotidian principles. One can only muse over the impact if this had been translated into English twenty years ago. Urban theory began with the Teoria, (Cerda 1867) and the City as the cause rather than the consequence of civilization and the development of humanity.

   Many authors critique. Francoise Choay challenges contemporary practice and defines pre-urbanism, urbanism, and I think opens the door for posturbanism. From the Ouverture (ouvre being roughly translatable as a call to participation): "But since the Industrial Revolution, when building acquired an explicit social dimension, and in the absence of a (never sucessfully formulated) `science' of art which might at least provide some underlaying principles, the third level can be governed only by individual caprice: ideologies, tastes, and the idiosyncratic predilections of administrations, urbanists, architects, and sometimes individual users. Hence, contradictory trends or fashions dominate the false aesthetics of the present-day built environment, where futuristic or even surrealistic tendencies are associated with a `retro' attitude. Architects pillage, with ruse or naivete, in the name of quotation or as brutal appropriation, all the styles of the past and even the mannerisms of the recent past, drawing equally on learned and vernacular, urban and rural, international and local sources. Hence also the double terrorism of stereotypes destined to flatter `popular' taste, and of a complacent pseudo-culture of architects affiliated by the production of an ugliness both legendary and unique in history."

   Several authors represent constructivism: Lefebvre, Harries, Soja, Choay; and comment respectively on the quotidian, modernity, postmodernism, and unique ugliness; and then open the door on possibilities of the everyday, festival, reason and faith, pleasure and the unforseen. These are standards for the Meta Mythic characters who design our landscapes. They are delightful suggestions towards an occupation for consciousness and satisfying use of that activity of the mind.

   Merci mille fois Mme Choay!

No comments about The Environments of Architecture.

No comments about Architecture on the Move: Cities and Mobilities.

2 comments about The Creative Community: Designing for Life.

1. I,ve been a practicing Landscape Arch / Planner almost 30 years . Every few years I'll buy a book on "planning" for my dust collection , and remember why we're still making such a mess of things . Finally Swaback has published a revolutionary book on the subject ; based on such revolutionary concepts like common sense , art , beauty , simplicity , and my favorite , " heroic commitment" .
   I was tempted to give this book to our city planner , city council members , mayor , developers , ad nauseum . After a few gifts I realized , sadly , that those who even actually read it , ( or read period ) , won't "get it" . But , and , it still makes a good coffee table book .
   If Howard Kunstler is a prophet , and I think he is , then Swaback's the Messiah . He provides bold , lucid , and simple direction , and a hopeful answer to the bleak dillema our " Emperor"s new clothes" , Kunstler , holds a mirror to in his latest books and great web site .
   On top of all this , Swaback has included many beautiful and appropos quotes you can toss around when we "professionals " get together, at the next AIA , ASLA , APA meeting, to pat each other on the back .
   If we are to survive as a culture this book lights the way ; yes , things ARE that bad , and yes , the book is that good . Get it , and hopefully you or someone will " get it ".
   
   Every person takes the limits of their own field of vision for the limits of the world.
   Arthur Schopenhauer



2. Swaback has outdone himself. This book is a must read for anyone who cares about making the world a better place to live in. Swaback is a genuis! Besides being an absolutely beautiful book the messages contain challenges that we all must address in order to live fully at all ages and stages of life. Swaback has the answer.

1 comments about The Drive-In, the Supermarket, and the Transformation of Commercial Space in Los Angeles, 1914-1941.

1. A fascintating look at the cultural history of Los Angeles and the way in which commercial spaces played a part in developing it. A must for anyone that's seriously interested in more than the usual history lesson on Tinsletown. Actually, more than simply Los Angeles, this book gives clues as to how the development of commericial spaces that we've come to take for granted have influenced cultural history across the entire nation, with Los Angeles leading the way in innovation.

No comments about Reviving America's Forgotten Neighborhoods (Contemporary Urban Affairs).

2 comments about Scale Models: Houses of the 20th Century.

1. This is a GREAT book for LEGO enthusiasts, as there are TONS of great photos of interesting layouts, photos of the models, etc. This is a great resource ALSO because since these are already models, much of the geometry is already simplified, which makes building much easier. :-)



2. If you have ever had a hard time visualizing the way a floor plan would look in real life this book would be benificial. It is a well rounded collection of house models done by famous architects. This book will also help anyone who is trying to design a model house of their own.

No comments about WiMBY! Hoogvliet.

1 comments about The Spaces between Buildings (Center Books on Space, Place, and Time).

1. This is really a nice book. It reads very well and gives a good introduction over major landscape elements in urban and suburban. It also includes background information about the historical development of these landscape elements. That makes it quite easy to understand the urban and suburban landscape in the U.S.. It is one of these books that you read and think "aah, that's why...". A good and cheap present for landscape architects and students (nice paper, layout and format, too).