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From: Architexturez-IN <admin-in@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2007 13:21:23 +0530
Like most fairy tales New York’s embrace of architecture has a dark
side. If many of these shows pointed up our rich architectural past,
they also served to remind us that the majority of today’s projects
serve the interests of a small elite. And this trend is not likely to
change any time soon. The slow death of the urban middle class, the rise
of architecture as a marketing tool, the overweening influence of
developers — all have helped to narrow architecture’s social reach just
as it begins to recapture the public imagination. From this perspective
the wave of gorgeous new buildings can be read as a mere cultural diversion.
Additionally, New York is about to embark on a handful of vast
developments that could alter its character more than any projects since
the 1960s. Twenty-five million square feet of commercial space is
planned for Midtown. Madison Square Garden and the woeful Knicks may
relocate to the site of the James A. Farley Post Office building, which
was supposed to be a grand site for a new Penn Station. An enormous
expansion of the Columbia University campus into Harlem has enraged
local residents. And let’s not forget ground zero, a black hole of
political posturing, cynical real estate deals and outright stupidity.
To date, there is little sign that intelligent design will play a major
role in any of those projects. On the contrary, every revision heightens
our creeping awareness that when serious money is at stake, business
will be as usual.
cont'd....
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/arts/design/23ouro.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin