Landscape Architects Assault PPS

Just a Quickie
Check out the brutal assault on Fred Kent and the Project of Public Spaces (PPS) in the March issue of Landscape Architecture. The magazine opens with a generic panning of his method in the articles section by Linda McIntyre then concludes with the assault by Laurie Olin in the Critic at Large. Very rare thing in professional circles. The landscape architects are completely frustrated by Kent's insulting language regarding visual joy in public spaces and his empty methodology resulting in preconceived solutions from supposed conceptually open citizen workshops. I thought I was reading architects commenting on new urbanists.

I do not understand why PPS and so many new urbanists are afraid of visual pleasure. They seek out the bad designs in a modern vocabulary and ignore the best. Or sometimes they condemn excellent modern spacemaking without even really looking at the way people are using space. Like so many others on most sides of this false fence, they overlay words on images that are either untrue or applicable to a thousand other images in different styles. But the separation of design principle and style will not be revealed to the public.

The introductory paragraphs for the McIntyre article is at Landscape Architecture. Unfortunately, the magazine is resisting full publication on the web. You can read the completing interpretation of Bryant Park by the Olin Partnership and PPS

Landscape Architecture magazine is the BEST public art magazine in the world. All public artists should subscribe and many urban designers.