In this provocative collection of essays, renowned architect Daniel Solomon delves into the complexities of what makes a city vibrant. Acknowledging that a city is not a static thing, he argues we need to pay more attention to nurturing what he calls ?continuous cities.? In such a city, he says, ?new buildings, new institutions, and new technologies don't rip apart the old and wreck it. They accommodate, they act with respect, and they add vibrant new chapters to history without eradicating it.?
Continuity, he explains, is the way to promote sustainability? and contrary to what the advocates of ?modern architecture? claim, he insists that honoring the traditional ways of city building still provides a solid foundation for places to grow, evolve, be modern.
However fond you are of your city, or however much you feel it needs improvement, this short collection of essays offers an enticing vision of the future. All of our cities have a past worth examining, a richness of experience that can shape the future in wonderful, surprising ways. Solomon's prose is thought-provoking and inspiring, well worth keeping close by wherever you do your reading?be it your bedside, couch, a park, or on the metro.
Autorentext
Daniel Solomon, FAIA is an architect and urban designer whose 42-year career combines achievements in professional practice with academic pursuits of teaching and writing. He has been twice named to Architectural Digest's 100 Foremost Architects, worldwide, and is the 1998 recipient of the Seaside Prize for contributions to American Urbanism. In 2004 he received the Maybeck Award from AIA California Council for lifetime achievement in design, and in 2008 was named Housing Hero by the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition.
His projects have been published in architectural journals worldwide and have been recognized with more than ninety awards. His commitment to urban repair and the construction and reconstruction of urban neighborhoods extends beyond his project work; he is a co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism, an organization whose principals have helped shape the contemporary practice of community design. He is author of many articles and three books: ReBuilding, Global City Blues (Island Press 2003), and Cosmopolis. He lectures regularly at universities and conferences.