New Fuel for an Old Narrative: Notes on the BP Oil Disaster

The consequences of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, which began on April 20 when the offshore BP Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, are still being reported and researched, and will unfold for years to come. Tulane University geographer Richard Campanella recalls a long hot summer, and he puts this latest disaster into the broader cultural and environmental contexts of New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico, describing a complex history of third coast exceptionalism, of a city and region that are paying a disproportionate price for the nation's hunger for oil.
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BY ELIZABETH MOSSOP AND JEFFREY CARNEY

In the Mississippi Delta: Building with Water

"In the post-Katrina landscape of Louisiana and the Gulf South, nothing is more pressing than the challenge of how to sustain settlement ... Without massive land-building efforts, the coastal region will disappear within a relatively short time." So write Elizabeth Mossop and Jeffrey Carney, describing the impetus for the multidisciplinary Coastal Sustainability Studio at Louisiana State University. We are pleased to present a report on the studio's recent work — now on exhibit at the Venice Biennale — which combines immediate and long-range solutions with the aim of making the landscapes of New Orleans, the Delta and the Gulf of Mexico once again resilient and adaptive.
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Adventure in Central Park: Reinventing the Playground, the Lindsay Years & Beyond

The Museum of the City of New York

9.30.2010

Central Park's first "adventure playgrounds," commissioned in the John V. Lindsay administration, provided radically new play spaces for children. The recent restoration of two of these playgrounds serves as background for a conversation on changing ideas about child's play.

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Hallowed Ground, Worldly City: Ground Zero and the Struggle for Lower Manhattan

The current controversy over the proposed construction of an Islamic community center and mosque near Ground Zero has intensified the question: What does it mean to call Ground Zero "hallowed ground"? Architect and writer James Sanders — in an article published several years ago in The New York Times, and republished here in slightly edited form — sets this latest debate in a larger historical context, exploring "the challenge of creating a memorial in a city that, for most of its history, has abhorred the very idea of memorials."
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PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 2008

On the Water: The New York - New Jersey Upper Bay

As the planet warms, rising seas will endanger coastal communities around the world. Engineer Guy Nordenson proposes a bold plan to protect New York City.
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PARTNER SCHOOL

Pratt Institute, School of Architecture
The work of the students here at Pratt shows a clear appreciation and understanding of the possibilities of architecture today, as the mission of the school is dedicated to design and a complete understanding of the making of cities and buildings. The spirit of advancing architectural ideas in terms of both form and technique is at the essence of the transformation of contemporary design.

RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED

American Glamour
Alice T. Friedman

Reading the American Landscape: An Index of Books and Images
Lex ter Braak, David Hamers, Anne Hoogewoning, Erik de Jong, Frank van der Salm, Dirk Sijmons and Hanneke Schreiber

Boomtown 2050: Scenarios for a Rapidly Growing City
Richard Weller


WEEKLY EMAIL: SEPTEMBER 09, 2010
FEATURED THIS WEEK : RICHARD CAMPANELLA New Fuel for an Old Narrative: Notes on the BP Oil Disaster The consequences of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, which began on April 20 when the offshore BP Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, are still being reported and researched, and will unfold for years to come. Tulane University geographer Richard Campanella recalls a long hot summer, and he puts this latest disaster into the broader cultural and environmental contexts of New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico, describing a complex history of third coast exceptionalism, of a city and region that are paying a disproportionate price for the nation's hunger for oil. READ MORE
BY ELIZABETH MOSSOP AND JEFFREY CARNEY In the Mississippi Delta: Building with Water "In the post-Katrina landscape of Louisiana and the Gulf South, nothing is more pressing than the challenge of how to sustain settlement ... Without massive land-building efforts, the coastal region will disappear within a relatively short time." So write Elizabeth Mossop and Jeffrey Carney, describing the impetus for the multidisciplinary Coastal Sustainability Studio at Louisiana State University. We are pleased to present a report on the studio's recent work — now on exhibit at the Venice Biennale — which combines immediate and long-range solutions with the aim of making the landscapes of New Orleans, the Delta and the Gulf of Mexico once again resilient and adaptive. READ MORE Adventure in Central Park: Reinventing the Playground, the Lindsay Years & Beyond The Museum of the City of New York 9.30.2010 Central Park's first "adventure playgrounds," commissioned in the John V. Lindsay administration, provided radically new play spaces for children. The recent restoration of two of these playgrounds serves as background for a conversation on changing ideas about child's play. For more information click here >> READ MORE JAMES SANDERS Hallowed Ground, Worldly City: Ground Zero and the Struggle for Lower Manhattan The current controversy over the proposed construction of an Islamic community center and mosque near Ground Zero has intensified the question: What does it mean to call Ground Zero "hallowed ground"? Architect and writer James Sanders — in an article published several years ago in The New York Times, and republished here in slightly edited form — sets this latest debate in a larger historical context, exploring "the challenge of creating a memorial in a city that, for most of its history, has abhorred the very idea of memorials." READ MORE		BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK \| FOLLOW US ON TWITTER PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 2008 On the Water: The New York - New Jersey Upper Bay As the planet warms, rising seas will endanger coastal communities around the world. Engineer Guy Nordenson proposes a bold plan to protect New York City. READ MORE PARTNER SCHOOL Pratt Institute, School of Architecture The work of the students here at Pratt shows a clear appreciation and understanding of the possibilities of architecture today, as the mission of the school is dedicated to design and a complete understanding of the making of cities and buildings. The spirit of advancing architectural ideas in terms of both form and technique is at the essence of the transformation of contemporary design. RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED American Glamour Alice T. Friedman Reading the American Landscape: An Index of Books and Images Lex ter Braak, David Hamers, Anne Hoogewoning, Erik de Jong, Frank van der Salm, Dirk Sijmons and Hanneke Schreiber Boomtown 2050: Scenarios for a Rapidly Growing City Richard Weller
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WEEKLY EMAIL: SEPTEMBER 09, 2010

FEATURED THIS WEEK : RICHARD CAMPANELLA