Frederick Law Olmsted and the Campaign for Public Health

In 1858 Frederick Law Olmsted won the state-sponsored competition to design the new Central Park in New York City. The project that resulted would define Olmsted's career and establish him as the founder of the American profession of landscape architecture. In 1861 Olmsted was appointed general secretary of the newly created U.S. Sanitary Commission, charged with improving conditions at Union Army camps and hospitals. In his second article focusing on design and public health — see also "Viral Cities" — Tom Fisher explores this largely forgotten episode in Olmsted's illustrious career, and argues that it might provide a template for contemporary practitioners.
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FRANK SCHIRRMEISTER

Plain City

Earlier this week we published writer Millay Hyatt's account of walking the entire 100-mile length of the Berlin Wall Trail. Plain City, by photographer Frank Schirrmeister, presents a complementary view of the city — a native Berliner's struggle "to keep pace emotionally as the city reinvents itself with dizzying speed." Here we are pleased to be featuring the first in a series of portfolios curated by our photography editor, Aaron Rothman.
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MILLAY HYATT

On the Trail of the Berlin Wall

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 — 21 years ago this week — the reunified capital of Germany has been the setting for urban design competitions, real estate speculation, anxious memorialization, dynamic art events, and fervent political and cultural debate about the role of the past in the future of the city. But what about the actual strip, the parts of Berlin where the wall once stood? Writer Millay Hyatt treks the 100 miles of the Berlin Wall Trail, observing the sometimes easy, sometimes unsettling merger of east and west, past and present.
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CHARLES WALDHEIM

Notes Toward a History of Agrarian Urbanism

For centuries we've understood city and country, the urban and the agricultural, as distinct. "But today, in striking contrast, design culture and discourse abound with claims for the potential for urban agriculture," writes Charles Waldheim. "As environmental literacy among designers and scholars has grown, so too has enthusiasm for agricultural production in and around cities." Waldheim, one of the leading proponents of landscape urbanism, traces a history of agrarian urbanism, from Frank Lloyd Wright to Ludwig Hilberseimer to Andrea Branzi, all of whom, he notes, engaged "economic inequality, social justice, and environmental health."
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PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 1995

Splendid China

A tour of Splendid China, the "world's largest miniature scenic spot.
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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: NOVEMBER 17, 2010
FEATURED THIS WEEK : THOMAS FISHER Frederick Law Olmsted and the Campaign for Public Health In 1858 Frederick Law Olmsted won the state-sponsored competition to design the new Central Park in New York City. The project that resulted would define Olmsted's career and establish him as the founder of the American profession of landscape architecture. In 1861 Olmsted was appointed general secretary of the newly created U.S. Sanitary Commission, charged with improving conditions at Union Army camps and hospitals. In his second article focusing on design and public health — see also "Viral Cities" — Tom Fisher explores this largely forgotten episode in Olmsted's illustrious career, and argues that it might provide a template for contemporary practitioners. READ MORE
FRANK SCHIRRMEISTER Plain City Earlier this week we published writer Millay Hyatt's account of walking the entire 100-mile length of the Berlin Wall Trail. Plain City, by photographer Frank Schirrmeister, presents a complementary view of the city — a native Berliner's struggle "to keep pace emotionally as the city reinvents itself with dizzying speed." Here we are pleased to be featuring the first in a series of portfolios curated by our photography editor, Aaron Rothman. READ MORE MILLAY HYATT On the Trail of the Berlin Wall Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 — 21 years ago this week — the reunified capital of Germany has been the setting for urban design competitions, real estate speculation, anxious memorialization, dynamic art events, and fervent political and cultural debate about the role of the past in the future of the city. But what about the actual strip, the parts of Berlin where the wall once stood? Writer Millay Hyatt treks the 100 miles of the Berlin Wall Trail, observing the sometimes easy, sometimes unsettling merger of east and west, past and present. READ MORE CHARLES WALDHEIM Notes Toward a History of Agrarian Urbanism For centuries we've understood city and country, the urban and the agricultural, as distinct. "But today, in striking contrast, design culture and discourse abound with claims for the potential for urban agriculture," writes Charles Waldheim. "As environmental literacy among designers and scholars has grown, so too has enthusiasm for agricultural production in and around cities." Waldheim, one of the leading proponents of landscape urbanism, traces a history of agrarian urbanism, from Frank Lloyd Wright to Ludwig Hilberseimer to Andrea Branzi, all of whom, he notes, engaged "economic inequality, social justice, and environmental health." READ MORE		BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK \| FOLLOW US ON TWITTER PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 1995 Splendid China A tour of Splendid China, the "world's largest miniature scenic spot. 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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