Forum of Design for the Public Realm
Places
AboutFoundation
Partner Schools
Print Archive
Peer Review
Submissions
Donate
Contact
Departments
CritiqueEssays
Gallery
Interviews
Multimedia
Partner News
Peer Reviewed
Poetry & Fiction
Projects
Topics
ArchitectureArt
Books
Cities / Places
Community
Culture
Design History
Design Practice
Development
Ecology
Economy
Education
Energy
Environment
Film / Video
Food/Agriculture
Geography
Health / Safety
History
Housing
Ideas
Infrastructure
Landscape
Photography
Planning
Politics / Policy
Preservation
Public / Private
Reputations
Sustainability
Technology
Transportation
Urbanism
Water
Design Observer
ArchiveBooks + Store
Job Board
Email Archive
Comments
About
Contact
Log In
Register
Culture
05.20.13: Daniel A. Barber
Hubbert’s Peak, Eneropa, and the Visualization of Renewable EnergyOn Places, Daniel Barber traces the energy debates back to the postwar era, when leading scientists argued that shifting from fossil fuels to renewables was not just technically feasible but also ethically necessary.
READ MORE
04.29.13: Naomi Stead
Child’s PlayOn Places, Naomi Stead examines the cultural perception of architecture as not simply a creative profession but also a kind of child's play — an uber-kindergarten legitimated for academic credit and professional reputation.
READ MORE
01.31.13: Kristi Dykema Cheramie & Michael Pasquier
The Lost Graves of the Morganza FloodwayOn Places, Kristi Dykema Cheramie and Michael Pasquier tell the story of a small Louisiana church relocated by Mississippi River engineers so the area could be designated as floodable territory.
READ MORE
01.24.13: Reinhold Martin
Public and Common(s)On Places, Reinhold Martin explores the philosophical understandings of the terms public and commons, from the 20th-century treatises of Arendt and Habermas to recent books by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri.
READ MORE
01.14.13: Shannon Mattern
Paju Bookcity: The Next ChapterOn Places, Shannon Mattern visits Paju Bookcity in South Korea— a special economic zone dedicated to books —and high-style architecture — now being remade for the digital era.
READ MORE
12.19.12: Kate Bernheimer, Andrew Bernheimer & SO-IL
Fairy Tale Architecture: Monkey KingOn Places, a design by Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu (SO – IL) for the Chinese fairy tale “Monkey King.”
READ MORE
12.18.12: Kate Bernheimer & Andrew Bernheimer
Fairy Tale Architecture: The Little Match GirlOn Places, a design by Bernheimer Architecture for the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Little Match Girl.”
READ MORE
12.17.12: Kate Bernheimer, Andrew Bernheimer & Abruzzo Bodziak
Fairy Tale Architecture: SnowflakeOn Places, a design by Abruzzo Bodziak for the Russian fairy tale “Snowflake.”
READ MORE
12.11.12: Naomi Stead
Writ SmallOn Places, Naomi Stead explores the presentation of architecture in children's literature, with a special focus on stories about houses and the meaning of home.
READ MORE
11.08.12: Josh Wallaert
State of the CommonsOn Places, Josh Wallaert reviews the Wiki Loves Monuments USA photography contest — and highlights the increasing privatization of our infrastructure of public information.
READ MORE
10.31.12: Kate Bernheimer & Andrew Bernheimer with Vera Leung
Fairy Tale Architecture: The Halloween EditionOn Places, a design by Bernheimer Architecture for the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “The Boy Who Set Forth to Learn What Fear Was.”
READ MORE
10.17.12: David Bacher
Far NorthOn Places, photographer David Bacher documents the semi-nomadic Laevas Sami community of northern Scandinavia, which now moves fluidly between tradition and modernity.
READ MORE
09.06.12: Daniel Kariko & Aaron Rothman
Storm SeasonOn Places, a portfolio by photographer Daniel Kariko records the fragile and changing landscapes of the barrier islands of southern Louisiana.
READ MORE
07.23.12: William L. Fox
On the Road HomeOn Places, William Fox reviews The Prehistory of Home, by anthropologist Jerry Moore — and explores what it means to be home.
READ MORE
07.09.12: Rudabeh Pakravan
Territory Jam: TehranOn Places, Rudabeh Pakravan analyzes the rise of illegal satellite TV in Tehran, which allows residents to watch state-banned shows — and which has made the private home "the true public realm" in the Iranian capital.
READ MORE
07.02.12: Martin Hogue
Kampground, AmericaOn Places, a slideshow drawn from a visual survey of all KOA campgrounds in the United States.
READ MORE
05.29.12: Rolf Potts
Tourist SnapshotsOn Places, as the summer season starts, writer Rolf Potts recollects scenes from his life as a traveler with a camera, from a 9th-grade civics class trip to Washington to later journeys around the world.
READ MORE
05.22.12: Shannon Mattern
Marginalia: Little Libraries in the Urban MarginsOn Places, Shannon Mattern surveys the rise of the little library, of the myriad pop-up, guerrilla and ad-hoc libraries that build on the DIY energy and political edge of tactical urbanism.
READ MORE
03.27.12: Mimi Zeiger
The Interventionist’s Toolkit: Project, Map, OccupyOn Places, Mimi Zeiger explores the unfolding dynamic — and tension — between the grassroots tactics of activist designers and the institutional strategies of New York's cultural leaders.
READ MORE
03.19.12: Gabrielle Esperdy
Banham's AmericaOn Places, Gabrielle Esperdy traces the American journeys of Reyner Banham, and views the British historian in the lively tradition of European travelers who tell us Americans something important about ourselves.
READ MORE
03.06.12: Giovanna Borasi & Mirko Zardini
Demedicalize ArchitectureOn Places, Canadian Centre for Architecture curators Mirko Zardini and Giovanna Borasi explore the changing social and political concepts of “healthy” buildings and cities.
READ MORE
03.01.12: Alexandra Lange
How to Be an Architecture CriticSo you want to learn how to talk about buildings? Alexandra Lange suggests starting with “Sometimes We Do It Right,” Ada Louise Huxtable's classic review of the Marine Midland Bank Building in New York.
READ MORE
02.02.12: Mitchell Schwarzer
Building After AuschwitzOn Places, Mitchell Schwarzer reviews Building After Auschwitz, the new book by historian Gabriel Rosenfeld that asks a thorny question: Is there a Jewish architecture?
READ MORE
01.30.12: Deborah Gans
Hospitality Begins at HomeOn Places, Deborah Gans visits a digital installation by Israeli artist Maya Zack and the In-House Festival in Jerusalem, and is inspired to explore the spatio-political dimensions of homeland.
READ MORE
01.03.12: Michael P. Branch
The Hills Are AliveOn Places, Michael Branch reflects on how deeply photography and film shape our landscape aesthetics (and how much he detests the Alpine-worshipping The Sound of Music).
READ MORE
12.22.11: Kate Bernheimer, Andrew Bernheimer & Guy Nordenson and Associates
House on Chicken Feet, Part 3On Places, in the third of three architectural fairy tales, Guy Nordenson and Associates re-engineer the tower in "Rapunzel."
READ MORE
12.21.11: Kate Bernheimer, Andrew Bernheimer & Leven Betts with Bret Quagliara
House on Chicken Feet, Part 2On Places, in the second of three architectural fairy tales, architects David Leven and Stella Betts reimagine "Jack and the Beanstalk."
READ MORE
12.20.11: Kate Bernheimer & Andrew Bernheimer
House on Chicken Feet, Part 1On Places, the first of three "architectural fairy tales" that explore magical homes; part one, by New York architect Andrew Bernheimer, reimagines the hut of the Russian witch Baba Yaga.
READ MORE
10.10.11: Enrique Ramirez
I Watch Slacker to Read Austin in the OriginalOn Places, architectural historian and Texas native Enrique Ramirez assesses Richard Linklater's Slacker and recalls Austin in an earlier and less self-conscious era.
READ MORE
09.16.11: Barry Bergdoll
The Art of Advocacy: The Museum as Design LaboratoryOn Places, MoMA's curator of architecture and design, Barry Bergdoll, describes his efforts to expand the museum's role to support experimentation and advocacy.
READ MORE
09.12.11: Mimi Zeiger
The Interventionist’s Toolkit: Our Cities, OurselvesOn Places, the latest installment of Mimi Zeiger's ongoing series The Interventionist's Toolkit, which explores diverse tactics and projects in DIY urbanism.
READ MORE
08.02.11: Richard Powers
What Does Fiction Know?On Places, novelist Richard Powers grapples with Berlin's history in this meditation on place and narrative.
READ MORE
07.21.11: Bobby C. Rogers
Paper AnniversaryOn Places, a poem by Bobby C. Rogers about the names of things.
READ MORE
07.02.11: D.H. Tracy
To EnglandOn Places, a poem by D.H. Tracy, a salute to England on Independence Day.
READ MORE
06.13.11: Despina Stratigakos
What I Learned from Architect BarbieWhy can't architects wear pink? On Places, Despina Stratigakos describes the feminist politics that inspired Architect Barbie.
READ MORE
06.09.11: Adelheid Fischer
A Home Before the End of the WorldOn Places, Adelheid Fischer explores our startling ignorance of the natural world — and wonders whether this is enabling the degradation of the environment.
READ MORE
05.31.11: Martin Hogue
A Short History of the CampsiteOn Places, Martin Hogue traces a history of the campsite, from early 20th-century wilderness camps to today's domesticated campgrounds, where the amenities include day spas and wi-fi.
READ MORE
03.14.11: Mimi Zeiger
The Interventionist's Toolkit: Posters, Pamphlets and GuidesOn Places, in the second of her series on The Interventionist's Toolkit, Mimi Zeiger reports on the ingenious use of print media to spur urban activism — and even revolution.
READ MORE
03.07.11: Beth Weinstein
The Collaborative Legacy of Merce CunninghamOn Places, architect Beth Weinstein highlights a real though often unrecognized architectural type: the diverse collaborations between major choreographers and eminent architects.
READ MORE
03.03.11: Justin Partyka
Black FenOn Places, a portfolio by photographer Justin Partyka focusing on the fenlands of eastern England and a vanishing way of life.
READ MORE
02.17.11: David Clements & Douglas Haller
Writing on the WallOn Places, a portfolio of photographs by Detroit local David Clements, of some of the many hand-painted signs and murals found throughout the Motor City.
READ MORE
01.31.11: Mimi Zeiger
The Interventionist's ToolkitOn Places, Mimi Zeiger reports on what she calls "the interventionist's toolkit" — architects' and urbanists' creative responses to the economic slump.
READ MORE
01.13.11: Nick Sowers
Soundscapes: Burning ManOn Places, a selection of soundscapes — ranging from dust storms to diesel generators — recorded by architect Nick Sowers at the latest Burning Man.
READ MORE
01.10.11: Nate Berg
Burning Man and the MetropolisOn Places, Nate Berg looks at Burning Man, and how a beach party in San Francisco mushroomed into a week-long temporary city of 50,000 out in the Nevada desert.
READ MORE
10.12.10: Quilian Riano
Relearning the Social: Architecture and ChangeOn Places, architect Quilian Riano reviews the Museum of Modern Art's new exhibition Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement.
READ MORE
09.13.10: Keith Eggener
Size Matters: Small Towns with Big ThingsFrom the Burj Khalifa to the world's biggest ball of twine, size matters. On Places, architectural historian Keith Eggener takes an expansive look at largeness, especially "big things in small towns."
READ MORE
08.18.10: Martin Hogue
Land, Speed and BonnevilleOn Places — coinciding with Speed Week at Bonneville — a gallery created by architect Martin Hogue documents decades of land speed racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats of western Utah.
READ MORE
06.09.10: Mitchell Schwarzer
A Sense of Place, A World of Augmented Reality: Part 2On Places, in the second installment of his two-part essay, architectural historian Mitchell Schwarzer argues that augmented reality, combined with social networking, is bringing about "nothing less than a new epoch of social relations."
READ MORE
06.08.10: Mitchell Schwarzer
A Sense of Place, A World of Augmented Reality: Part 1On Places, in the first of two-part essay, architectural historian Mitchell Schwarzer argues that digital technology, especially the real-time, mediating imageries of augmented reality, are revolutionizing how we perceive and inhabit place.
READ MORE
04.26.10: Barbara Penner
The Wedding at Cana: A Vision by Peter GreenawayOn Places, architectural historian Barbara Penner explores Peter Greenaway's digital video installation of Veronese's The Wedding at Cana, the latest in the series "Nine Classic Paintings Revisited," shown at the recent Venice Biennale.
READ MORE
03.15.10: Frank Gohlke
Grain ElevatorsOn Places, a slideshow of photographs from Frank Gohlke's series on grain elevators in the American Midwest and Great Plains.
READ MORE
03.06.10: Nancy Levinson
Critical BeatsOn Places, Nancy Levinson argues that the fundamental dilemma of architecture criticism is the rise of the global beat — dateline: placeless.
READ MORE
11.15.09: Mimi Zeiger
Our Design DecadeMimi Zeiger reviews Design USA, which opened last month at the Cooper-Hewitt, marking ten years of the National Design Awards program.
READ MORE
11.05.09: Jan Otakar Fischer
Berlin: The Art of ReunificationOn the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, architect and writer Jan Otakar Fischer describes the failed competition to create a reunification memorial — and explores the thorny questions of German memory and identity.
READ MORE
11.03.09: Frieder Schnock & Renata Stih
Open Space: Berlin After ReunificationBerlin-based artists Renata Stih and Frieder Schnock curate an online gallery to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
READ MORE
09.11.09: Keith Eggener
Hometown, AmericaArchitectural historian Keith Eggener visits the boyhood homes of Mark Twain and Walt Disney, and finds in each an all-American mix of historic fact, popular fantasy and commercial exploitation.
READ MORE
07.15.95: Thomas J. Campanella
Splendid ChinaA tour of Splendid China, the "world's largest miniature scenic spot.
READ MORE
