(photo source: brownstoner .com)Fellow Blogger Steven , a.k.a. Cervo, at " Views From The Bridge", doesn't post often on his site, but when he does, his every word is an echo of what many of my Brooklyn friends are thinking and feeling. His latest post, which I have added below is a wonderfully written piece on how thoughtless, out-of context architecture damages the feel and the humanity of a place.
I agree with him totally. What we are loosing here in our borough of Brooklyn with all these mega developments is more than the view of the sky, it is a sense of belonging, a sense of pride and a place where we can raise our families from one generation to the next.
Read on:
IS BIGGER BETTER FOR BROOKLYN?
By Steven Hart
Daniel Doctoroff, the Deputy Mayor for economic development, is leaving
Bloomberg's side, a c-section in the municipal consciousness that may at
least give us a breather from grand, industrial strength schemes for social
engineering. He has retrospectively repudiated Ratner's methods for
skirting the public approval process for the Atlantic Yards (AY). It seems
a nice, if sadly belated, parting gift to the City. Bloomberg, like
President Bush, is losing momentum for his "Uberplans." Soon Brooklyn may
also be free of the dubious representation of David Yassky, although the
idea of him as City Comptroller is an alarming one given his affinity for
fat cat deals including AY. We will soon be back to the Borough President
and his one-liners as public policy. So perhaps Brooklyn can catch its
political breath and really sort out the AY question.
With all else that is wrong with Ratner's Atlantic Yards project, perhaps
the worst error is one of esthetics. To date Mr. Ratner has managed to give
us the Atlantic Center with its slab iteration of Ebbets Field. He admits
it is hideous and has gone about fixing that by plastering its slab sides
with assorted garish electric signs reminiscent of a gaudy square in Tokyo.
The mall that now fronts the Center is drab, lifeless, and worse still,
isolated amid a sea of hostile, dangerous traffic.
The look and feel of a place matter just as much in a building as they do in
the presentation of food. We eat with our eyes and that is how we respond
to our environment. Former Mayor Giuliani may have more flaws than the
nation yet realizes, but he was right in thinking that order begets order.
By the same token, environmental sensitivity (which is often a matter of
scale) begets a more caring reaction from inhabitants and visitors alike.
Trash begets trash. Bad food creates a bad palate. Bland, faceless
architecture makes for indifference and a feeling of intimidation.
I agree with him totally. What we are loosing here in our borough of Brooklyn with all these mega developments is more than the view of the sky, it is a sense of belonging, a sense of pride and a place where we can raise our families from one generation to the next.
Read on:
IS BIGGER BETTER FOR BROOKLYN?
By Steven Hart
Daniel Doctoroff, the Deputy Mayor for economic development, is leaving
Bloomberg's side, a c-section in the municipal consciousness that may at
least give us a breather from grand, industrial strength schemes for social
engineering. He has retrospectively repudiated Ratner's methods for
skirting the public approval process for the Atlantic Yards (AY). It seems
a nice, if sadly belated, parting gift to the City. Bloomberg, like
President Bush, is losing momentum for his "Uberplans." Soon Brooklyn may
also be free of the dubious representation of David Yassky, although the
idea of him as City Comptroller is an alarming one given his affinity for
fat cat deals including AY. We will soon be back to the Borough President
and his one-liners as public policy. So perhaps Brooklyn can catch its
political breath and really sort out the AY question.
With all else that is wrong with Ratner's Atlantic Yards project, perhaps
the worst error is one of esthetics. To date Mr. Ratner has managed to give
us the Atlantic Center with its slab iteration of Ebbets Field. He admits
it is hideous and has gone about fixing that by plastering its slab sides
with assorted garish electric signs reminiscent of a gaudy square in Tokyo.
The mall that now fronts the Center is drab, lifeless, and worse still,
isolated amid a sea of hostile, dangerous traffic.
The look and feel of a place matter just as much in a building as they do in
the presentation of food. We eat with our eyes and that is how we respond
to our environment. Former Mayor Giuliani may have more flaws than the
nation yet realizes, but he was right in thinking that order begets order.
By the same token, environmental sensitivity (which is often a matter of
scale) begets a more caring reaction from inhabitants and visitors alike.
Trash begets trash. Bad food creates a bad palate. Bland, faceless
architecture makes for indifference and a feeling of intimidation.
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