How Do You Like Your Public Space, Grilled Or Fried?
Best of the Worst for 2006
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Hipsters Officially an Ethnic Group
Following a brochure announcement by the Heart of Brooklyn Partnership which describes the greater Prospect Heights area as one where "you can encounter Caribbean, Hasidic or American hipster cultures," the Census department announcement plans to count the skinny-jeaned wonders in the upcoming decennial count of Americans. Preliminary evidence suggests that they/we are fucking everywhere.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
French fire coach after poor showing on the Planetizen 100
The Societe General d'Urbanisme in Paris announced today that Jean Baudrillard, the noted postmodernist intellectual and urbanist who was expected to lead France to a strong showing on this years list, has been removed as coach of the French team. Baudrillard, who is dead, defended his leadership of the French team, which was shut out completely from the top 20, and placed only four thinkers on the list overall.
"Our team was well prepared to think deeply about the metropolis and the contemporary urban experience. We produced excellent theory, and were simply blindsided by the fact that the voters considered porches more important than critical thinking."
The porch reference is due to the fact that the New Urbanists dominated the list, placing two of their own Andres Duany and Christopher Alexander, in the Top 3. The top French performers, Pierre L'Enfant and Baron George Haussmann, came in 21st and 22nd respectively.
Many close observers of the French team argue that internal dissension is at least part of the problem. Haussman reacted furiously that L'Enfant, whose design for Washington DC was ultimately overwritten by the American Congress, could place higher than he, the man who single-handedly rewrote Paris and urban modernity. There were some in Paris who were celebrating the victory of Henri Lefebvre (28) over Richard Florida (29) as a sign that the right to the city may just trump the creative class, but overall the feeling on the streets of Paris is bleak.
Commented one young parisian urbanist on the last second victory of Emily Talen over famed Situationist Guy Debord for 84th place, "You've got to be fucking kidding me."
"Our team was well prepared to think deeply about the metropolis and the contemporary urban experience. We produced excellent theory, and were simply blindsided by the fact that the voters considered porches more important than critical thinking."
The porch reference is due to the fact that the New Urbanists dominated the list, placing two of their own Andres Duany and Christopher Alexander, in the Top 3. The top French performers, Pierre L'Enfant and Baron George Haussmann, came in 21st and 22nd respectively.
Many close observers of the French team argue that internal dissension is at least part of the problem. Haussman reacted furiously that L'Enfant, whose design for Washington DC was ultimately overwritten by the American Congress, could place higher than he, the man who single-handedly rewrote Paris and urban modernity. There were some in Paris who were celebrating the victory of Henri Lefebvre (28) over Richard Florida (29) as a sign that the right to the city may just trump the creative class, but overall the feeling on the streets of Paris is bleak.
Commented one young parisian urbanist on the last second victory of Emily Talen over famed Situationist Guy Debord for 84th place, "You've got to be fucking kidding me."
Editorial: The Heeb 106
In a sign of disrespect for the importance and sexiness of urban planning, the editors at Heeb Magazine declined to include a category for urbanists in their recent Heeb 100 list of the hippest, coolest young Jews. Despite sit-ins and protests outside of Heeb's offices, they refuse to budge from their position that fashion is more important or interesting than sewage or bike lanes.
We at Saturbia recognize that it would be all but impossible to select a half-dozen enterprising members of the tribe from amongst then legions of Jews engaged in urban activities these days. Therefore, we will examine another Top 100 list - Planetizen's Top 100 Urban Thinkers of All Time - to nominate candidates for what will surely be an important category in the 2010 Heeb list.
Despite some internet reports, there is little evidence that the #1 person on the list, St. Jane Jacobs, is Jewish, despite a good last name. This means that the leading Jewish urbanist of all time is...
7. Lewis Mumford. It seems that Mumford's feelings towards his Jewishness were highly ambivalent, as were his feelings about cities, people and anything that wasn't the medieval city. Makes him similar to Max Weber (definitely not a Jew) or Robert Park (Jew), except that neither of them managed to make the list.
20. Jaime Lerner. Heeb, are you listening? Do you even know there are Jews in Curitiba, Brazil, let alone ones that are working to redo how you move about the city?
23. Robert Moses. Alas. Just like Lerner, albeit the opposite.
27. Scott Bernstein. Everyone is excited about Scott making the list - he's young, cute, knows a lot about cargo and WATOD and TOD and lots of other cool things. Heeb, this guy is cover material, assuming he is actually Jewish.
31. Bruce Katz. An urban wonks wonk, Herr Katz and his Brookings team keep it real with great reports that you can get for free, cite and look smart. And what a good, strong, American Jewish name. Could be president of the shul.
There are of course a handful of others, complicated only by all of the Germans and German Americans whose names sound Jewish but probably are not. Yet we at Saturbia must mention the patron saint of Jewish urbanism, #58 Walter Benjamin, arguably the first urban hipster intellectual. Heeb, are you listening?
We at Saturbia recognize that it would be all but impossible to select a half-dozen enterprising members of the tribe from amongst then legions of Jews engaged in urban activities these days. Therefore, we will examine another Top 100 list - Planetizen's Top 100 Urban Thinkers of All Time - to nominate candidates for what will surely be an important category in the 2010 Heeb list.
Despite some internet reports, there is little evidence that the #1 person on the list, St. Jane Jacobs, is Jewish, despite a good last name. This means that the leading Jewish urbanist of all time is...
7. Lewis Mumford. It seems that Mumford's feelings towards his Jewishness were highly ambivalent, as were his feelings about cities, people and anything that wasn't the medieval city. Makes him similar to Max Weber (definitely not a Jew) or Robert Park (Jew), except that neither of them managed to make the list.
20. Jaime Lerner. Heeb, are you listening? Do you even know there are Jews in Curitiba, Brazil, let alone ones that are working to redo how you move about the city?
23. Robert Moses. Alas. Just like Lerner, albeit the opposite.
27. Scott Bernstein. Everyone is excited about Scott making the list - he's young, cute, knows a lot about cargo and WATOD and TOD and lots of other cool things. Heeb, this guy is cover material, assuming he is actually Jewish.
31. Bruce Katz. An urban wonks wonk, Herr Katz and his Brookings team keep it real with great reports that you can get for free, cite and look smart. And what a good, strong, American Jewish name. Could be president of the shul.
There are of course a handful of others, complicated only by all of the Germans and German Americans whose names sound Jewish but probably are not. Yet we at Saturbia must mention the patron saint of Jewish urbanism, #58 Walter Benjamin, arguably the first urban hipster intellectual. Heeb, are you listening?
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