terra non firma

finally asking the right questions

sam hall kaplan tackles gehry's plans for grand ave in the latest edition of LA downtown news. unlike some of the overly enthusiastic claptrap we've seen since gehry was attached to the project, kaplan asks some of the right questions: can gehry create a project that works on the street level, creating a public space that "succeed[s] as an urban cultural and community nexus"?

gehry's emphasis on form (at the expense of function according to kaplan and others) makes urban planners, community activists and academics anxious. while the grand intervention project was initiated before gehry's announced involvement, it serves as a further catalyst for greater public participation in what is becoming one of LA's largest, most expensive and highly visible urban projects.

posted by marissa @ 9:23 AM