terra non firma

eminent domain, edible lawns, and some other stuff

how did it get to be thursday already? this week is slipping by - and one week before I head off to new york for a couple of weeks to see friends and family. I'm already dreading the cold, but can't wait to get back to real pizza and bagels. anyway, back to LA. focus now. in the news:

• the latimes looks inward as it invites matt welch to write an editorial asking why the paper has ignored issues of eminent domain as LAUSD embarks on one of the largest public works projects in CA. the touchstone for welch is a plan to bulldoze 50 homes in echo park to build a school, when there is a nonresidential plot of land adjacent to the proposed site currently for sale.
• why are lawns in the news so much lately? last week, the nytimes covered homeowners preference for concrete "lawns," this week fritz haeg, a longtime collaborator with the schindler house, has announced plans to launch "edible estates" next year. he's currently asking for a homeowner willing to have his or her lawn transformed into an entirely edible landscape. if only I had a lawn. [via archinect]
• everyone's favorite weho example of "programmatic architecture," tail o' the pup hot dog stand, is moving to make way for a retirement center for gay and lesbian centers. no definitive word yet on where the pup is heading to, but westwood is apparently a strong possibility. ucla students will no longer be deprived of their artery-hardening, cholestorel-raising hot beef injections. mmm, hot beef injections.
• and the nytimes hangs out in pasadena with gale anne hurd, producer of classics like "aeon flux." her house is big, renovation took forever, tried to capture 20's hollywood glamouzzzzzzzz. sorry, where was I? oh yeah. she's got a big house.

posted by marissa @ 8:03 AM