The quality of L.A.'s public structures falls far below its remarkable private residences. Greg Goldin argues why we should see the beauty in its greatest creations: its infrastructure and evolving collection of noisy storefronts.
"On the list of path-breaking private houses [in Los Angeles] is everything from Irving Gill’s Dodge House of 1916 to Tadao Ando’s Malibu residence, still under construction," notes Goldin. "Yet the list of path-breaking public structures is pitifully short, especially for a city that has been a mecca for architectural talent."
"Given this dismal record of public structures, can we even say architecture has mattered to Los Angeles?"
Goldin explains why "in the world’s first modern and almost purely 'infrastructural city,” the "greatest public monuments...are not buildings at all." And he has special praise for the "noisy clash of storefronts vying ceaselessly for attention—in a multiplicity of languages, scripts, fonts, colors, and materials."
"Outwardly, it appears messy, even ugly, especially to outsiders," he concludes. "It is also what gives our city its life and vitality. Without this percolating, mutable, and, yes, frustrating form, Los Angeles would be a city with less visual clutter—and a far duller place."
FULL STORY: L.A. Only Looks Ugly
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research