A+U, No 493

Content

Feature: Manhattan Grid

This issue commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Manhattan Grid by looking at it from a number of perspectives. Speaking of the grid, David M. Childs, Chairman of the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) says, The Manhattan street grid is the single most important characteristic that defines New York and makes it unique. While its rigid geometry is often first thought to be restrictive, the anonymity of the grid actually encourages flexibility. The richness of the city fabric is evident in the photographs by Toru Hasegawa (pp 48-53), who documented images along Broadway from the World Trade Center to Columbia University. Perhaps the grid is not only a tool by which to grasp the scale of the city, but also a platform on which multiculturalism could thrive.
The first part presents visualizations of census and zoning data made available by the city, as well as photographs and axonometric drawings to illustrate the changes and realities of Manhattan over the past two centuries. The preface collects commentaries on the grid from 11 architects whose practices are based in the city. Traversing from past, present to future, their perspectives shed light on the relationship of the grid to the city, its architecture, and its society today. The latter part of this issue catalogues 100 notable buildings in Manhattan. This architectural guide could also be viewed online (p 146). http://g.co/maps/y226n
At the dawn of the 21st century, cities around the world are competing to produce sustainable and ecological societies. Having declared its vision for 2020 (p 30), New Yorks ongoing transformation and renewal may provide a glimpse of its projected future. (a+u)