Comments on: Design Philosophy Targets Sprawl http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2008/06/12/design-philosophy-targets-sprawl/ Arts and Culture for North Texas and Far Beyond Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:25:58 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Tom Hendricks http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2008/06/12/design-philosophy-targets-sprawl/#comment-1400 Tom Hendricks Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:14:45 +0000 http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/?p=1162#comment-1400 There is no reason cars have to go THROUGH downtown Dallas. They can go to or around downtown. Getting the cars out of all downtown Dallas would turn it into the world's largest and greatest mall - overnight. But unfortunately that would require citizen initiative. And Dallas history has only developer based city planning. There is no reason cars have to go THROUGH downtown Dallas. They can go to or around downtown. Getting the cars out of all downtown Dallas would turn it into the world’s largest and greatest mall – overnight.
But unfortunately that would require citizen initiative. And Dallas history has only developer based city planning.

]]> By: Charissa N. Terranova http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2008/06/12/design-philosophy-targets-sprawl/#comment-1397 Charissa N. Terranova Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:48:29 +0000 http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/?p=1162#comment-1397 Great stuff. I love MVRDV. My question is: Why does innovative and envelope-pushing form have to be in the center? Why not in nucleated spots here and there, along the highway? We certainly have the infrastructure for it...and perhaps even attempts at it. How do we understand Las Colinas but as a corporate-company town and a missed opportunity for exciting architecture. As for this question: "But could the relatively recent influx of residents back into the city’s inner core and the resurgence of ambitious new projects (the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, for example) eventually lead the city to be more receptive to the kinds of projects championed by MVRDV and its contemporaries?" Most exciting architecture -- or for that matter form, whether it be art or architecture -- happens at the behest of private funds, and this is the case across the country. We have the money here but what goes lacking is the knowledge of why we need good design and the exact nature of good design. Since everyone in the country seems to be against centralized educational mandates, such as a core curriculum and funds for the arts that comes down from the fed, then it's up to the citizens in our loosely federated states to see to it that the "people" know about art and architecture. It's an uphill battle, but I've been waging it since the age of 19, when I decided to become an art history major at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Here's to your great blog! Charissa Great stuff. I love MVRDV. My question is: Why does innovative and envelope-pushing form have to be in the center? Why not in nucleated spots here and there, along the highway? We certainly have the infrastructure for it…and perhaps even attempts at it. How do we understand Las Colinas but as a corporate-company town and a missed opportunity for exciting architecture. As for this question:

“But could the relatively recent influx of residents back into the city’s inner core and the resurgence of ambitious new projects (the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, for example) eventually lead the city to be more receptive to the kinds of projects championed by MVRDV and its contemporaries?”

Most exciting architecture — or for that matter form, whether it be art or architecture — happens at the behest of private funds, and this is the case across the country. We have the money here but what goes lacking is the knowledge of why we need good design and the exact nature of good design. Since everyone in the country seems to be against centralized educational mandates, such as a core curriculum and funds for the arts that comes down from the fed, then it’s up to the citizens in our loosely federated states to see to it that the “people” know about art and architecture. It’s an uphill battle, but I’ve been waging it since the age of 19, when I decided to become an art history major at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Here’s to your great blog!

Charissa

]]>