Last week community planner Ron Shiffman received the 2012 Jane Jacobs Medal for Lifetime Leadership, presented by the Rockefeller Foundation and administered by the Municipal Art Society. Ron’s acceptance speech, read parts of it below, evokes the “pivotal role” Jacobs played for Ron and urbanists everywhere, “in forging the way we think about people, cities, and the economy.”–SSS
The position I filled at Pratt fifty years ago was ironically created because of Jane’s advocacy against a Pratt planning proposal for an area of Brooklyn now known as Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Cobble Hill–an action I will forever be grateful for. Brooklyn benefitted because a well intentioned, but misguided, plan was defeated and I benefitted because I got the job opportunity of a lifetime.
I had the honor to meet Jane a few times, almost always with my good friend Roberta Gratz. In the early 70’s, Roberta and I took Jane on a tour of the South Bronx where my colleagues and I were working with residents committed to rebuilding their communities [the Peoples Development Corporation and Banana Kelly among them]. Jane immediately sensed that this, not planned shrinkage as proposed by some, was the way to rebuild our vulnerable communities.
One of Jane’s greatest attributes was to give voice to those who struggled to preserve and revitalize their community, an effort [that] many others were engaged in [including] Elsie Richardson, Don Benjamin in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Jane understood the struggle of groups like Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn whose opposition to the misuse of eminent domain and the abuse of power by some pitted them against the some of the city’s most powerful entities. She inspired journalists like Norm Oder to put voice to their struggles. (more…)
What if you herded a bunch of architects into one neighborhood and let them loose to design…
It’s been done before. Columbus, Indiana, comes to mind with more than 60 public buildings by signature architects. Ok, it’s a city not a neighborhood, but you get the idea.
Northern Liberties, a late 18th century Philadelphia neighborhood exhibits a high concentration of architect- designed structures blossoming along its comfortably scaled streets. You can’t help noticing, pondering what it means to have so many new, well intentioned buildings jostling each other in one place.
By mid 19th century, Philadelphia had banned certain noxious industries from downtown, relegating them instead to Northern Liberties. Immigrant workers and artisans ensconced themselves and their homes amidst the din and dust of their own livelihood. Remnants of abandoned mills, tanneries, and breweries are now interspersed with old brick row homes standing inhabited and intact.
New residences and commercial properties designed by contemporary architects bring vitality and economic promise to an area of the city that, for many years, was stuck in neutral. The neighborhood has become more intensely gentrified with many cafes, bars, microbreweries, restaurants, outdoor dining, festivals in summer and a retro 1950′s looking bowling alley. A big community garden on grassy, sloping land is a great playground for kids. In short, Northern Liberties is a magnet for resident artists, architects, designers, and other professionals who, in a sense, represent a tie to those workers and artisans of the past.
I have two kids, ages almost 6 and 3, and while they love reading books, I enjoy reading their books as much, if not more, than they do. I love the nostalgia and silliness of Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl and the clever stories and terms that Mo Willems churns.
The way my kids respond to books has shown me the power within their pages. One book can spark a new interest that lasts days, months – even years. One book can lead to the insistence that we read tens more on the same topic.
So naturally, I try to select books on topics that are also interesting to me (after all, I’m equally invested in reading these). This prompted an unofficial research project on children’s books about the built environment. With the exception of the immense stock of books about construction, trucks, trains, and planes, there are relatively few stories about the professions and interests of the designers and planners or about the shape and functions of cities, buildings, communities, neighborhoods, and parks themselves.
However disappointed I was by the brevity of my list, books like Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty and The Little House by Virginia Burton have been inducted into our nightly favorites. (You can find my assuredly incomplete list of children’s books on landscape, architecture, planning and otherwise urban-related topics at the end of this post.)
A story about a talented little boy who builds architecture out of everything from chalk to dirty diapers
In recent years, young designers have flocked to Brooklyn for more affordable work spaces and for the lively, burgeoning creative scenes. Here, we’ve listed showrooms, shops, restaurants, museums and institutions, and galleries in a few Brooklyn neighborhoods, particularly Williamsburg and Dumbo. We’ve also included a few spots in Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, and beyond, for when you find yourself outside of dense design areas.
Check back each weekday before Design Week to see highlights from New York’s most design-forward neighborhoods. And look for the printed version of the Metropolis Design Guide around the city, especially in Chelsea at WantedDesign, in Midtown at the Architects & Designers Building and the Decoration & Design Building, in Flatiron at the New York Design Center, and at the newsstand at ICFF at the Javits Center.
Keep an eye out for what we “like” during NY Design Week. Around the city, you’ll see our lovely signs, produced by 3M Architectural Markets using 3M™ Crystal Glass Finishes, at all of our editors’ favorite, must-see spots. Throughout our neighborhood listings, you’ll also see a 
next to our favorites.
METROPOLIS LIKES BRIGHT LYONS
This downtown Brooklyn curiosity shop features an owner-curated mix of midcentury-modern furniture from the likes of Herman Miller, Knoll, and Laverne; contemporary artwork and prints; and vintage art, architecture, and design books.
For more information, see Bright Lyons listing below (image credit: Julienne Schaer).
In Soho, landmarked cast-iron buildings speak to the area’s industrial past, though the interiors hold cutting-edge showrooms, galleries, and shops. Soho is bustling during the day, quiet in the evenings, and always a great spot to stroll or people-watch. Here, we’ve listed the area’s best showrooms, shops, restaurants, museums, institutions, and galleries.
Check back each weekday before Design Week to see highlights from New York’s most design-forward neighborhoods. And look for the printed version of the Metropolis Design Guide around the city, especially in Chelsea at WantedDesign, in Midtown at the Architects & Designers Building and the Decoration & Design Building, in Flatiron at the New York Design Center, and at the newsstand at ICFF at the Javits Center.
Keep an eye out for what we “like” during NY Design Week. Around the city, you’ll see our lovely signs, produced by 3M Architectural Markets using 3M™ Crystal Glass Finishes, at all of our editors’ favorite, must-see spots. Throughout our neighborhood listings, you’ll also see a 
next to our favorites.
METROPOLIS LIKES FAB X FLOR
A pop-up shop at Flor features a Fab-curated assortment of brightly colored objects, including a red chalkboard piggy bank by Ladies & Gentlemen as well as the launch of Quinze & Milan’s Pilot collection, with an installation by the duo. For more information, see the Flor listing below (image credit: Ladies & Gentlemen).
In Soho, landmarked cast-iron buildings speak to the area’s industrial past, though the interiors hold cutting-edge showrooms, galleries, and shops. Soho is bustling during the day, quiet in the evenings, and always a great spot to stroll or people-watch. Here, we’ve listed the area’s best showrooms, shops, restaurants, museums, institutions, and galleries.
Check back each weekday before Design Week to see highlights from New York’s most design-forward neighborhoods. And look for the printed version of the Metropolis Design Guide around the city, especially in Chelsea at WantedDesign, in Midtown at the Architects & Designers Building and the Decoration & Design Building, in Flatiron at the New York Design Center, and at the newsstand at ICFF at the Javits Center.
Keep an eye out for what we “like” during NY Design Week. Around the city, you’ll see our lovely signs, produced by 3M Architectural Markets using 3M™ Crystal Glass Finishes, at all of our editors’ favorite, must-see spots. Throughout our neighborhood listings, you’ll also see a next to our favorites.
METROPOLIS LIKES FAB X FLOR
A pop-up shop at Flor features a Fab-curated assortment of brightly colored objects, including a red chalkboard piggy bank by Ladies & Gentlemen as well as the launch of Quinze & Milan’s Pilot collection, with an installation by the duo. For more information, see the Flor listing below (image credit: Ladies & Gentlemen).
