a+u

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 York’s ongoing transformation and renewal may provide a glimpse of its projected future.   (a+u)

Aerial Photos of Manhattan

What is Manhattan Grid for Architects?

Building and City

Maps of Manhattan in 1811 and 2008

Essay:
The Great Grid of Manhattan
Amanda Burden

Height Diagrams

Zoning Plan of Manhattan Grid in 2011

Shifting of Population Density 1900–2010

Cityscape – Avenue and Street

Walking on the Broadway

Isometric Buildings of Manhattan (Chronological Order, Heights Order)

Skyline View of Manhattan

Car and City in 1900s

Maps of Manhattan and Tokyo

Manhattan Architecture Guide

Essay:
The Future is Past – Empire State Building Retrofit
John Gendall

Interview and Essay:
BMW Guggenheim Lab in New York
Out into the Streets David van der Leer
Confronting Comfort Charles Montgomery
A Beehive Thomas Girst

Exhibition:
BIM for Infrastructure

Festival of Ideas for the New City:
Audi Urban Future: Tangible Models for Manhattan in 2030

Book Review:
Reread Delirious New York
Yuusuke Karasawa

Exhibition:
194X–9/11: American Architects and the City

Affairs of Manhattan Since 1811