New York Global: Critical Writings and Proposals: 1970-2020. Housing, Infrastructure, Pedagogy

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Framed by the period of the Great Acceleration, these writings and projects represent a critical commentary on the state of architecture and urbanism and their causal role in global metamorphosis.

On the eve of Plunzs status as Emeritus at Columbia University, New York Global bridges five decades of his pedagogical commitment to question the cannons of the design and urbanism fields and their relationship to the contemporary built environment. Global urbanization serves as a backdrop for a heightened consideration of the intermingling of housing, infrastructure, and pedagogy, as he negotiates the evolution of mainstream theory and praxis in architecture and planning.

Through interviews, syllabi excerpts, essays, discussions, and projects, New York City is projected as a lens for understanding the potential for metropolises everywhere to serve as firewalls against dystopic social inequities and ecological adversity. In questioning the discourse surrounding urban research and action, Plunz engages with the primordial question of urban itself. This book is not a cautionary tale, but rather an assemblage of timestamped evidence toward understanding our current condition. Closely studying the very tools that have fostered todays environmental and societal consequences, each segment contributes to understanding engagement with a post-accelerated future.

Author Bio

Richard Plunz is Emeritus Professor of Architecture at Columbia University, where he has served as Chair of the Division of Architecture and Director of the post-professional Urban Design Program. He was also Earth Institute Professor where he was Founding Director of the Earth Institute's Urban Design Lab. He is known for a wide range of urban research, development and design projects both nationally and internationally, with a particular expertise in urban infrastructure and housing fabric. He has been recipient of the Andrew J. Thomas Pioneer in Housing Award from the American Institute of Architects for his contributions to housing research. A revised edition of his book, A History of Housing in New York City (Columbia 1992) was published in 2016.