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Today's News - August 11, 2006

The "rebel" Alsop throws his hat in the ring to be London's design tsar. -- Glancey says that isn't what the city needs. -- A New Orleans landfill is making "a second disaster out of the first one." -- FEMA under fire again: trailers for Katrina victims have elevated formaldehyde emissions. -- Just how sustainable are many of the urban regeneration in the U.K.? (Not very.) -- Even with improved planning processes, municipalities still have to play cat-and-mouse with "the sprawl machinery." -- Saffron takes on Philadelphia's towering lack of planning oversight - by experts. -- At least the Design Advocacy Group of Philadelphia is having some impact. -- Toronto gets a 10-day preview of its future waterfront. -- Another take on Foster's new "fishnet tower" in Manhattan. -- Pelli in the spotlight. -- Eisenman as "football junkie." -- Wright Foundation floundering - again. -- A new book looks at how real Cubans live.

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Rebel architect tipped as London design tsar: Alsop applies for new post in plea for coherent vision. Move seen as challenge to the establishment...urged...to put his name forward to counterbalance Lord Rogers's powers.- Guardian (UK)

Enlist a forum, not factions: Does London need a "design tsar"? No...It needs a forum that will openly question the need for a new generation of gas-guzzling, Shanghai-style skyscrapers - the SUVs of the architectural world...that will not push new forms of architecture simply because they are "sexy" or "iconic." By Jonathan Glancey- Guardian (UK)

A Heap of Sorrows: A controversial New Orleans landfill is set to close, but eco-disaster still looms...The Chef Menteur...has made "a second disaster out of the first one."- Grist Magazine

International charity Oxfam America and the Mississippi NAACP call for an independent contractor to test FEMA trailers for elevated formaldehyde emissions. (AP)- Environmental News Network

Commuter culture: Urban regeneration is creating 'transient' communities: The twin-policy mantra of "sustainable development" and "brownfield regeneration" has...dominated the debate on urban redevelopment in the UK...But how sustainable are the communities being developed... By Tim Dixon- Guardian (UK)

Smart is as smart does: Reality says we may want to change our land use policies before it’s too late. But how? ...even though municipalities have improved their planning processes, it’s still a cat and mouse game as...“the sprawl machinery”...constantly figure out new ways to get what they want. -- National Trust for Historic Preservation; Smart Growth Leadership Institute- Louisville Eccentric Observer

Towering lack of oversight: ...there are reasons to be concerned by the lack of planning oversight...could follow the example of cities like San Francisco and create an urban design review board, staffed by experts... By Inga Saffron- Philadelphia Inquirer

Gambling on Philadelphia's Future: Can Casinos Fit into a Big City Downtown? ...its impact is a crapshoot. -- Design Advocacy Group of Philadelphia (DAG)- The Next American City

Cyclists get Quay to the City -- for 10 days: Four-metre-wide promenade gives taste of what future holds for [Toronto] central waterfront -- West 8/du Toit Allsopp Hillier- Globe and Mail (Canada)

Hearst Tower, The Devil Wears Diagrid: Condé Nast’s legendary publishing rival, gets a leg up with Foster’s new fishnet tower. [images]- Architecture Magazine

Cesar Pelli: Swept up by waves: With Segerstrom Concert Hall, the Argentine designer worked to capture Orange County in curves and glass. Scott Timberg looks at the project, the man and his 50-plus-year career.- Los Angeles Times

Architect brought love of sports to project: Long before Peter Eisenman rose to worldwide prominence in the field of architecture, he was a sports enthusiast..."I’m a football junkie. I assume doing a stadium for a football junkie is like doing a cathedral for a Catholic."- East Valley Tribune (Arizona)

3 Wright group leaders lose jobs: Tumult continues at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in Scottsdale...Plans include hiring a facilities manager and creating a center for design innovation.- Arizona Republic

Book Review: "Inside Cuba" by Julio César Pérez Hernández: How real Cubans, both rich and poor, live...is more honest than most books of its ilk...Caught between grandeur and hipness...delivers a bit of both but not a satisfying amount of either. [images]- Miami Herald

Fine Tuning: Utah State University Performance Hall: Inspired by the surrounding mountains, a new building establishes a campus arts precinct that bridges the town/gown divide. -- Sasaki Associates [images]- ArchNewsNow

-- Inauguration: SANAA/Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa: Zollverein School, Essen, Germany
-- Under construction: Rem Koolhaas/OMA: Coal Washing Plant, Zollverein Mining Complex, Essen, Germany
-- Master Plan: Rem Koolhaas/OMA: Zollverein Mining Complex, Essen, Germany

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