As much as architects and critics may hate the term, "we are going to be stuck with 'starchitect' until everybody with a keyboard agrees to retire it," says Guy Horton. So how can architects - star or not - make the term work for them?
"We can suggest as architect, Stephan Jaklitsch did in a recent letter, that we banish [the word 'starchitect'] to the waste bin of history. But then another term will crop up to take its place. Like it or not, the way things are, popular culture needs to find a way to communicate the concept of the celebrity as manifested in the context of architecture," says Horton.
As long as the buzzword is with us, how can architects benefit from the buzz?
"The more architects can communicate their actual value to the general public the more they will be able to establish and maintain realistic fee structures. 'Starchitect' as a term can thus have its value in drawing attention to contemporary architecture and making people more aware of it, but architects themselves must wrestle the term back under their control and use it to their advantage. "
FULL STORY: The Indicator: Starchitect, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Portmanteau
Tom Brady the Starchitect
New England Patriot's Quarterback Tom Brady, one of the most famous people in the country, said on a radio show recently that he's considering architecture for a post-football career.
'Tulip Tower' Doesn't Clear the Mayor's Desk in London
A 984-foot tower, with an observation deck, shaped like a tulip, won over planners, but not the mayor, in London.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service