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2004
Lutyens Losing Ground?
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The timing could not have been worse. The world Monuments Fund in New York recently named Lutyen's Bungalow Zone (LBZ) in New Delhi as one of the world's 100 most important endangered architectural sites. Then came the announcement that authorities in Delhi propose to 'redevelop' the area. 
New Delhi was declared the new imperial capital of India by George V in 1911. Sir Edwin Lutyen's designed 'acropolis' incorporated Secretariat buildings flanking the two-mile processional route up to the Viceroys' house (presently PM's residence) set atop the Raisina Hill. Lutyens devised a new style for the new capital, his own columnar order called the 'Delhi Order', and created something that was both impressive and original, so loved that the area has always been called 'Lutyens' Delhi'. 
While his grand monuments are iconic of Delhi, it is the white stuccoed bungalows with their gentle bow-fronts, colonnaded porticoes and shaded verandahs that give the city its character. These dignified houses sit in their lawns, set back from wide avenues, open boulevards and mature trees that arch over and shade the streets giving a particular flavour to New Delhi. The contrast with the overcrowding of old Delhi and indeed, the rest of Delhi, is profound. The houses have housed the country's leaders and much of India's elite - MPs, judges and retired army personnel, who pay peppercorn rents for the valuable and highly prestigious government-owned properties. Out of nowhere, the Indian CPWD (Central Public works Division) in their infinite wisdom, recently decided that these houses (over 1000 of them) had far outlived their usefulness, were falling apart and were too expensive to maintain. They proposed to demolish them and re-build modern apartments fitted with modern fittings and equipment 'to suit the changed needs of today's parliamentarian'! The presentation released so far resembles a 1960's modernist scheme. Thankfully, the architects and conservationists in the city voiced their outrage over this. Justin Huggler (The Independent) notes that this would be like 'levelling Mayfair in central London or demolishing Edinburgh's New Town'. In India, unfortunately, that there is no effective legislation protecting ancient monuments, no form of listing of buildings of the 20th century rendering most of her colonial architecture unprotected by law. 
Astronomically high land prices are another lure for more intensive use of the land. On the rare occasions when a bungalow goes up for sale on the open market, it can fetch between 200 - 560 million rupees (£2.5 - £7 million). I was witness to this when the subject of my thesis project at The Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture, Diwan Niswas - a beautiful classical 1920s house set in its formal gardens and pools (within the LBZ) - was allowed to be razed to the ground to make way for '16 modern apartments'. Planning permission was not granted for the apartment development, but the house was lost forever. Within the last century, Delhi's population has rocketed, and a quarter of the residents live in slums, so understandably protecting her rich architectural heritage is rather low on the authorities' priorities. But can even they justify their callous proposal to demolish something beautiful and 'start fresh'? Environmentally, the proposals do not hold ground. Lutyen's Delhi occupies only 1.7% of the total area of the city. Designed as a garden city, it still functions as the 'lungs' of the city. New Delhi is unique in that inspite of suffering from a huge amount of traffic (2 million people travel through it) and pollution, the city centre is the greenest part of the city and the traffic hardly noticeable. Densification of this area would decrease the green cover leaving it with a very severe pollution problem. 
At the time of submitting this article, news arrived that the Prime Minister's office has issued a statement saying that the bungalows would NOT be demolished, and stipulating the strict enforcement of 1988 guidelines to preserve the LBZ, which prohibits any changes to the LBZ without the PM's consent.
Perhaps its time for me to start supporting the new party! 
Munich Says "Nein!" To Tall Buildings
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With global competition getting fiercer, many cities see investors' wishes for tall buildings as a chance to provide more office space and "iconic buildings". Very often, these plans interfere with the historic metropolitan townscapes - hence the on-going debates in London, Vienna or Cologne.
In Munich, the capital of Bavaria in Germany, the electorate has now had the chance of a direct decision about future tall buildings in their city. And on last Sunday, they voted that new buildings must not exceed 99m, the height of the towers of the famous Frauenkirche. Preceding the vote was a long argument. For decades, Munich featured only two significant high-rise buildings: the BMW Tower, well suiting the 1970s' futuristic Olympic centre, and the headquarters of the HypoVereinsbank, both in the northern outskirts. But in the last few years, a new generation of tall buildings was approved. Although the city centre has always been protected, the newly-built towers can be seen from the squares and axes which shape Munich since its past as a royal residence - neglecting detailed urban design studies. Moreover, the architecture was criticised as "simple glass'n'steel boxes" or "four-edged bolts". A truly unforgivable mistake was made with the erection of two simple glass slabs by architect Helmut Jahn, which block the classical axis of the Ludwigstrasse. It was the former Mayor Kronawitter who started a campaign against the new projects - and against his successor and social-democratic fellow party member Ude. His initiative achieved a so-called "citizens' decision", a special Bavarian law, which allows direct democracy on certain local issues.
The proposed global height limit of the Frauenkirche towers is arguable, but the defenders of tall buildings, uniting all major parties, the Chamber of Commerce as well as trade unions, failed to provide a convincing alternative approach. Instead, they started a costly campaign and conjured the economic decline of Germany's most affluent city. But on the ballot on November 21, the majority rejected two current projects and installed the 99m limit. The office market, by the way, will not be affected by the decision, as most of the new-build office space is still waiting for tenants.
The vote is a democratic challenge to other European cities considering skyscrapers: will you allow residents to decide on issues affecting the future appearance of their city, or are you afraid of what they might decide? London's skyscraper-mad Mayor Ken Livingston, for one, might care to consider a similar referendum before inflicting more tall buildings on the still largely low-rise city.
Hamilton's Hiring:
Craig Hamilton, a member of the ICTP and principal of Craig Hamilton Architects, is looking for an Architect or Technologist. The busy practice, located located near the Wales-Herefordshire border in the beautiful countryside of mid-Wales, is seeking an experience architect or technologist with good hand-draughting skills and an interest in Classical and traditional architecture. Hamilton asks those interested to send a CV and examples of work to: Craig Hamilton Architects LtdCooed Mawr Farm Hundred House Powys LD1 5RP UK Tel: +44-(0)1982 570-491 Fax: +44-(0)1982-570-492 Email: diana.hulton@virgin.net
Prince's Foundation Goes Headhunting:
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The Prince's Foundation has recently launced a new five year strategy. The new chief executive, Hank Dittmar (current Chairman of the Congress for New Urbanism) is starting in the New Year. Mike Mehaffy is doing a good job building the new education programme which is halfway through its first year and already delivering master classes and conferences. Speakers so far have included Bill Bryson, Charles Jencks, Chris Alexander, Leon Krier and Andres Duany as well as well-known scientists and journalists. Foundation Architecture Director Ben Bolgar explains that "this course, as it grows over the next four years, will be [the Foundation's] backbone and not only build a coherent network of professionals, organizations and alumni around each 'field' but influence which projects we take on as they need to link back to the education programme for case-study purposes."
Projects 
In the last year these have ranged from Cherry Knowle mental health facility, Sunderland (a new 250 bed mental health facility integrated with 800 new houses, business use and commercial activities, and conversion of existing Victorian asylum), the Newquay Growth Area with Leon Krier (1,200 new houses, a new Catholic church, healthcare services, 9 hectare business use, new primary school), the eastern expansion of Plymouth in the Sherford Valley (4,000 new houses, a new secondary school, 3 new primary schools, a new commercial high street, an organic farm, light industrial and business uses) to the expansion of Harlow to try and contain growth on the M11 Stansted corridor (25,000 new houses, 6 new secondary schools, 25 primary schools, a new commercial and business 300metre-long inhabited bridge, and 20 integrated 'urban villages'). At the end of this month the Foundation will be in Nelson, Lancashire to facilitate an EbD to try and save a large Asian community living in rather splendid Victorian stone houses with 3 mills on the banks of the canal — a stone's throw from the town centre — from demolition (see story below). In the new year the Foundation team will return to Northampton (where they have have a large project on site for 1,200 new houses, new primary school, mixed use square and commercial boulevard) to work up a master plan for the redevelopment of the town centre with the insertion of a theatre district. All this has growth has inevitably brought some strains, however. Bolgar commented that "as you can imagine many of our staff, who are already very talented, and then get high level exposure to a very interesting portfolio of projects, often get poached or decide to set up on their own on the back of some of the introductions they get with us", noting that "...it is very good news because we have a talented breed out there doing their stuff with the right intentions and principles and we are able to give them a significant leg-up in their chosen career path".
New positions on offer Those who feel that they might be appropriate for these roles should contact: Ben Bolgar Director of Design The Prince's Foundation 19-22 Charlotte Road London EC2A 3SG UK Tel: +44-20-7613-8500 Fax: +44-20-7613-8599 Email: ben.bolgar@princes-foundation.org
Heritage Campaigners Call for CABE Consultation: 
British heritage campaigners have warned the government against backing plans by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) to radically alter traditional housing and places. The Secretary of Save Britain's Heritage, Adam Wilkinson, has spoken in front of a backbench MP's committee asking on CABE to listen to local people's views on their neighbourhoods before designing on housing market renewal. According to the 'New Start' weekly magazine, Save Britain's Heritage submitted a letter to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister committee's inquiry. It mentions the "appalling social disruption" associated with demolition in the past, where the pain caused by the loss of familiar surroundings was "cruelly underestimated". It says this situation is being faced once again in the north of England through housing market renewal pathfinders, with CABE actively engaged in the process. 
Save Britain's Heritage also cites CABE's work with housing market renewal pathfinder Elevate East Lancashire on "potentially attractive" 19th century housing in Darwen and Nelson, as its major concern. In the submission it says that "these terraces are likely to be demolished and CABE appears to be supporting this initiative". Save Britain's Heritage warns that communities are not sufficiently involved and urges the pathfinders and CABE to consider local views. CABE's director of enabling, Joanna Averley said that "at no point CABE has been an advocate for demolition".
The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment is a key agency within the British Government, in charge of improving the design quality of buildings, housing, planning and regeneration. For further details please visit: New Start Magazine Parliamentary Publications
CEU-UK: Following a successful forward planning session at the recent A Vision Of Europe conference in Bologna, Italy, and the establishment of CEU-Deutschland in Görlitz/Zgorlec last month, the Council for European Urbanism has now launched a UK branch. . It's early days yet for the branch, headed by Leeds-based urban designer Delton Jackson, as the fledgling organisation looks for a niche in the crowded British urbanism scene. 
The UK has seen the emergence in recent years of a host of organisations, such as the government's Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), professional organisations such as the Urban Design Alliance (UDAL) and Urban Design Group (UDG) and initiatives such as English Partnerships, all of which advance urbanism in one form or another. Even the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has been dragged into the urbanism business in recent months, under the energetic guidance of President George Ferguson. In this crowded scene, it seems likely that CEU-UK will concentrate on popularising the call for better cities. Speaking earlier this month, Jackson said that "the CEU could play a very important role in popularising good Urbanism and Urban Design within a European context, which celebrates regional and local identity and diversity within that context.". Jackson envisages that CEU-UK could act as a "network of affiliates for design teams in the UK", promoting best practice. In line with this popular orientation, the organisation's first challenge is likely to be a charrette on the troubled Loughborough Park estate in Brixton, to produce a counter-proposal to link a series of proposed developments in the multicultural inner-London neighbourhood. Further details will be available as soon as they are known.
Email group
Further information
Delton Jackson
'Housing design will remain mostly traditional in the UK': 
A new study released in the UK underlines the need for a more collaborative method of work in designing and building housing. The study, undertaken for RIBA/CABE Building Future Initiative, also points out that traditional housing will remain predominant in the United Kingdom. Riding the Rapids concludes that architects will have to work more closely with those directly involved in the building process such as engineers, transport and land-use planners. It also suggests a closer consultation with other professionals such as economists, geographers, business leaders, social workers, psychologists, anthropologists and historians. In other words, the study encourages charrettes, an essential component of the New Urbanist approach to community participation. The charrette is an intensive collaborative design with the participation of professionals and local residents. The purpose of this type of consultation is to give the local community the chance to have a say in the developments of the surroundings they live in. The study brings to the discussion the intense debate between the traditionalists who emphasise the 'hard factors' such as communications, connections and location and the - often younger - members who focus increasingly on 'soft' factors as the key determinants of decision making. 'Architects would, for example, claim they are the ones who best understand planning in three dimensions but do they understand urban dynamics?', asks the report. The answer given is that those designing new housing work together in an act of 'co-creation'. 'More nostaligic styles will prevail' 
One of the key conclusion of the study, based on 30 interviews, is that the housing design will remain broadly in traditional lines in the UK over the next 20 years. It is likely that many cities, seeking to emphasise their difference from other cities, will increasingly commission the so-called iconic buildings to shortcut the way to greater status and recognition. Some may argue that in the past 30 years, only two genuine global icons have been built: Sydney Opera House and the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao. The rhetorical question of 'On what criteria a building should be granted an icon status?' opens an intensive debate. The author of the study, Charles Landry, says the British modern national icons can be counted on one hand, and include the Eden Centre in Cornwall and the Tate Modern Museum in London. In the UK, 'more nostalgic styles are very likely to remain prevalent in housing', concludes the study. Nevertheless, the document envisages significant changes in Britain's urban environment over the next 20 years. As a result of the fall in marriage rate, 5 million more homes will be needed and many more 'iconic' buildings will appear in the big cities. More than ever London will be population magnet, draining resources from the rest of the UK. The news is rather bad for the so-called 'less fashionable' towns and cities such as Sheffield, Bradford, Castleford, Blackburn, Oldham, Rochdale, Goole, Rotherham and Barnsley, which 'will struggle'. The study concludes that only a radical solution such as the French TGV rail network would be able to limit the growing divide between the developed South-East and the rest of the UK.
Further information
High expectations remain unmet in New York: 
Image: Michael Mehaffy
A report published recently in New York by the Regional Plan Association (RPA) concludes that the civic community's high expectations for the rebuilding of the Downtown New York have not been met. The President of RPA, Robert D. Yaro says the recovery efforts, after the September 11th attacks, were truly heroic but little progress has been made in order to set new standards for public input, design and planning excellence or environmentally sustainability.
After September 11th the Civic Alliance outlined a number of goals and principles to be respected during the planning process. The recommendations were related to a more diverse economy in Lower Manhattan, a range of housing options, environmental sustainability and green housing design. According to the latest report published by RPA in September, these recommendations have largely been neglected.
The document underlines that "none of the official planning efforts to date have seriously considered the recommendation to change the program for the World Trade Centre site by introducing a more diverse mix of uses or reducing the amount of commercial office space located on the site". . The authors of the report say the document is meant to stimulate dialogue with the civic partners and help frame a policy agenda for the civic alliance in 2005.
The views expressed in the report are those of RPA. The authors say the output was influenced by working with the members of the Civic Alliance and by the comments made by the general public. The Civic Alliance organised many public consultations after 9/11 such as "Listening to the City" forums in February and July 2002 and the "How can $1.2 Billion best revitalise New York after 9/11?" event.
The civic group Rebuilt Downtown of our Town (RDoT) started to express fears two years ago that the community planning, based on people's needs, will be abandoned to the demands of the Port Authority and the developers. Surveys undertaken by New York Times and CBS showed that 53 percent of New Yorkers would be unwilling to work on the upper floors of the new super tall building, planned to replace WTC. Unfortunately — for the time being at least — it seems that the will of the city community has been defeated by that of celebrity architects and developers.
Further information
Sibiu nominated for World Heritage list:
The National Commission for Historic Monuments of Romania has announced that it will submit Sibiu's historic centre and its squares for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Sibiu/Hermannstadt is located in the centre of Transylvania, not far from Sighisoara and other important medieval cities in the Siebenbürgen area first settled by 'Saxons' in the 13th century.
The city is Transylvania's best preserved example of Saxon colonisation, with many vestiges surviving from mediaeval times. The first steps towards the World Heritage nomination were made by the Municipality of Sibiu.
The medieval city of Sibiu was originally surrounded by walls and defence towers, some of which are still very well preserved. The third fortified walls were built in the 14th century and consolidated in the 17th century.
Three towers from the 15th century are located in the historic part of Sibiu: Arquebusier Tower, Potter Tower and Carpenter Tower. The last two are connected by a well preserved wall built in the 15th century.
Among many picturesque places in the city is the stairs passage, built in the 13th century. At one end stands one of the oldest buildings in the town, hosting the "Golden Barrel", the oldest restaurant in Romania. The buildings in Goldsmiths' Square still have medieval windows, doorways and turrets and are connected to the Small Square through a stairway from the 15th century. . There are many images and descriptions on Sibiu's excellent English language
website.
The city will share the European Capital of Culture 2007 with Luxembourg.
Concerns
This and other worrying developments such as the Dracula Park and Rosia Montana gold mine leave many people asking whether the recognition of Sibiu should be extended to the whole region. A conference, to be held from 13-15 November 2004 in Sighisoara, will address this issue. Further details will be published soon on this website. Those interested in attending should register as a free INTBAU General Member noting their interest in the conference.
Prince's Foundation appoints new CEO:
The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment - the educational charity established by HRH The Prince of Wales to teach and demonstrate in practice those principles of traditional urban design and architecture which put people and the communities of which they are part at the centre of the design process - has appointed Hank Dittmar as its new Chief Executive. Mr Dittmar (right) has over 20 years' leadership experience in urban design and development, founding and managing not-for-profit organisations, and is a specialist in public transport-led development.
He is currently President and CEO of Reconnecting America, a non-governmental organisation which seeks to integrate transport systems with local communities. Hank also chairs the Board of the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU), a US-based organisation which campaigns for coherent regional planning, walkable towns and cities, and attractive, accessible civic spaces.
Hank Dittmar joins the Foundation at a time when demand for its education and consultancy services is increasing rapidly. This is due in large part to the huge urban regeneration agenda in the UK combined with a shortage of urban design skills.
"Hank's experience of growing a not-for-profit organisation, alongside his experience of new urbanism and sustainable communities in America, will further strengthen the Foundation's insight into how to learn from the failures of the past in both American and European cities and to create instead attractive, human-scale communities", says Foundation chair Alan Coppin. Foundation urban design chief Paul Murrain added that he felt sure that "Hank's incredible ability to found and make successes of non-profit organisations in the entrepreneurial environment of the US" would be of great assistance to the Foundation in a period of rapid growth in the organisation's activities.
Mr Dittmar, who will take up his new post in January 2005, said he was "excited to have the opportunity to take forward the leadership of the Foundation at a time of unprecedented demand for its services". Dittmar "look[s] forward to securing wider recognition of the need for civic planning which places the needs of human beings at its centre.". INTBAU wishes Mr Dittmar every success in his new venture and looks forward to continuing to work with the Foundation in future.
CEU Deutschland founded at conference in Görlitz / Zgorzelec:
CEU Deutschland, being the first national branch of the Council for European Urbanism, was established at a conference held in the twin town of Görlitz / Zgorzelec on 2-4 September 2004. The conference title "Stadtumbau+" referred to the on-going process of re-shaping many German towns with a declining population, and the CEUD (CEU Deutschland) was officially founded by the participants signing off the CEU Charter.
Among the highest profile speakers were Harald Bodenschatz, a sociologist of the Technical University of Berlin, who has gained great merits in introducing American New Urbanism to the often sceptical German academic world, and Thomas Sieverts, a senior planner and professor from the Ruhr area, whose book Zwischenstadt has raised awareness of the changing role of urban sprawl in Germany. The venue was well suited to the event, as the town on the Saxony-Polish border calls itself "one town in two countries". Görlitz features one of the most beautiful historic city centres of Germany, still being regenerated, and is re-building strong links with Zgorzelec on the Polish side of the river Neisse, which originates from a pre-war suburb.
The conference surely was a success in terms of gathering the German urbanists' scene and getting the CEUD established. But for many participants, the debate could have been more focused. "Stadtumbau+" could have been an exciting search for answers of European Urbanism to a pressing issue, but many of the lectures did not focus on this particular topic. Adding to the uneasiness was the fact that participants had to sign a Charter which had been agreed previously by a different body (CEU in Stockholm), so a lot of the discussions arising could not be integrated into the text. There will be, though, amendments and a preamble to the German version.
Thomas Sieverts met the thoughts of many as he pointed out that the Charter has to be much sharper in order to gain attention - rather than summing up features like density and the importance of public spaces, which already are common sense in the German planning debate. He also suggested to focus on one topic first instead of addressing all issues in all regions. As a next conference is to be held in Worms / rheinland-pfalz in 2005, it could be the chance to move the CEUD towards being an intellectual body rather than a class-meeting of the already convinced.
RIBA recognises Prince's Foundation:
The Prince's Foundation is the most notable new member of RIBA's Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Providers Network. The Prince's Foundation - the educational charity established by The Prince of Wales - aims to teach and practically demonstrate the principles of traditional urban design and architecture, putting people and the communities of which they are part at the centre of the design process.
The Princes Foundation's recognition by RIBA seems to signal the end of a dispute between The Prince of Wales and the Royal Institute of British Architects, which started 20 years ago. In 1984, The Prince of Wales was invited to address the 150th anniversary of RIBA, on which occasion he delivered a highly critical speech on the state of architecture in Britain. One of the most remembered phrases from that speech is "a monstrous carbuncle" used by the Prince to describe a new project designed for Trafalgar Square, in London.
Following these comments the Prince set up several educational institutes and ventures, all of them attacked at the time by the media and by some architects. In 1989 the prince arranged for some of his advisors to begin a series of Summer Schools. In 1992, The Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture opened at Gloucester Road. Eventually all these ventures in architectural education were closed.
The Prince's Foundation, formed in 1999, brought together a range of the Prince's initiatives. Its educational programmes have so far escaped attacks from the press. Moreover, The Prince's Foundation will be offering RIBA-approved seminars and conferences designed to address the "skills gap" in urban design techniques, regeneration skills, sustainable development practices and the challenge of house building and affordability.
Joni Tyler, Head of CPD at the RIBA, told reporters he was "delighted" to be working with The Prince's Foundation, and that the initiative was one of many the Foundation is developing with the RIBA. "With talk about sustainable communities at the top of the design agenda, this will prove to be a very valuable partnership for the RIBA and our members", he added.
Michael Mehaffy, Director of Education for The Prince's Foundation, commented that the series was "aimed squarely at the urban agenda that RIBA President, George Ferguson, and others have identified. We think RIBA members are well positioned to step into the so-called "skills gap" in sustainable development that is such a hot topic right now. There's a real opportunity for architects to step in and serve as leaders".
The RIBA Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Providers Network was launched 10 years ago. Since then the network has grown to a consortium of over 400 companies, all providing low cost, RIBA assessed professional development courses to the construction industry. The Prince's Foundation is one of 40 new companies joining this year.
Further information
'Coup' in Viseu?:
The highly regarded Viseu school appears to have been experiencing difficulty for some time and last year there were complaints that it was unable to obtain basic necessities from the University authorities. . The dispute came to a head at the end of the last academic year with the shock resignation of da Silva. This followed shortly after a successful international conference on architectural education in the 21st century that produced the Council for European Urbanism's acclaimed Declaration of Viseu of May 2004.
At the first meeting of the new academic year, faculty report that they were "surprised" to find that they had a new Director of the Architecture school in the person of well-known Portuguese modernist Antonio Reis Cabrita, and a group of 13 new professors all reportedly drawn from Portugal's modernist architectural establishment. Former Viseu lecturer Lucien Steil describes the take-over as "a real cultural colonisation" by architects from Porto, though he notes that "the people from the Beiras [region] are reputated for their strength and tenacity". Local figures opposing the move reportedly include President of the local Order of Architects José Esteves, the Mayor and Director of Planning of the City of Viseu, and many other city notables.
The group reportedly arrived with a new curriculum, schedules, and all the bureaucratic work in place. When the new curriculum was rejected by indignant members of the existing faculty, a faculty member reported that the group became "confrontational and argumentative". A faculty member reports that,. "They told us that they had instructions to change the school in every aspects, from the practical to the philosophical".
The apparent 'coup' is difficult to comprehend as the Portuguese Catholic University is well known for its humanist and free-thinking principles and values. "We could expect this everywhere but at this institution", a faculty member said.
Traditionalist teaching staff at Viseu have not yet thrown in the towel, but they have appealed for the support of lovers of traditional architecture in what is certain to be a very difficult battle to fight.
"We don't have any problems with the share of ideas inside the School - that's healthy - but a radical change like this is a great mistake, as we loose a lot of work already done (and with so [much] success) and the possibility of a new perspective of the way of teaching and doing architecture and urbanism, giving the students and people the possibility of choice - that's democracy, that's the civic and cultivated attitude", says José Baganha, a distinguished architect and member of the INTBAU College of Traditional Practitioners (ICTP).
Further information
Supporters of the New School of Architecture & Urbanism in Viseu have asked that you send a fax with your protest to the Dean of the Catholic University of Portugal, Prof. Dr. Manuel Braga da Cruz, at the following address:
Reitor Braga da Cruz
Update 21 September 2004
Trouble On London Buses:
Londoners are outraged this month over a unilateral decision by Transport for London to remove all remaining Routemaster buses in the next 12 months, despite many of the 50-year-old vehicles being recently renovated and in full working order. Their replacement will be sprawling low-rise 'bendy' buses with significantly less seating.
Much favoured by Londoners for their speed and manouvereability, the Routemaster is a traditional design developed over 150 years from horse-drawn prototypes. A paradigm of traditional design, the Routemaster of 1954 represents a continuing process of refinement that produced an almost perfectly clean and orderly interior with clear visibility, excellent ventilation, comfortable seats and durable finishes, all within a minimal external envelope.
The Routemaster's one drawback is that it cannot take wheelchairs. However, disabled rights activists have not campaigned against them because they believe that having a conductor on board provides help and assistance for many other categories of disabled and frail passenger. They also know that the ramps on newer buses are not maintained and rarely work.
Routemasters have a light and durable aluminium body, rendering them more fuel efficient than modern buses. . The hard-wearing metal and melamine interiors can be renovated many times, unlike the cheap plastic interiors of modern buses. The original cost has been amortised many times over their 50 year life.
Their replacements are an epitome of modernism: cheap, slick, using brightly coloured indurable materials in a garish design which will not mature with grace. Unsupervised by conductors, with many illogical corners and awkward seats, modern buses are rapidly vandalised despite CCTV and soon become unpleasantly soiled. Their huge windows and tiny ventilation openings make the interiors hot and stuffy in even mild weather. Worse, the large openings produce a body lacking rigidity, in which the front windows soon flex and leak.
Worst of all is Transport for London's arrogance in introducing this change without consultation or any real attempt to establish public opinion. All TfL spokesman Graham Goodwin offered to reporters was the archetypal modernist argument that "...this is the 21st century, and the city needs a 21st century transportation system". Such recursive nonsense has not convinced Londoners, who know that their Routemasters are both renowned tourist symbols of London and a practical means of getting about the city's crowded and narrow streets.
Even if you don't like Routemasters, imagine a London with no double-decker buses. One of the few places where one can contemplate life is on the upper deck of a London bus. Here for a moment you can step up above the teeming streets and watch the world go by.
Further information
An online petition to save the Routemaster is available here. You could contact Transport for London and tell them you insist that they keep the Routemaster in service. Details of how to contact them are here or use TfL's feedback form to register your protest.
You can write to the Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, at City Hall, London SE1 2AA, UK, or email him at mayor@london.gov.uk. You mayalso telephone the Mayor's public liaison line on +44-(0)20-7983-4100, but please be polite.
ICA&CA looking for student drawings:
Design for new town hall for the city of Elgin, Illinois. Nate Brooks, Judson College 2003
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America (ICA&CA) is currently working on its yearly publication due for release early next year. At this time, the editors are looking for student entries to include in our Academic Portfolio section of the Classicist 7. It has been decided that the projects submitted should not only be traditional/classical in nature, but also addressing design issues as they relate to the urban fabric.
"We have been able to compile a substantial amount of student work from the usual suspects, i.e. University of Miami, University of Notre Dame, and ICA, and are very interested in receiving entries from students in other programs around the world", says editor Elisa Cuaron.
As with all projects of this nature, deadlines are crucial, and for this reason, ICA&CA would like to receive entries no later than Friday 1 October 2004. This publication represents an invaluable opportunity for students to see their work come to life outside the classroom. Moreover, it is also a good means to see different schools represented outside the academic environment.
Further information
Philippe Rotthier Prize 2004-2005: Previous winner of the Prix Philippe Rotthier.
Architects and urban designers with completed urban renewal schemes in Europe should register now with the Fondation pour l'Architecture in Belgium in order to receive information about the forthcoming Philippe Rotthier Prize. France-Marie Gonay of the Fondation has advised INTBAU that information and application packs will be ready by September-October this year, and that applications must be received by no later that 15 April 2005.
Set up in 1982 by the architect Philippe Rotthier, this triennial architectural prize is one of the rare prizes that rewards projects that consciously identify with the traditional concept of the town or city as seen through European eyes. The prize has a twofold objective : on the one hand, to draw attention to contemporary urban architectural work which is often ignored by critics and the specialised press and, on the other hand, to raise the expectations of the public, elected representatives and sponsors.
The Fondation pour l'Architecture organises this prize and arranges exhibitions and publications devoted to the winning projects which are selected by a jury composed of European personalities from the world of art and architecture.
Previous prize winners are: Manuel Manzano-Monis, Quinlan Terry (1982); Abdel-Wahed El Wakil, Jean-Pierre Errath, Manuel Iñiguez & Alberto Ustarroz, Ernst Schirmacher, Pompeo Trisciuoglio (1987); Javier Cenicacelaya & Iñigo Salona, Piotr Choynowski, Robert De Gernier, Demetri Porphyrios (1992); Jacques Leccia & Christian Parra, Guy Montharry, Pierre Sicard & Michel Authié, Daniel Staelens (1995); François Spoerry, Société Immobilière de Mayotte, Pier Carlo Bontempi (1998); Eusebio Leal Spengler (2002).
Further information
New Urbanism and Beyond:
The first New Urbanism and Beyond summer course on New Urbanism will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, from 4-8 October 2004. The course will feature the highest-profile faculty of any such course ever offered, including Andres Duany, Peter Calthorpe, Professor Sir Peter Hall, Professor Jan Gehl, Paul Murrain and many other leading figures. Organised by the Ax:son Johnson Foundation, Royal College of Technology Sweden (KTH), the Summer University of Southern Sweden, The Embassy of the USA in Stockholm, and supported by INTBAU.
The aim of this course is to give a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in planning and urban design today. New Urbanism is a growing international movement to reform the design of the built environment, that aims to improve the quality of life and raise the standard of living by creating better places to live. The course also aims at giving a better understaning of how cities can thrive in the modern era.
The idea of New Urbanism as an antithesis of the disperson, alienation and urban sprawl will be thoroughly analyed in the course, both pros and cons. Concern about urban sprawl in the USA and Europe will be coupled with an examination of the pressing issue of urban inequality. Rampant development on the periphery of cities - edge cities, satellite towns, etc - linked with disinvestment in older urban centres and cores presents a destructive and unsustainable combination. New Urbanism has played an important role in contributing to the increasing awareness of the subtleties of the design and planning of traditional towns.
Further information
Read more about the summer school 2004 on our courses page...
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The moves towards the listing of Sibiu have been widely welcomed in Transylvania and elsewhere. However, many non-governmental organisations have expressed concern over the damage that the proposed Brasov-Bors motorway might cause to the heritage of Transylvania. The route of the motorway includes areas located very closely to medieval cities and towns. Despite protests, the project has recently been awarded to the American company Bechtel without apparently going through a public tender process.Right, a doorway in Sibiu.. Image: Tom Hughes
There have been conflicting reports this week from Portugal where an apparently modernist professor and faculty have been installed in the acclaimed Viseu New School of Architecture and Urbanism. There is now widespread concern that the work of the tradition-oriented faculty under José Cornélio da Silva will be lost. Reports from a wide range of sources suggest that the President of the Catholic University of Portugal at Viseu, Professor Passos Morgado and his colleague Antonio Carvalho had "orchestrate[d] a take over", without consulting existing teaching staff and in the face of the excellent work that has been done in the last 3 years. 
