Dismissing Town Haul May Be Counterproductive

The architect in me agrees with all the criticism that has been laid down by my esteemed planner colleagues. [”Town Haul: Compromising Urban Design Work?”] What I think they are missing though, is President Carter’s notion of effecting changes one street at a time. As design professionals, we tend to immediately dismiss something that hasn’t been touched by the hand of an architect or planner, which is self-reinforcing to our industry. More often than not this idea becomes counterproductive.

I appreciate that this TV show is out there for us to debate because they are acting, and they are producing (no pun intended). The bottom line is no Jeffersonville resident has invested this much attention to their own sense of place, so why not change this hamlet one facade at a time for entertainment!

Matthew Mancuso
Intern Architect
Buffalo, New York