Anne Jordan was a contributing editor to GOVERNING.
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Building Outside the Box
Design matters. That's the message of two articles I read this past week: one on public works in New York City, the other on high-rise condominiums in cities nationwide. Local officials and private developers alike are turning to big-name architects to give mundane buildings some character.
In the Big Apple, new standards adopted by the Department of Design and Construction--focused more on the quality of designs than the competitiveness of bids--are prompting prominent firms to pursue commissions for police and fire stations, branch libraries, recreation centers and other formerly "low-end, unglamorous assignments."
Likewise, the urban residential landscape has largely been defined by "traditional, often boxlike, brick apartment and condo dwellings that are economical to build." But a growing number of luxury projects--aimed at luring single professionals and empty-nesters to move downtown--reflect the more experimental styles of celebrated architects, including Michael Graves, Daniel Libeskind and Richard Meier.
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Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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