Who dares say what counts as “smart” when neighborhoods evolve? Look no further than the beige-and-black cover of The Smart Growth Manual. That’s the guide to repurposing American land use, not a guide.

Who could claim such authority? Look down the cover for the author credits: this is a volume “from the authors of Suburban Nation,” Andres Duany and Jeff Speck, whose indictment of sprawl in that book inspired legions of citizens to learn mind-numbing public review procedures in order to give their towns a center again. Now Duany and Speck (who is a Metropolis contributing editor) say that this book is a go-to resource for citizens who have enlisted in that fight, complete with rounded corners for easy thumbing. Actually, they say it’s the go-to resource. It situates places along a rural-urban continuum and lays out how people should plan, circulate, live, and work in those places for a healthier life and climate.

Unsurprisingly, the authors easily defend their claims. We caught up with them via conference call with Speck in Washington, D.C., and Duany in Miami. An uninhibited discussion, with stirrings of a sequel, followed.

Who’s the audience?

Andres Duany: This is a response to the empowerment of citizens in planning. The public process has become very broadly based—it’s expected now [that citizens will participate in charettes] and often the outcome is questionable. That has to do with expertise. So this manual is for elected officials and for citizens who participate in the [planning] process.

Jeff Speck: You can read it in the public hearing, while you’re waiting for your project to come up. Read more…

Why did New York media make a joke about the mayor’s intention to pursue wind power for the nation’s biggest city? It’s because most people would rather laugh about an unproven idea than cry about the lack of secure ways out of a climate crisis.

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Everybody knows Renzo Piano’s museums as cheerful, elegant, and pretty. So when the dapper architect told a group of reporters about his plans for a new Whitney Museum of American Art in a corner of Manhattan rife with Carrie Bradshaw types, it came as a surprise to see a design model mixing the sturdy with the monumental. Piano’s creating a landmark in the trendy Meatpacking District with a hard exterior skin (which he’s still developing), a broad column of street-level open space, and a sustainability strategy that does most of its work below the surface. Read more…

New Practices New York competition winner Urban A&O designed the Metropolis booth for ICFF in 2007.

The New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects saluted six young firms last night for winning a jury honor in the New Practices New York competition. Urban A&O, Baumann Architecture, Common Room, Matter Architecture Practice, OpenShop Studio, and David Wallance earned praise in a biennial competition that celebrates small local firms building distinctive practices. But when juror Peter Eisenman started in with comments, the salute felt a little more like a Bronx cheer. Read more…

You can download the 2008 edition of the New York City Cycling map by clicking here.

The marble floor of the Municipal Art Society resembled a packed subway car at rush hour on Monday night, but when New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan started her speech debuting her department’s strategic plan, whoops went up like a party on a stalled A train. (She even said “shout-out.”) In heralding a booklet about the new transit strategic plan, Sadik-Khan was preaching to the choir, with visions of bike lanes, fast buses, and tulips in concrete lingers on the street. Read more…