There’s an upside to being an architect for the sun-drenched costal cities of Florida: You see your work on TV and at the movies. The first building by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk to enter the limelight was the Miami’s 1980 Atlantis condominium. Through the center of the building, there is a cutout that houses a palm tree, a jacuzzi, and a bright red spiral staircase - the perfect modern backdrop for "Miami Vice".
Despite their acclaimed work for Arquitectonica, Duany and Plater-Zyberk set out in a new direction. They decided organizing and creating a successful towns and cities was more important than designing individual buildings. Duany points to Seaside, a planned community in Florida, as the turning point. "Without Seaside, we may have become architects of a different sort," he says.
Seaside has been the inspiration and example for a successfully planned community. It has also been a magnet for signature architects trying to get a piece of the pie. The layout of the city allowed the wealth that comes with waterfront property to be spread more deeply inland, avoiding high rises and hotels on the beachfront that can separate the water’s amenities from inland areas. Small businesses in the community have flourished and grown.
Gaining the ultimate imprimatur of the film industry, Seaside was the set for "The Truman Show," portraying the picture-perfect American town. Cities across the US have followed the trend. Prospect New Town, located in Coloradoand fondly referred to as "toon-town" for its eclectic architectural styles, was so successful that plans have been made to incorporate the ideas of new urbanism into the development of several nearby towns and cities.
Despite its appeal for tinsel-town, the concepts and methods that Duany and Plater-Zyberk have so meticulously crafted will surely exceed the fleeting 15 minutes of fame, and will become a permanent part of how we plan our cities and towns in the future.
Kate Lenehan
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