For the second consecutive year, the Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture has been presented to someone who has dedicated a large part of their career exclusively to urban design. The addition of Andres Duany & Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk to the Driehaus Prize laureates means that a majority – four of the seven recipients to date – have been strongly focused on urbanism: Leon Krier, Jaquelin T. Robertson, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk.
Urban planning and new urbanism theories have become promising, popular, purposeful mainstream knowledge in recent years, with the advent of innovative urban development projects such as Seaside, Celebration, and Watercolor. These examples draw more attention than the most stunning single building project because they interest people beyond the architecture community and give a glimpse into planning how people will live. These towns have made appearances in such disparate publications as Time, the Wall Street Journal, and National Geographic. The projects help us wonder how urban planning concepts apply to our own towns and cities. They enable us to dream what it might be like to abandon the bumper-to-bumper, anxiety filled daily commute and walk to work in the morning.
The dominance of urbanists on the roster of Driehaus recipients may reflect a strong relationship between classical architecture and urbanism. Classical architecture was not solely founded on aesthetic or tectonic considerations, but a careful respect for the way a building meets the ground and the type of urban environment that it creates. Too often, contemporary “modern” projects present an aerial view of a sparkling glass conglomeration that reflects the sky and clouds from its many faceted panels. But we are hard pressed to find evidence that the architects took into rational consideration how pedestrians and residents would experience the building from the ground.
Whatever the explanation, the Driehaus Prize seems to be riding a wave that is bound to pick up speed and strength. With the failures of current cites and towns to recognize and respect human needs, the growth of the world's population, and environmental considerations an increasingly urgent concern, intelligent planning and architecture on a large scale may just be the saving grace of our towns and cities.
Perhaps the Pritzker Prize will soon follow this strong trend.
Kate Lenehan
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