- Social:
Project for Public Spaces
Founding President of Project for Public Spaces, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating public places that foster communities
PROFILE
Fred Kent
Guest
FROM Fred Kent
Design and Architecture
Pershing Square Renewed? Four teams will share their visions for a renewed Pershing Square this week. DnA talks to lead designers about their concepts for creating a great city park and asks: Can the park be lowered? Who will pay for it? And does public space need extensive programming to succeed or simply a green and pleasant space?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Redesigning Pershing Square Today, city officials announced a new chapter for L.A.’s first park, Pershing Square. They’re launching an international competition to redesign it. The all-concrete space that sits on top of a parking lot has been criticized for decades as a failed public space. There have been many past attempts to make it over. What’s the goal of this latest effort and how will it change the park? Photo: Seth Flaxman
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Making L.A.: Public Spaces Public spaces can make or break a city. They’re escapes from the relentless urban pace and help bring people together. They are town squares that make communities out of neighborhoods. They can even be engines for economic growth. But aside from the beach, Los Angeles has never been known for great public spaces. Just a few years ago, it was almost impossible to even have a sidewalk cafe. Is that changing? A vintage postcard shows an early Pershing Square
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Design and Architecture
Farewell LA freeways, Peter Shire is back Angelenos don't want more freeways but we seem not to want mass transit either. Metro has killed the 710 freeway extension, and bus and train ridership is down across the region. What's the future of getting around in LA? And, Peter Shire is having a comeback. What attracts a new generation to his playful ceramics and furniture?
The Treatment
Guy Ritchie: King Arthur EXCLUSIVE PODCAST: Director Guy Ritchie stops by to discuss retelling lore his way in King Arthur.
The Business
Revisiting showrunner Steven Bochco on his memoir Steven Bochco, the writer-producer behind record-breaking Emmy winners Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blue, fought battles with everyone from out-of-control actors to network censors in his long career. He isn’t afraid to tell those tales in his memoir, Truth Is a Total Defense. This week we revisit the conversation where he shared some of his favorite stories with us.