The Built Environment And Society

From 1906 or so, a postcard of “Promenade in Central Park”: And the back side: A thought that has been running around in my head for more than 35 years – one that is neither original to me nor particularly deep, but worth reminding myself of – is that we don’t care about buildings because they have inherent value. They have value because we care about them. Buildings are not alive, have no feelings, have no thoughts, and do not matter except for how we interact with them. This includes new buildings and historic ones, minor background structures and prominent monuments. What matters is the people who interact with a building because they use it, walk by it, know it and hate it, know it and love it, photograph it for their scrapbooks. They give that building meaning. Back to the postcard… When New York was a small city concentrated below Houston Street, the big promenade was the Battery. People would go there on Sundays, dressed in their best clothing to be seen and to see each other.…