Quote:
Originally Posted by Cirrus
[*]Architecture without ornament. It's not that we will abandon modern architecture. It's that modern architecture will evolve away from the minimalist tendencies that have made it anti-pedestrian.[/list]
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Cirrus, I generally agree with all that you have said except this one. Lack of ornament (perceived or not) is not a planning policy, it's just something you personally dislike.
There are countless examples of minimalist modern architecture (sans ornament of the traditional variety) that create fabulous pedestrian friendly neighborhoods. Unfortunately most of them are not in the US (lots of places in Northern Europe come to mind).
I work in a city (Santa Barbara) where minimalism and modernism in general is frowned upon and ornament is typically required at a planning level in order to get approvals. While the resultant building nuances do indeed add something to the local vernacular and quaintness of place, it also tends to feel fabricated...like Disneyland. One need only look at our brand new airport terminal to see the poor results of applique on what should be a modern typology.
But again, that is a discussion of architecture, rather than planning policies or 'fads'.