Reyner Banham examined the built environment of Los Angeles in a way no architectural historian before him had done, looking with fresh eyes at its manifestations of popular taste and industrial ingenuity, as well as its more traditional modes of residential and commercial building. His construct of "four ecologies" examined the ways Angelenos relate to the beach, the freeways, the flatlands, and the foothills. Banham delighted in this mobile city and identified it as an exemplar of the posturban future. In a spectacular new foreword, architect and scholar Joe Day explores how the structure of Los Angeles, the concept of "ecology," and the relevance of Banham's ideas have changed over the past thirty-five years.
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"In one volume [Banham] does the near-impossible: He makes us see this fragmented city [of Los Angeles] as a breathing whole."--Los Angeles Magazine
"Still as penetrating now as when Banham completed his observations on the city in 1971."--La Observed
"Banham wrote like a blissed-out lover, surrendering to his feelings of derangement and wonder while keeping his eyes wide-open."--Los Angeles Times
"Banham's book has remained au courant." --Palisadian Post
About the Author
Reyner Banham (1922-1988) was Sheldon H. Solow Professor of the History of Architecture at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Joe Day leads deegan day design llc and serves on the design faculty at the Southern California Institute of Architecture.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Even though Banham's book was written in the early '70's, it remains a cogent view of a metropolis that has changed yet remained the same. It is a place, yes a real place, that is defined by geography and the various cultures of its inhabitants to a unique degree. Architecture is but a backdrop to Banham's larger point about the inter-relationship of people to the natural and built environments. The perspective of 35 years only sharpens the observations made by the insightful author.
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Reyner Banham's writing is intelligent and entertaining. He has taken LA to heart and reveals how its "four ecologies" have affected its contemporary appearance and character. You'll not only learn how LA's architecture came to be as it is, but learn a great deal about the history and personality of the city as well. I read this book to get to know LA better. I couldn't have picked a better one.
15 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Los Angeles. There were a few years there when Los Angles was the center of the world. 1965-1985, give or take a few years. Oh yes, even the Brits were raving. David Hockney had declared LA the best place to paint ("Splash") and Reyner Banham declared LA the city of tomorrow. Things were cooking and I was there. Then things started to go wrong. Spielberg and the boys from USC took over Hollywood and turned the city from a culture center into an amusement park. The pollution started to get too dangerous to laugh at. The gangs took over much of the fringe. There was Rodney King, O.J., riots, earthquakes, fires, gang warfare. All in all, the city was destroyed. Who knows what Banham might make of the place now. This is a great little book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Comments from a translator
I translated this book into Portuguese and it made me fall in love with a city I've never seen. A perfect example of place-reading and architectural analysis, written in an... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Marcelo Cipolla
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great!
the item was good, the book was in perfect condition, it was new.
I got it after 2 days as it was suppose to be!!!
very happy about it!!!!
I got it after 2 days as it was suppose to be!!!
very happy about it!!!!
Published 15 months ago by LiX
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still a classic!
A wonderful introduction to the roots of L.A. and how it came to be what it was in the arly 70's, and amazingly still relevant for the 21st century.
Published 21 months ago by John W. Ehrlich
5.0 out of 5 stars
Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies
The book was exactly what I wanted for a Christmas present and at a good price.
Published on January 18, 2008 by Barbara Allen Ernst
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding older book
Outstanding book about Los Angeles, a must-read for anyone interested in history, architecture, and culture.It reads like poetry.
Published on July 2, 2006 by E. T. Greer
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