San Francisco should honor its architectural history, but not at the expense of embracing growth and change, according to the latest issue of The Urbanist,? an SF-focused magazine published by the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR). The current issue takes on the contentious subject of historic preservation —also the subject of a hefty policy paper recently issued by SPUR—through a survey of 14 projects that create "New Life for Old Buildings" through: adaptive reuse (same old building; brand new use) like Kink.com's takeover of the Armory; incorporating elements of a old building into the new one like the African Hall at the Academy of Sciences; or juxtaposing a new building that relates to but doesn't imitate historic architecture, as at Daniel Liebeskind's Contemporary Jewish Museum. The issue also includes the latest in a series of "Field Notes" about unique San Francisco places and a profile of the founder of Oakland's Popuphood. SPUR's 1000+ members get a real live print edition of the magazine, but for the less committed urbanists among you, all feature articles are available online.
? The Urbanist, July 2013 issue [SPUR]
? Report on Planning for Historic Preservation in San Francisco [SPUR]
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