News Release

The Rebuilding America's Cities lecture series will open with a free lecture by Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic Paul Goldberger at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18, in the Carriage House at Evergreen House, 4545 N. Charles St. in Baltimore. Goldberger's talk, "After the World Trade Center and Katrina: The Struggle to Repair the Broken City," will examine two of the nation's most physically challenging, symbolically important and politically charged urban rebuilding efforts.

Goldberger, dean of Parsons The New School for Design, is one of the world's eminent commentators on architecture and design and their broader social, political, and economic implications. He was architectural critic at The New York Times from 1972 to 1997, earning a Pulitzer Prize in 1984. Since 1997, he has written The New Yorker's celebrated "Sky Line" architecture column, a position once held by Lewis Mumford and more recently by Brendan Gill. Goldberger is the author of several books, including Up from Zero: Politics, Architecture, and the Rebuilding of New York, which recounts the story of the design selection process for the World Trade Center memorial, describing how conflicting pressures from economic hopes, politics, and powerful egos have shaped decisions about the project. The New York Times named Up from Zero one of its 100 Most Notable Books of the Year in 2005.

From lower Manhattan to New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, Goldberger's talk will examine how major U.S. cities respond to catastrophic events, and the critical role of architecture and design in the recovery process. With a sophisticated understanding of urban architecture and its impact on people and on the social and cultural life of a city, Goldberger will provide insights into the enormous challenges and opportunities that the rebuilding process entails.

The Rebuilding America's Cities series is part of the Garrett Lecture on Urban Issues, which commemorates the interest of the Garrett family, former owners of the historic Evergreen House, in recreation and urban planning issues. Rebuilding America's Cities is co-sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies, the Evergreen House Foundation, and the Office of the Provost.

Goldberger will be signing copies of his book after the talk, and the book will be on sale at the event. The lecture is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and an RSVP is required. To respond, or for more information, contact Nancy Powers at (410) 516-0341 or email urbanlecture@jhu.edu.