Lawrence Halprin, 93 passed away earlier this week. A great landscape architect who designed hundreds of projects throughout his 60 year career and was famous for such designs as the Roosevelt Memorial, Ghirardelli Square, a 1.5-mile walkway overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem; a new pedestrian approach to Yosemite Falls.
The New York Times quoted Charles Birnbaum, founder and president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation as saying in relation to Halprin:
“He almost single-handedly reclaimed the city as the purview of the landscape architect,”
Read more about Lawrence Halrpins career at
NYTimes.com – Lawrence Halprin, Landscape Architect, Dies at 93
Washington Post – Urban projects won wide acclaim for American landscape architect
San Francisco Chronicle – Lawrence Halprin – landscape architect
Architect/ Landscape Architect
December 23, 2009,CST at 6:16 am
“The Tragic Kingdom, or; “Prisoner in a Chinese Theme Park”, (found on all bookstore websites such as amazon.com, borders, etc), is a behind-the-scenes look into the field of design and build in China. The book is a profile of the personalities, culture, and psychology of the world’s most massive looming superpower as seen through the eyes of an ex-pat American.
I have witnessed a formidable decade in which China has commanded a modern presence on the world stage and have participated in the planning, designing, and building of mega-theme parks in Beijing, world-class aquariums in Shanghai, gigantic malls in the Pearl Delta, resorts in Tibet, and panda relocation projects in the foothills of the Himalayas.
The stories and themes found in The Tragic Kingdom spring from one man’s journey. At the same time I believe they disclose truths about a globalization that eventually will impact every economy, lifestyle, and person on the planet.
For more information: http://www.dnbasia.net