I have a huge favor for the architecture community. I ask that the Architects in Charleston share this article with their colleagues.

There have been some extremely interesting developments this past week regarding our city and our profession. If you practice architecture in Charleston, then you have a professional obligation to be well informed on this subject.

I am intentionally trying to withhold my opinion from this article because I think it is important that you develop your own opinions on the subject. And if I missed something, or got something wrong, please let me know down in the comments section.

Lets get ready to rumble!

Last week I witnessed one of the the most interesting and controversial developments I have seen in my 7 years practicing in the Holy City. That development was not the Sergeant Jasper, it was not the Horizon District, and it was not the Clemson Architecture Center. It was no building at all.

It was the arrival of the acclaimed planner and architect, Andres Duany.

Andres Duany and his firm Duany Plater-Zyberk (DPZ) had been hired by the City of Charleston and the Historic Charleston Foundation to make suggestions on how Charleston could improve the quality of its architecture. According to Duany, he was practically begged by Mayor Joe Riley to come and help Charleston. And that Mayor Riley had said that the new architecture being produced today in Charleston “just isn’t good enough.”

The main focus of Duany's team would be on the re-working of the Board of Architectural Review (B.A.R.) In addition to his recommendations for the B.A.R., Duany would be making numerous suggestions for how all parties can contribute to the betterment of the city. Especially the architects.

Duany's team was here all last week. They went on several walking tours of the city, had closed door meetings with several different groups, and held 2 large public meetings at the Charleston Museum Auditorium.

I attended the 2 public meetings and one smaller private meeting that included 8 local architects. I have to say that it was kind of a fun week. Definitely atypical. And I feel lucky that our profession is at the center of such an important debate.....whoops...there goes an opinion.

During the 3 meetings, I compiled over 20 pages of notes. I was scribbling away like a mad man. And looking back through the notes I struggle to find the best way to present the work. And because I am in a hurry to get this posted, I’m going to do what I do when I don’t have a good idea…...make a top 10 list.........Wait, scratch that...to further my boxing metaphor...and because 10 wasn't enough. I present you a 12 round Championship Bout.

Round 1. That dude can talk.

I was continuously entertained by Duany's ability to capture his audience. He shared a wealth of knowledge and gained the audiences trust by explaining his expertise and experience. I think his real gift was the way he would alternate his academic theories on planning and architecture with silly anecdotes and comical insights on the people of our city. It was like he was saying...."Hey man...I may be an expert on this stuff....but I'm a goof-ball just like you."

And you know you got it going on when you can lob insults at your crowd and manage to get alternating bouts of applause and laughter. It was remarkable. If he was a comedian, he would be the legendary insult comic Don Rickles. Which brings me to my next point.

Round 2. He pulled no punches.

In the private meeting with the architects, Duany said that Mayor Riley had instructed Duany to "bust their ass." And that he did. Duany came out swinging throwing punches at everyone in his path.

The NIMBY's - He consistently referred to the existing well-to-do population as the NIMBY's. (NIMBY = Not in my back yard). Criticizing them for stopping progress and propelling us towards a Geriatric Monoculture.

- He consistently referred to the existing well-to-do population as the NIMBY's. (NIMBY = Not in my back yard). Criticizing them for stopping progress and propelling us towards a Geriatric Monoculture. The Preservation Groups - He criticized the historic preservation groups for being vehicles of NIMBYSM.

- He criticized the historic preservation groups for being vehicles of NIMBYSM. The Fire Marshal - Really...the Fire Marshal? He said that the Fire Marshal was ruining the City by allowing the fire trucks to dictate development. Because fire trucks are getting bigger and bigger, newer developments that follow the dimensions of Charleston's historically compact streets can no longer be built.

- Really...the Fire Marshal? He said that the Fire Marshal was ruining the City by allowing the fire trucks to dictate development. Because fire trucks are getting bigger and bigger, newer developments that follow the dimensions of Charleston's historically compact streets can no longer be built. The Police Chief - No public officials were safe. He said the Police Chief just doesn't get it and thinks that bicycles are a blight.

- No public officials were safe. He said the Police Chief just doesn't get it and thinks that The B.A.R. - The B.A.R. was the main focus of the DPZ team. Duany laughed that the folks on the B.A.R. did not think that they were of any blame.

- The B.A.R. was the main focus of the DPZ team. Duany laughed that the folks on the B.A.R. did not think that they were of any blame. Zoning - The zoning code was consistently referred to as a giant joke.

- The zoning code was consistently referred to as a giant joke. Clemson - Clemson was referred to as a parasitic university that wanted to be like Harvard and have nothing to do with the betterment of the city.

- Clemson was referred to as a parasitic university that wanted to be like Harvard and have nothing to do with the betterment of the city. Charlotte and Atlanta - Apparently it is the wild-wild west in these cities where anything goes. Whenever something wasn't good enough for Charleston, Duany commented that it was good enough for Charlotte and Atlanta.

- Apparently it is the wild-wild west in these cities where anything goes. Whenever something wasn't good enough for Charleston, Duany commented that it was good enough for Charlotte and Atlanta. Architects - Hey...we knew we were going to get bloodied. A lot of the focus was on the architects. The architects in Duany's words want to be "liberated from the historic constraints," and don't understand the Charleston Brand. And that they have contempt for the public.

- Hey...we knew we were going to get bloodied. A lot of the focus was on the architects. The architects in Duany's words want to be "liberated from the historic constraints," and don't understand the Charleston Brand. And that they have contempt for the public. Mayor Riley - His only fault in Mayor Joe Riley is that the Mayor "wants first rate everything." And that goes for every square inch of the peninsula. In Duany's opinion, if you try to make everything too great, then it will fail. Instead it is better to focus and prioritize on certain areas.

Round 3. Duany loves Charleston and Mayor Joe.

Duany did not hesitate to explain his admiration of our city and how it had helped him formulate his theories on the best urbanism. In fact, he says that 100% of his dimensional knowledge about cities came directly from the City of Charleston. He uses these findings in his new developments. He thinks that our streets work very well and he also championed the Charleston Single House as "genius."

It was also very clear that he is extremely tight with Mayor Joe Riley. He described Mayor Riley as a policy genius. And said that his socioeconomic instincts were spot on and that it was built into his DNA. He talked of the Mayor's excellent speaking ability and claimed that at a lecture in Cuba, the Mayor brought the communists to tears!

He highlighted the tremendous comeback story that Riley had led in Charleston. And said that we are now at a point where Charleston can be very demanding. He said we should demand only the best for new developments and if developers aren't up for the task then they should hit the bricks. Or head to Charlotte or Atlanta.

Round 4. NIMBYSM + Preservation Groups = Geriatric Ghetto

I really enjoyed Duany's frequent references to the NIMBY's. Probably because those were some of the few times that he wasn't razzing the architects. He must of said the word NIMBYSM 30 times, but never once explained what it stood for. For those that don't know, the NIMBYs are the 'Not In My Back Yard' people. You know, the folks that say..."I don't have a problem with building a school, just build it anywhere but near my house." Or "I know that this big ugly building sucks, but I'd rather keep big ugly than have anything new."

Duany said that when the public process privileges the immediate neighbors, that is wrong and undemocratic. It is socialist.

And he criticized the historic preservation groups for being the vehicles for NIMBYSM saying it would morph Charleston into a Geriatric Monoculture.

He highlighted that our city sidewalks provide a false sense of our population demographics. He reminded us that the young kids that are walking around the streets are temporary college students. And that the middle class folks you see pushing their strollers are the tourists here to see Rainbow Row. These are not residents.

Are we already a Geriatric Monoculture?

Duany joked that the population that is one day walking down the sidewalk eventually is a population that is toddling along. And once they get to that point they won't like anything. They won't like the buildings, the won't like loud music, they can't stand food smells...He had the crowd rolling with that one.

The inability to provide affordable housing for the middle class has many indirect consequences. One of those that Duany highlighted was that the College of Charleston professors would not be able to afford to live downtown. He said that we will never raise the level of our universities if the professors cannot live in the city. If we could solve that problem then Duany was convinced that the college could compete with the best in the world. Rather than sending the professors out to the suburbs for their rambler on the cul-de-sac. Again the room erupted.

Round 5. Traffic and Parking

Duany went on many rants about Charleston's reoccurring traffic and parking debate. Most recently this issue bubbled to the surface as a popular complaint with the Sergeant Jasper proposal. Duany said that "arguing about traffic is beneath our intelligence!" He said he had a secret to reveal about traffic problems:

"No traffic problem has ever been solved."

If you don't wan't traffic problems then build a bunch of parking lots and create a sub-standard place that no one wants to visit. And when you provide convenient parking everywhere you get:

"Parasitic Suburbanites!"

Duany recommended lowering the parking requirements or even better, don't require new buildings to provide any parking. He said that the necessity of new projects to incorporate parking structures ultimately leads to:

Round 6. Big Buildings

A major genesis of Charleston's contemporary Archi-Struggle is the presence of the Big Buildings. Developments are just getting bigger and bigger. And with the population boom that is anticipated, larger buildings are the new reality. So why is this a problem:

Duany said that the preservation groups and NIMBY's have a strong distaste for these newer larger buildings.

And

The Architects have said that it is challenging designing these bigger buildings in Charleston.

So what do we do?

According to Duany the solution is right under our nose. Duany said that we need to seek out the older tall buildings in our city and learn from them. He showed slides of the Fort Sumter House on the battery, the Peoples Building at Broad and State, the Francis Marion Square and the Mills House.