Sketches of urbanism and sustainability

I've been really fortunate over the last decade-plus to get to know some of the country's very best architects and planners of smart, sustainable neighborhoods and communities.  Last night I ran into one of them, my friend Dhiru Thadani, at a reception and presentation. 

Dhiru's amazingly ambitious book, the 800-page The Language of Towns & Cities: a Visual Dictionary, will be released this fall.  He is not just remarkably talented but also passionately dedicated to the causes of sustainability and community in our built environment.  And, like many artists, he sketches.  And sketches.  He has graciously allowed me to share a few examples on the blog.  The captions are mine, mostly.  Enjoy:

  Architecture studied and experienced

  Ethics

  Walkable grid

  Architecture is like cooking

  What is this?

  Navona

  Prerequistes of architecture

Great stuff and, yes, those are self-portraits.  If you missed the DC reference, go back and look again. 

Dhiru has won national recognition for his work in residential design, university design and community redevelopment including four Charter Awards from the Congress for the New Urbanism, three awards from the American Institute of Architects and a Metropolitan Home “Home of the Year.”  In 2001-2002, he was selected a Knight Fellow with the Knight Program in Community Building.  He was appointed to the CNU Board of Directors in 2005.  Many thanks to Dhiru for sharing these sketches with me and allowing me to share them with you.

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