The designs of our urban and private spaces are material reflections of our own values—a truism demonstrated in everything from the layouts of our cities to the improvements we make on our own homes. Do we care if our city is laid out so that we have to drive everywhere for everything? Do we build a high fence to enclose our property, or do we accentuate its natural boundaries? And perhaps the most important question: What do we do with available space, natural and industrial? What kind of place do we make of it?
With Site, we examine the various aspects of design in modern life. In this issue, Site introduces you to two couples who took different approaches to the redesign of their living spaces. The Fisketjons uncovered and accentuated the historic aspects of their home. The Nashes rearranged an interior layout to accommodate their lifestyle.
We also review Andrew Ross’ book Celebration, a portrait of Disney’s controversial “dream community,” and learn that the eternal problems of living together will often destroy the best laid urban plans. MiChelle Jones, our former deputy managing editor, writes of her sublet woes in Germany, while Angela Wibking previews upcoming home tours and other related events.
Also in this issue, Christine Kreyling takes on the important question of available space in her look at the Gulch redevelopment. Is it a blueprint of Nashville’s urban design future, or merely another a loose end in the weave of our city’s tapestry? It is a pattern in flux, as her photographic history of Nashville from the air demonstrates. So kick back, and enjoy the view.
—Adam Ross
