History, Criticism, Judgment, Project

Abstract

This paper compares statements by two influential voices in late modern architectural criticism, namely Manfredo Tafuri and Jane Jacobs. It concerns the self-appointed role of the architectural critic in light of a general assessment, made by both these figures, although on different terms and under different motivations, of an intellectual and community poverty in the later stages of architectural modernism. Through their views, the paper reflects on the limitations of critical detachment in light of the larger concerns of architectural publishing to which the critic is inevitably subject. It concludes by reflecting on the editor's role in shaping the terms of engagement to which the architectural critic subscribes.