Lisa Taylor: Urban Open Spaces

Cooper-Hewitt, 1979

Very Good. Folio (16 x 11 in). 64pp. with black-and-white illustrations throughout, on newsprint; internally clean, a few leaves creased at the upper corner. Unbound in illustrated self-wraps; four short closed marginal tears and a few tiny nicks, two stray spots to upper cover, upper corners a bit curled, light toning to edges.

An attractive and thoughtful publication printed to accompany a 1979 exhibition at Cooper-Hewitt, titled “Immovable Objects: Urban Open Spaces.” The work seeks to reimagine the urban landscape as a site of communal possibility: “urban open spaces are more than our parks, plazas, and playgrounds. They are also our streets, our waterfronts, our rooftops–all our communal outdoor spaces. Where to find them, how they affect us, and how to protect and renew them are our vital and critical concerns.”