#376 - MICHAEL KIMMELMAN, Architecture Critic of The New York Times
SUMMARY
This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design are joined by architecture critic of The New York Times, Michael Kimmelman, to discuss his background; the role of a critic; New York City; the evolution of the profession; the housing crisis; social housing; the value of architecture; and more. Enjoy!
ABOUT MICHAEL
“I am the architecture critic of The New York Times and founder and editor-at-large of Headway, a Times initiative focused on large global challenges and paths to progress.
What I Cover
I write not just about architecture and design but about the built world more broadly, including issues like housing and homelessness, neighborhood development, cities, the environment and civil society.
My Background
I started my journalism career as an editor of a design magazine and as architecture critic for New England Monthly. I was the chief art critic of The Times then moved to Berlin to create the Abroad column, covering cultural, political and social affairs across Europe and the Middle East. In late 2011, I became the paper’s architecture critic and in 2021 took on an additional role at The Times, founding Headway. A native New Yorker, I am the author of several books, twice a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a graduate of P.S. 41, Friends Seminary, Yale and Harvard, and I teach in the graduate school of architecture at Columbia University.
Journalistic Ethics
As a critic at The Times, whose job is to voice opinions, I always strive to be fair and open-minded, listen to competing views, report as scrupulously and skeptically as possible, and treat everyone I write about with respect, mindful that The Times bears a responsibility and weight in public discourse that requires humility. I believe in the standards and practices outlined in The Times’s Ethical Journalism Handbook.”
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Background.
(07:58) Early career.
(13:35) The mindset of emerging generations.
“At the moment, I think it is a good thing that architects are trying to make themselves more relevant to a wider public and to understand that their profound role in shaping the society we build is not just about building beautiful objects for people to occupy but also helping us reimagine the world at a time where there are a lot of very serious crises.” (16:44)
(21:13) The role of an architect.
“That siloing of responsibilities and ideas is what has also created problems for architecture because it’s as if the architectural aspect of the work exists in a vacuum and not on a street, in a community, in a context and that’s how people experience it. This disconnect between reality effectively and the profession is detrimental to the profession.” (25:54)
(31:19) A critic's topic selection process.
“Using the spotlight that I have, to create certain kinds of emphasis which are not meant to diss other things exactly but are meant to honor some things which have been underrepresented.” (33:08)
(35:22) Having architects as friends.
(37:36) Thoughts on architects.
“My own experience is that architects I deal with are thoughtful, cordial, generous, deeply interested in what they are doing and competitive but also open… In some ways, architects have undervalued themselves and their potential for playing a meaningful role at large in society.” (38:33)
(46:05) The value of architecture.
“I think architecture is the chronicle of our civilization. It is who we are. It’s the most public record of our values and what we wish to leave behind. Although buildings are not permanent… It has evolved, its language has evolved, its engineering technology has evolved in ways that are also expressions of our shifting values and our shifting knowledge as a civilization.” (46:49)
(53:15) Converting office buildings to affordable housing.
(59:31) Thoughts on UCSB Munger Hall and the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery in London.
(01:05:01) Favorite neighborhood in New York.
