New York exhibition is a timely reminder of the ethical and political dimensions of an architect’s role in city life

Letters To The Mayor exhibition at Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York. Photograph: Jade Doskow

City mayors across the world are about to take delivery of some searching, angry and occasionally very funny letters from leading international architects, academics and critics at the culmination of anexhibition curated by New York’s Storefront for Art and Architecture.

“Letters to the Mayor” generated 50 fascinating and varied missives to mayors of cities from Guayaquil in Ecuador to Ramallah in Palestine. The project was conceived to remind politicians and the wider public – including architects themselves – of the political side of their profession. As the exhibition introduction says:

“While designing the next economically driven cultural-iconic-touristic object, an increasing amount of both architects and with them, politicians, have forgotten the ethics that should be associated with architectural practice and the potential of design in the construction of public life.”

For those in New York, the letters will remain on display on the walls of the Storefront for Art and Architecture until Saturday (24 May) – after which they are to be delivered to their respective mayoral addressees. For everyone, here's an edited taster of some of the letters, plus a link enabling you to read their full versions:

Delhi: “Your office has more or less given up the responsibility of projecting an idea of the city, and social transformation. Whatever happened to the vision symbolised by post-independence projects like Chandigarh, for example? Today your office is concerned with fly-overs, highways, and airports; yes, these are all useful for a metropolis to function, but city-making without the burden of facilitating citizenship or place-making, does not provide a recipe for building a ‘real’ city.” Julia King

Barcelona: “We are so afraid of the potential of urban conflict that we end up asking City Council to avoid it by means of even more total regulation, even though over-regulation impoverishes urban space itself. The removal of fountains and long benches in the city of Barcelona to prevent homeless people from sleeping and washing in public space reflects this. We prefer to keep some people from using public furniture even if that means that no one can use them.” Anna Puigjaner Maio

US president Barack Obama meets a group of newly-elected American mayors in December 2013. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Los Angeles: “What is the future of Los Angeles? This is the question everyone is asking. And it is the perennial question posed by everyone from William Mulholland to Walt Disney to Frank Gehry. In each casting of the runes, the city is both subject and object. It is a place where the wind rustling the bougainvillea is a siren song and the Santa Ana’s blowing down palm fronds is an omen. But you know this, my fellow Angelino. Just as you know that The Los Angeles 2020 Commission wrinkles its collective brow with concern as it evaluates the next six years and that the LA2050 initiative (funded by the Goldhirsh Foundation) foresees an optimistic, crowdsourced metropolis.” Mimi Zeiger.....Continue Reading

> via The Guardian