Dear Vincent,
Will a project of mine ever get approved in my lifetime?
I am wracked by despair! My head is pounding.
The city has rejected my proposal again, citing “a lack of harmony with the urban fabric.”
What does that even mean?
I asked them directly, and they said, “It’s more of a feeling.”
I suggested they put their feelings in writing so I could respond.
They did not find this helpful.
Meanwhile, the investors are furious because I built the project as I envisioned it, not as they requested.
That’s right!
I cannot work like a common tradesman, simply delivering a product.
I saw the site, I felt the energy, and I designed something bold, expressive, unapologetic!
A tower soaring, cascading angles defying the grid—unshackled from the oppression of the right angle!
Now they say it doesn’t fit the zoning
What do I care if it fits the zoning?
I tried explaining that the zoning should fit me, but the board lacks vision.
They want a smaller tower.
A reasonable tower.
A tower that doesn’t “intimidate the pedestrian experience.” What do I care about pedestrians?
They are free to experience something else.
I asked an urban designer to help smooth things over, but he is old and infirm and can only sketch with assistance.
His hands are weak, his concepts weaker.
He proposed a courtyard space for passive reflection. Passive! Reflection!
My project is alive, it does not reflect!
I threw his model off the table in disgust. It shattered into a thousand little walkable streets.
The committee loved it.
I cannot go on like this much longer.
Help.
Yours, Theo
