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Congress and President Obama successfully negotiated a stimulus
package that should bring economic relief, and the U.S.
Conference of Mayors has listed 15,221 infrastructure projects
in 641 cities that are "ready to go." But while speed in getting
work started and jobs created is key, the importance of good
design, which will last for generations, should not be lost in
the haste. We need to ensure that the money spent goes to
creative, sustainable buildings that will stand the test of time
and will still be used by our children and our grandchildren.
After all, they are the ones who are going to be paying for
these debt-financed projects. Government sponsorship of great
architecture has a proud tradition in the United States,
starting with Thomas Jefferson, himself an architect and the
designer of Monticello, the University of Virginia and the
Virginia Capitol. However, government-funded projects also have
been prime examples of poor design: picture