Why are these “observation wheels” reaching landmark status in some places when other, more vernacular gestures might better fit the context of a place?
That’s Chuck Wolfe with a fair question as he catalogs five principles for people and place in preparation for a forthcoming book. I’ve puzzled, too, about the observation wheel plans here in NYC.
Yet he defends them gracefully:
My answer is not to cynically decry these wheels, but to consider them as the same exciting, moving observation points first explained by seventeenth century observers. Understanding their ongoing success — premised on fun and excitement — is consistent with my opening call for more studied reflection about relationships of people and the communities around them.
Fair enough. In Bloomberg I trust.
