Barbara Littenberg and Steven Peterson are architects, urban planners and educators based in New York City. Their new book, “Space and Anti-Space: The Fabric of Place, City and Architecture”, is a compilation of essays, diagrams and illustrations that explore design concepts of impactful urban spaces. The book begins with Peterson’s essay on ‘anti-space’, or the abstract civic space created through Miesian architecture, and ends with Littenberg’s proposal for the World Trade Centre site in New York City in 2002.
David Sisam’s review analyses the pairs’ contribution to theories of urban design and their significant challenging of iconic architecture. He also draws attention to their connection to Colin Rowe, whom they studied under at Cornell University. David illustrates the relevance of their work throughout history as well as in contemporary civic design. The review has been published in the February 2021 edition of Canadian Architect, and can be read here.