Criticism: Everyone in architecture experiences it regularly. The importance of this consistent facet of the profession provides ongoing possibilities for discourse and improvement. However, like other areas where criticism plays a necessary part of establishing a significant impression or progression within society, it’s not always easy to have others detract or contradict the ideas embodied by your work. 

Colin Marshall of the Guardian brings up a specific category within criticism that has particular relevance today, "the city critic." Marshall argues, "In our increasingly urban world, perhaps city criticism should be recognized as distinct and necessary." So, where does "city criticism" differ from "architecture criticism," and why should it be recognized as an integral part of understanding the built environment? 

Marshall speaks with critics and editors alike to help further understand and decipher what this distinct subject of criticism really is. 

Alissa Walker, urbanism editor of Curbed, expresses the focal point of city criticism isn't about the buildings themselves but indeed about the people living within them. She explains to Marshall, "a city critic must be 'someone who's going to all the public meetings and listening to what all the elected officials say, [but also] out in the city itself, riding buses, hanging out at coffee shops, talking to people about how that policy affects them.'"

Throughout the article, Marshall highlights writers, historians, and journalists who have helped shape the subject of city criticism and its links to activism, historic preservation, and awareness of a city's influence over time. From essayist Walter Benjamin, architectural historian Reyner Banham, and prolific journalist and activist Jane Jacobs Marshall uses these individuals as examples to help prove the power and importance of a city critic.

Towards the end of the article, Marshall highlights a vital aspect of city criticism and the role a city critic should maintain. "Though the past decade has seen an abundance of city-related content in print and online, cities need writers more than ever [...] cities need to be written about well and in a way that lasts, not merely to spot trends, air grievances, or enter technocratic squabbles."

"Unlike service journalism, city criticism must remain fresh while the city changes over time; unlike academic theory, it must be written for the general public; unlike activism, it must keep the distance necessary for keen, aesthetically sensitive observation."

Do you agree with Marshall and his poignant "memo to city criticism"?