Witold Rybczynski

Witold Rybczynski In conversation with Roy Eisenhardt Wednesday, May 21 Witold Rybczynski focuses on architecture, design, and urbanism in his widely read essays and books. His concepts merge ideas with tangible forms; for instance, Rybcznski reviewed cultural variables for creating a psychologically comfortable house instead of technical practices in his book Home. His ability to inform without pretension animates the acclaimed biography A Clearing in the Distance, tracing the pioneering work of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, and The Look of Architecture, a concise survey of style from cottages to Frank Gehry. His most recent study is Last Harvest: How a Cornfield became New Daleville. Following the creation of a residential subdivision in rural Pennsylvania, Rybczynski deflates the myth of urban sprawl and explains America’s preference for single-family homes. Witold Rybcznski is a professor of urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania and architecture critic for Slate.