Architecture can be avoided

A spectre is haunting British architectural journalism - the spectre of Ian Nairn. Ie, the spectre of critical, direct, emotional writing about space and structures. Stepping into the breach, at least in terms of Nairn's bilious, anti-Subtopian ranting side - the mysterious Ghost of Nairn's blog Bad British Architecture, which features this wholly admirable precis: 'I hate how no-one ever talks about how bad British architecture really is. I hate the bastards who make these buildings. So here I am, taking the piss out of them.' Superb.

I do quite frequently talk about how bad British architecture actually is, although on the subject of Milton Keynes the overwhelmingly sublime open spaces and lush underpasses enables the place to seemingly not need the architecture to be that good. And most of it since the 1980s is pretty bad. Nonetheless - here I am waxing lyrical. Like the old East Berlin before the shopping malls and the infilling of its vast plazas. In a good way.

(thanks again to Joel for photos)