In yesterday's New York Times Nicolia Ouroussoff wrote a scathing piece about Forest City Ratner's decision to change architects on the Atlantic Yards Project. Read this excerpt from Ouroussof's harsh assessment of the situation over there, which he characterizes as a "stunning bait and switch."

Whatever you may have felt about Mr. Gehry’s design — too big, too
flamboyant — there is little doubt that it was thoughtful architecture.
His arena complex, in which the stadium was embedded in a matrix of
towers resembling falling shards of glass, was a striking addition to
the Brooklyn skyline; it was also a fervent effort to engage the life
of the city below.

A new design by the firm Ellerbe Becket has no
such ambitions. A colossal, spiritless box, it would fit more
comfortably in a cornfield than at one of the busiest intersections of
a vibrant metropolis. Its low-budget, no-frills design embodies the
crass, bottom-line mentality that puts personal profit above the public
good. If it is ever built, it will create a black hole in the heart of
a vital neighborhood.

But what’s most offensive about the design
is the message it sends to New Yorkers. Architecture, we are being
told, is something decorative and expendable, a luxury we can afford
only in good times, or if we happen to be very rich. What’s most
important is to build, no matter how thoughtless or dehumanizing the
results. It is the kind of logic that kills cities — and that has been
poisoning this one for decades.