CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 6/20/2013

Metropolis Books Launches Vishaan Chakrabarti's 'A Country of Cities' at The Century Club

Last night, Metropolis Books launched Vishaan Chakrabarti's visionary manifesto for an urban America, A Country of Cities, at Manhattan's storied Century Club on West 43rd Street. Seemingly all of New York's biggest players in design, architecture, real estate development and urban planning were in attendance, including Amanda Burden, Chakrabarti's former colleague at the Department of City Planning; Gregg Pasquarelli and other partners at SHoP Architects; Mark Wigley, Dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; Marc Holliday, CEO of SL Green Realty Corp; and Pentagram's Michael Bierut, who designed A Country of Cities and acted as an uncommonly brilliant master of ceremonies. Photographs by Gerard Garvey.

Developer David Levinson, 'A Country of Cities' author Vishaan Chakrabarti and Pentagram's Michael Bierut.

Metropolis Books Publisher Diana Murphy (below) acknowledged Rosalie Genevro and Pamela Puchalaski (as well as Cassim Shepard, who was not in attendance) for introducing her to Mr. Chakrabarti's work. Also in attendance: Maria Alataris, Kenneth Frampton, Beatriz Colomina, Paula Scher, James Sanders, Liz Diller and Ric Scofidio, Carol Willis, Jed Walentas, Abigail Scheuer and Alan Brake, among many others...

Architect and historian Kenneth Frampton, Metropolis Publisher Diana Murphy, and SCI-Arc trustee Abigail Scheuer.

Architects Liz Diller and Ric Scofidio, Dean of Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Mark Wigley, a friend, Vishaan Chakrabarti and Gregg Pasquarelli of SHoP Architects.

Journalist Philip Nobel and writer, editor, and architectural consultant, Karen Stein.

Marc Holliday of SL Green Realty Corp.

Amanda Burden, Director of the New York City Department of City Planning and Chair of the City Planning Commission, with architect Maria Alataris.

Novelist Maura Moynihan with Margot Wellington, former Executive Director of the Municipal Art Society of New York.

Metropolis Books Publisher Diana Murphy celebrates 'A Country of Cities' with Vishaan Chakrabarti.