Comments

As we launch our new website in September 2014, we have decided to cease publishing new reader comments on articles. (We have archived old comments, which will remain visible on article pages.)

Partly, this decision reflects the depth of our writers’ work and the pace of the journal; our dedication to the long game is not always conducive to online discussion. The decision also reflects changes on the internet since Places moved online five years ago. As more people discuss our articles on social media — not to mention in the seminar room — a dedicated comments section feels superfluous.

We remain committed to debate and dialogue, and to the support of a vital discursive culture on buildings, landscapes, and cities. Talk to us on Facebook and Twitter. Discuss on Reddit or Metafilter. Interview the author. Publish an op-ed, a critical review, a podcast. And if you have an in-depth response that merits an article of its own, send us a pitch.

Closing comments is our way of acknowledging the diversity of our audience and the different ways our articles circulate in our ever more mediated world. As Jonathan Massey and Brett Snyder write of the evolving hypercity, “What is the layout of this place? What are its codes and protocols? Who owns it? How does its design condition opportunities for individual and collective action?” We can’t predict how digital discourse will evolve in the next five years, but we’ll be there, ready to talk about ideas that matter.