Book: ‘No More Play’

It’s no accident that No More Play: Conversations on Urban Speculation in Los Angeles and Beyond, architect Michael Maltzan’s collection of interviews about contemporary Los Angeles, comes off as a diverse and complex smattering of voices and imagery. In both form and content, the book is symbolic of Maltzan’s sprawling and chaotic urban subject matter. Taking on topics ranging from environmental design to economic development, the conversations center loosely around a question Maltzan poses in the introduction: “What is the new identity for a city whose entire life has been marked by its ability and desire to endlessly expand?” Edited by Jessica Varner, the book intersperses the interviews with arresting photographs from architecture and documentary photographer Iwan Baan. Using both expansive cityscapes and intimate portraits, Baan illustrates L.A.’s urban and social stories with the built environment as a recurring background. • $50; Hatje Cantz, July 2011