Synthesis

SYNTHESIS emerged during the deanship of Josep Lluís Sert, shortly after Jaqueline Tyrwhitt joined the GSD faculty. Sert and Tyrwhitt were both deeply invested in fostering collaboration across the school’s three departments at the time —architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. Although a formal program in urban design would not be established until 1959, courses on the subject started being offered in 1955, reflecting the growing importance of interdisciplinary exchange. Within this intellectual climate, Synthesis was conceived as a student publication dedicated to advancing such dialogue. The editorial statement of the first issue clearly articulated this ambition: “Synthesis intends to provide a platform for student views and work. The editorial policy has been to combine contributions from students and professionals from the many fields represented in the three departments of the GSD.” 

Appropriately, the first issue, was devoted to the topic of urban design. It featured the results of a survey that sought to define urban design, drawing responses not only from architects, landscape architects, and city planners, but also from scholars and professionals in art, history, law, geography, government, administration, and economics. In her concluding analysis characterized urban design as “a magnificent ‘rallying device’ to delineate a field of mutual interest to members of all three design professions.” Other contributions reinforced the central theme of collaboration. Richard Dober wrote on “The Collaboration Process”; Garrett Eckbo and Hideo Sasaki on “The Urban Landscape”; and William Goodman examined “Planning and Urban Design: Bridging the Gap.” 

At the same time, the opening editorial statement emphasized the experimental nature of the publication, describing it as a “pilot project” whose continuation would depend on student enthusiasm. The experiment, however, was short-lived. The second issue, which proved to be the last, announced a change in editorial direction: “Starting with this issue the editorial emphasis of this magazine will be placed on student work that has been done outside the academic curriculum. This issue was heavily illustrated, showcasing drawings, spatial diagrams, sculpture, and graphic design produced by students. Despite its brief existence, Synthesis remains significant as a record of the GSD’s mid-century efforts to promote dialogue among the design disciplines and to establish urban design as a field of shared inquiry.