Delirious New York

work by Koolhaas

Also known as: “Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan”(Show More)

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July 22, 2026

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Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan is a 1978 book by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. The book explores the architectural development of Manhattan, suggesting it was an organic process shaped by various cultural forces. Koolhaas viewed New York City as a metaphor for contemporary experience, highlighting its unique urban environment and the constant cycle of demolition and reconstruction that defines its character. The work predates many of his built architectural projects and established his reputation as an urban theorist.12

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Rem Koolhaas
…urban theorist when his book Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan was published in 1978. The book suggested that the architectural development of Manhattan was an organic process created through a variety of cultural forces. In this way, New York and other major cities functioned as a metaphor…
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…urban theorist when his book Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan was published in 1978. The book suggested that the architectural development of Manhattan was an organic process created through a variety of cultural forces. In this way, New York and other major cities functioned as a metaphor…
Read More