The responsibility of architecture critics

John King from the SF Chronicle has a good take on the role of architecture critics:

An architecture critic isn't musing on a branch of art that is tucked away in a gallery or a bookstore or a multiplex or a television set. We're entrusted with the urban landscape that everyone shares, from museums to strip malls and sidewalks to skyscrapers. We have a unique perch from which to home in on structures that either offer inspiring examples to follow or serve as cautionary tales of what to avoid.