Hailed as an "instant landmark," Gehry's Bilbao Guggenheim brought a new sense of relevance to architecture. This "optimistic artichoke" amid Bilbao's post-industrial ruin has become an icon of what architecture can do for a city in decline. As a result, every city has dreamed of its own Guggenheim effect. These essays by artists, architecture critics, urban planners, art historians, and others discuss the Bilbao Guggenheim and its significance. Distributed for the Center for Basque Studies.