History / Preservation

The 'Loin's Grunge and Grime Now Historic

Stocked with architectural gems but fraught with crime, San Francisco's Tenderloin district has long been debated as a possible historic site. The debate is now over, as it was recently named to the National Register of Historic Places.

19 March 2009 - 5:00am

San Francisco Chronicle

Planner's Predictions Uncovered

Fifty years ago, Kenneth E. Norwood placed a time capsule and his predictions for Burbank, CA in a newly constructed bridge. According to the planner, monorails and "multi-unit garden apartments" were the waves of the future.

18 March 2009 - 6:00am

Los Angeles Times Blog

Cash-Strapped Congregations Can't Save Landmark Churches

Another victim of the economic downturn is historic preservation. In New York, a number of churches slated for preservation can't find the funds to keep the bulldozers away.

17 March 2009 - 12:00pm

Bloomberg.com

Ian Sacs

High Speed Rail-In-America Redux

Mon, 03/16/2009 - 09:35

High Speed Rail (HSR) is the favorite moniker to describe the new era of trains envisioned and partially down-paid by the recent stimulus. The idea, linking major regional corridors via fast trains that rival door-to-door times for air travel and put highways to shame, is a powerful elixir to the crunch of congested highways and airways that represented a failed – or to be more accurate, incomplete - twentieth century vision to satiate America's transport needs. Perhaps this vision, if implemented with undeterred gusto, can renew our perception of travel and convenience while simultaneously reinvigorating our gagged transportation system.

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3,000 Year Old Site Swapped for Train Station

Legislators in Utah have approved a bill that would allow the Utah Department of Natural Resources to swap a 3,000 year old Native American village to a group of developers intent on building a new transit station.

13 March 2009 - 8:00am

Deseret News

De-isolating the Pedestrian Mall

Car-free for more than 15 years, Chicago opened its dying pedestrian mall on State Street to vehicular traffic in 1996, with huge success. Should Boston planners and officials consider a similar strategy for its Downtown Crossing?

11 March 2009 - 9:00am

The Boston Globe

Reef and Surf Take Precedence Over Beach Erosion in Florida

A group of surfers has successfully blocked an environmentally-harmful beach dredging and repair project in Florida, at least temporarily. The project was meant to counteract beach erosion problems, but was protested over concerns about local reefs.

11 March 2009 - 8:00am

The New York Times

Rebuilding Slow in South Ossetia

Half a year after the area erupted in violence, the South Ossetia region of Georgia is struggling to rebuild.

10 March 2009 - 5:00am

International Herald Tribune

Protecting Habitats that Move

As climate change affects the habitats and migratory patterns of protected species, many are calling for protected areas to shift along with the animals they're intended to safeguard.

9 March 2009 - 7:00am

The Christian Science Monitor

Taking a Closer Look at the Slum

Slums have garnered some positive attention lately, from academics (Teddy Cruz) to royalty (Prince Charles). This article looks at just what it is we can learn from them, as well as the challenges that face legitimizing the world's shantytowns.

5 March 2009 - 1:00pm

The Boston Globe

In Ancient City, Conservationists Can't Help Sprawl's Effects

Ninevah, one of the world's most endangered heritage sites, is deteriorating due to recent development and urban sprawl, say officials.

3 March 2009 - 12:00pm

The Christian Science Monitor

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New Museum Turns Away From Starchitecture

Last year, plans for a new museum in San Francisco's Presidio were criticized for being harsh and not in keeping with the feel of the park. Back from the drawing board, John King says the new plans are much more in character and less iconic.

3 March 2009 - 7:00am

San Francisco Chronicle

Brazil Looks to Land Titles to Protect Amazon

A new plan is taking form in Brazil to regularize titles to rainforest land -- an effort the government hopes will fight deforestation.

28 February 2009 - 11:00am

The Economist

Preserving Brutalism

At Yale, a modernist landmark is preserved and revitalized. Ada Louise Huxtable looks at the challenges in updating the harshness of brutalist architecture.

27 February 2009 - 2:00pm

The Wall St. Journal

Preserving the American West

Over half of the land in the American West is publicly owned. Policy over the last century has tended towards allowing the extraction of natural resources, but it may be time for a shift into preservation.

21 February 2009 - 9:00am

The Christian Science Monitor

Coney Island Concepts Debated

The Municipal Art Society wants Coney Island to be bigger and more attractive, but the developer says time-share hotels and big boxes are the key the landmark's financial sustainability.

19 February 2009 - 12:00pm

The New York Times

Achieving Burnham's Green Vision for Chicago

Recognizing that urban greenery is crucial city dwellers' health and well-being, experts in Chicago spent the 100th anniversary of Daniel Burnham's "Plan of Chicago" by discussing ways to attain its vision.

18 February 2009 - 5:00am

Medill Reports

Seeking Access To An Underground Railroad's History

A man who has been leading tours of abandoned underground railroads in New York City is hoping to gain permission to break through a 19th century brick wall below the streets to find a perfectly preserved locomotive from the mid-1800s.

17 February 2009 - 5:00am

The New York Times

New Urbanism Needs To Age To Become True Urbanism

In this episode of the KunstlerCast, James Howard Kunstler looks at New Urbanism, compares it to regular urbanism, and argues that criticized New Urbanist developments will get better with age.

13 February 2009 - 8:00am

KunstlerCast