Perhaps the biggest difference between the design processes in Europe and North America, at the building scale and increasingly at the neighbourhood scale, is in the use of design competitions. I've been fascinated by this difference for some time, and make a point while in every competition-friendly city I'm in, to dig a little deeper.
Landscape Architecture
Buffing Up The Bronx
City planners are rezoning an area of the Bronx known for auto shops and storage units to try to create a new bustling neighborhood like SoHo.
The Daily News
Puget Sound Suburbs Could Follow Cities' Tougher Runoff Rules
After a recent state ruling requiring Seattle and other Puget Sound cities to control polluted stormwater runoff, smaller cities and suburbs could be brought on board as well.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Atlanta Beltline Project's Future Unclear
Mixed communication, contested railway lines and the collision of local, state and federal entities has put the future of Atlanta's Beltline greenspace and transit project.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cities Team Up To Reuse Water
Cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are working together to save water and use reclaimed water for non-drinking purposes.
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Cities Gone Wild!
Architects form the University of British Columbia are calling on cities to "go wild" -- mainly by integrating ecological features into the cityscape to make it more self-contained. The result would be both sustainable and exciting, they say.
The Tyee
Landscape Architect of the Tropical
Landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, featured in a new exhibition in Rio de Janeiro, used the principles of cubism and abstraction to create modern landscapes using native tropical plants.
The New York Times
A Mall Any City Could Love
The long-term planning principles that have made the National Mall a successful and adaptable public space were in the spotlight during the Inauguration. Cities should take a lesson, argues Christopher Hawthorne.
Los Angeles Times
When Kids Design Neighborhoods
Coriandoline, a housing development in Correggio, Italy, is the first to have been designed primarily by children. The award-winning neighborhood boasts themed houses and "built-in playability."
Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Daniel Burnham and the National Mall
One of Chicago architect Daniel Burnham's lesser-known achievements was a rethinking of the National Mall, bringing ideas- like a reflecting pool- from his designs for the Columbian Exhibition of 1893.
Chicago Tribune
New Orleans Riverfront Redevelopment Approved
Plans to redevelop a section of the Mississippi Riverfront in New Orleans have been approved and construction could begin by the end of 2009.
New Orleans Times-Picayune
Cities See The Light
Through festivals, lighting master plans, and creative integrations of artistic interpretations, cities across the world are harnessing the power of light to reinvigorate neglected areas and renew public interest.
The Christian Science Monitor
Water City Design - Copenhagen and Vancouver
Fri, 01/09/2009 - 14:20
In 2008 I took a wonderful trip to Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Malmo, Sweden. Although the occasion involved invitations to speak on Vancouver's waterfront achievements and challenges, it was really an opportunity for me to learn from these dynamic cities, and see the best and worst of European waterfront design and master-planning.
Canada's 'Ice War'
Winnipeg and Ottawa are facing off over which city has the world's longest -- and best -- ice trail.
The Globe and Mail
Cities and Cognitive Burnout
Compared to natural settings, busy urban environments can be detrimental to cognitive functioning and self-control. Well-designed, biodiverse parks are integral to counterbalancing the concrete jungle.
The Boston Globe
New York City's Ever-Evolving Union Square
Controversy surrounds a $20 million redesign of New York City's Union Square Park.
The New York Times
Revisiting the Future of Ecotopia
Ecotopia is a '70s cult novel that imagines a future where the Pacific Northwest secedes from the U.S. to become an environmentally-conscious utopian state. The NY Times reflects on the influence of this under-recognized novel.
The New York Times
