In a surprise decision, a Brazilian architect with little international reputation comes away with the field's top honor.
"Paulo Mendes da Rocha, a Brazilian Modernist who has worked extensively in his home country for decades but had limited international exposure, has won the 2006 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the field's highest honor. He will receive the $100,000 grant at a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 30.
His work, which includes stadiums, museums and chapels, is marked by an integration with nature and muscular use of geometry, as in the concrete flying-saucer-like Paulistano Athletic Club in São Paulo. Many of these buildings, including his recently completed Patriarch Plaza, are in that city, where the architect lives with his wife."
"The citation from the Pritzker jury praised him for his command of 'the principles and language of Modernism,' as well as his 'deep understanding of the poetics of space. He modifies the landscape and space with his architecture, striving to meet both social and aesthetic human needs.'"
FULL STORY: A Pritzker surprise in Sao Paulo
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.