A cigarette-pack-shaped tower that will "breathe in air" to power the building? A Louisville skyscraper whose beauty is compared to the "gap between Lauren Hutton's teeth?" Proposed new towers are pushing the limits of height and good taste.
A surging global real estate market has emboldened often risk-averse contractors to propose increasingly ambitious and outlandish skyscraper designs. Technological advancements in design tools, construction techniques, and material fabrication are also freeing up investment dollars to reach further for the stars in tower height and design.
Among the most atypical skyscraper projects recently proposed include a tower for a Chinese tobacco company shaped like a cigarette pack that will "breathe" in air to generate power for the building. In Moscow, a planned $1.5 billion "vertical city for 25,000 people" hopes to be not only Europe's tallest skyscraper, but also the only modern building with a natural ventilation system.
In perhaps the wackiest design, a tower proposed for Louisville, Kentucky, looks like "a three-legged chair with a 22-story diagonal elevator that accesses a 'floating island in the sky' art museum."
[Editor's note: This story will be available online for seven days after publication.]
FULL STORY: Way Up and Far Out

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie