This Times of London opinion piece calls for planners and architects with a true vision to get back in control of city planning. The author argues that "it is the developers who produce the master plans, and the city that responds to them."
Author Magnus Linklater is not too happy with the way British towns are evolving. He recalls the early days of many towns when a few people guided the development of the town and shaped its form with confidence and broad oversight. But now as developers are replacing the planners and architects that used to guide the city form, the author feels that cities desperately need a leader to control design.
"There is a strong case for cities each to have an architect-in-chief, someone with the taste and vision to veto the worst and encourage the best. In reality, however, his powers are always likely to be limited. The days when cities were laid out and designed by powerful men of vision are long gone. We live in the age of the developer, and though a city’s planning department can and does control, modify and even veto the design ideas put forward by commercial organizations, it does not, by and large, dictate them."
FULL STORY: City plans? Hand me the matches
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.
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.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
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.
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
