Slate

The Man Behind the Pattern Language

Witold Rybczynski profiles Christopher Alexander, author of A Pattern Language, one of the most influential books in urban planning. Alexander recently won the Vincent Scully prize from the National Building Museum.

December 3, 2009 - Slate

Subway Sociology

Because of the abundance of social interaction and diverse clientele, subways have long been the sites of sociological experiments to understand human behavior.

November 25, 2009 - Slate

Jaywalking Not As Big A Safety Issue As Assumed

Over the past 15 years, more than 76,000 pedestrians have been killed in the U.S. Some say preventing a significant portion of these deaths is as simple as enforcing jaywalking laws. Not so, argues Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic.

November 15, 2009 - Slate

Drive A Hot Rod, Save The Planet

How can a Porsche be better for the environment than a Prius? If you use transit to commute, and only take the hot rod out on the weekends. Slate writer Joe Eaton sold his Volvo for a combination of transit and fun.

October 30, 2009 - Slate

The Transformation of Harlem

Photographer Camilo Jose Vergara's pictures document Harlem's journey from a "rundown version of Paris" in the 1970s to the "global Harlem" of luxury condos and corporate franchises [includes slideshow].

June 15, 2009 - Slate

What Happened to America's Trains?

In an age of rapid technological improvements in almost every aspect of life, it's difficult to understand how a technology like trains could actually be less advanced now than it was in the 1940s, writes Tom Vanderbilt.

May 16, 2009 - Slate

Hot Trend in Architecture: The Appearance of Instability

Witold Rybczynski takes a look at the new tendency toward buildings that look collapsible, rather than the solid-looking buildings of the past. Is this trend a symptom of our shaky times?

April 23, 2009 - Slate

The Bridges are Alright

America's infrastructure isn't as fragile as current media coverage has made it out to be, according to Jack Shafer.

April 22, 2009 - Slate

Governor: Toughest Job in America?

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer says that as a result of outmoded industrial and funding models, state governments are facing grave financial problems.

March 23, 2009 - Slate

Will "Ghost" Towers Dominate U.S. Skylines?

Paul Smalera sees in the the ghost towers of Bangkok a disturbing warning for economically distressed urban developments in the United States.

March 20, 2009 - Slate

Costs and Benefits of Green Jobs

The stimulus package promises to create new green jobs, but are they really the economic solution they're cracked up to be? This piece from Slate questions the common perception.

March 8, 2009 - Slate

Stimulus Should Fund New, 'Transformative' Ideas

In this column, former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer calls on the Obama Administration to direct its stimulus package towards innovative technologies and "transformative" projects, not just the status quo roads and bridges of the past.

January 10, 2009 - Slate

A Look At Big Box Reuse

This slideshow from Slate looks at how to reuse abandoned big boxes.

November 22, 2008 - Slate

The Seasonal Surge in House Prices, Explained

New research can serve to explain why it is more expensive to purchase a house in the summer--and why it might be worth it.

September 10, 2008 - Slate

Beijing's Vanishing Alleyways

Rob Gifford reviews Michael Meyer's new book "The Last Days of Old Beijing," and how it brings to life a rapidly vanishing element of the Chinese city: the hutong, or alleyways, which are being swiftly demolished and redeveloped.

August 7, 2008 - Slate

Cities Built From Scratch

This slideshow from Slate looks at the elaborate plans for new cities in the United Arab Emirates, and compares them to other built-from-scratch cities in history.

April 30, 2008 - Slate

Libraries in the Digital Age

In this slideshow from Slate, Witold Rybczynski looks at public libraries from across the country and wonders how they will and should react to the increasingly digital age.

March 1, 2008 - Slate

The Era of the 'Ghost Mall'

A slowing economy will lead to the era of the 'ghost mall', according to this article from Slate.

January 11, 2008 - Slate

Is LEED Way Behind?

Flaws in LEED's rating system make it much too easy to get certified, which begs the question: Does LEED really succeed in making our buildings any greener?

December 28, 2007 - Slate

Why Municipal Wi-Fi Projects Fail

Why many cities attempts to create city-wide wireless networks have failed....and why some cities have been successful.

October 1, 2007 - Slate

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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.