Smithsonian

Ontario, Canada

Follow Up Questions for Toronto's Big 'Smart City' Plan

When it comes to "smart city" plans, there might not be a bigger blockbuster than the partnership between Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs, a unit of Google's parent company, Alphabet.

December 12, 2017 - Smithsonian

Ancient Cities Were Unsustainable Too

Over the last several decades, researchers have examined how our cities deplete natural resources and change the climate and ecosystems of their surrounding areas. But new evidence shows that such impacts aren't a purely modern phenomenon.

January 9, 2014 - Smithsonian

Can Architecture Play a Role in Creating Middle East Peace?

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is bound up in intersecting issues of place, history and geography, among other things. Two Israeli architects believe architecture and urban design can help lead to an agreeable solution.

August 27, 2013 - Smithsonian

Redesigning the Golden Arches: Do Famous Architects Create Happier Meals?

In the 1980s and 90s, a pair of accomplished architecture firms were asked to design restaurants for the world's most famous, and formulaic, fast food chain. See what happened when the avant garde rethought the golden arches.

August 4, 2013 - Smithsonian

Temporary Camps Become Permanent Cities for Refugees

Published to coincide with World Refugee Day, Smithsonian has assembled an interactive map of the 50 largest refugee camps in the world. Many of the camps, which together house 1.9 million people, are comparable in size to medium-sized U.S. cities.

June 21, 2013 - Smithsonian

Earth Engine: Google's Global Time-Lapse

With Earth Engine, Google has compiled decades of images taken by Earth-observing satellites. The tool is meant for "scientists, independent researchers, and nations...to detect changes, map trends and quantify differences on the Earth's surface."

May 9, 2013 - Smithsonian

A Decoder Ring for Those Mysterious Markings on Your Street

Jimmy Stamp decodes the mysterious color-coded markings used by public works departments around the country to indicate underground infrastructure.

May 8, 2013 - Smithsonian

'Quantitative Urbanism' Reduces Cities to a Formula

Jerry Adler examines the emerging field of “quantitative urbanism,” which aims to use mathematical formulas to unveil and explain the universal properties shared by cities.

April 30, 2013 - Smithsonian

Children of the Past Envision the City of Tomorrow

How did childhood visions of future cities differ for kids growing up in the 1980s when compared to the 1960s or today? Matt Novak shares a short film from 1983 that captures the prescient urban visions of students.

April 24, 2013 - Smithsonian

Friday Eye Candy: The World's Oldest Aerial Photo

Ever wonder what downtown Boston looked like on the eve of the Civil War? This photograph taken from a hot air balloon by James Wallace Black is thought to be the oldest aerial photo still in existence. Google Earth eat your heart out.

April 5, 2013 - Smithsonian

5 Cities Leading the Effort to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Claire Martin examines research conducted by engineering firm Arup and the Clinton Climate Initiative into the actions that cities are taking to reduce their emissions and identifies five cities, including one surprise, that are leading the charge.

March 15, 2013 - Smithsonian

What Makes Koolhaas Tick?

Former Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff pens a profile of the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, whose "most provocative—and in many ways least understood—contribution to the cultural landscape is as an urban thinker."

August 24, 2012 - Smithsonian

A Departure from Traditional Airport Design

Back in 2001, Jim Starry proposed a radical rethink of airport design, with inclined runways and gates on top of terminals and parking lots. Lost in the 9/11 shuffle, Sarah Rich takes a second look at the idea.

June 27, 2012 - Smithsonian

Small Town Charm: 20 Great American Hamlets

With the help of a little GIS wizardry, Susan Spano and Aviva Shen map the 20 most cultured small towns in the U.S., from Gig Harbor, WA to Naples, FL and everywhere in between.

April 22, 2012 - Smithsonian

Preservation Challenges Face Taj Mahal

Pollution is threatening the structural integrity of the Taj Mahal, prompting local officials to scramble for ways to preserve the historic site.

September 1, 2011 - Smithsonian

Translating New York City to 1920s Small Town America

In the 1920s, when the concept of a big city like New York was still new to many Americans, one newspaper columnist brought the city to small town America.

May 15, 2011 - Smithsonian

Recovery and Rebirth in Cleveland

A city in decline for decades, Cleveland is showing signs of recovery, according to this article from Smithsonian.

April 14, 2011 - Smithsonian

A Look at the New Hoover Dam Bridge

This collection of photographs from Smithsonian documents the construction of the recently opened bypass bridge at the Hoover Dam.

December 17, 2010 - Smithsonian

Urban Farming Rising

Urban agriculture is becoming a well-known idea all around the world. Most of it is done at the small-scale, but there's still the idea of creating large skyscraper farms to feed our cities. Smithsonian takes a look at the idea.

August 4, 2010 - Smithsonian

Start Your Own Utopia

Smithsonian explores micronations, tiny utopian city-states that strike out on their own - whether or not their current government recognizes their independence.

August 26, 2009 - Smithsonian

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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.