Architecture

Rendering of Baylor Scott & White Health Administrative Center in Deep Ellum, Dallas, Texas

A Dallas Architect Designs Statement Buildings With a Purpose

The Dallas Morning News’ architecture critic profiles one of the city’s most important current architects.

March 26, 2023 - The Dallas Morning News

View of downtown Dallas skyline at night with tall tower lined with green lights

Dallas Ahead of the Game in Adaptive Reuse

Thanks in part to a state tax credit created in the early 2000s, downtown Dallas is set to create roughly 1,500 new housing units by converting office buildings to residential uses.

March 21, 2023 - Dallas Business Journal

Buildings on Wall Street, New York City

The ‘Goldilocks Zone’ for Office Conversion

A formula for the ideal office-to-housing candidate.

March 21, 2023 - Fast Company

A view of the Boise skyline, across tress int he foreground. The state capitol is visible amongst other office buildings.

Skyline-Defining High-Rise Potentially Coming to Boise

A rendering making the rounds in Boise depicts a 40-story apartment building that would be taller than all other buildings in one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.

March 20, 2023 - Boise Dev

Aerial Philadelphia cityscape by night with the City Hall tower in the foreground and Ben Franklin bridge spanning Delaware river in the back

Philadelphia ‘Lights Out Pledge’ Seeks To Prevent Bird Deaths

Migratory birds are often lured away from their normal paths by the bright lights of cities, with deadly results.

March 19, 2023 - Next City

Workplaces in a modern panoramic office, New York city view from the windows. Open space. Black tables and brown leather chairs. A concept of financial consulting services. 3D rendering.

Why Office Conversion is Trickier Than You Think

Converting office buildings to housing is almost always possible, but, thanks in part to design changes in newer office buildings, it can often be cost-prohibitive.

March 15, 2023 - The New York Times

2-story Los Angeles dingbat apartment building getting soft-story seismic retrofit for earthquake safety

Los Angeles County Looks to Mandate Seismic Retrofits

A common building type is a major contributor to earthquake fatalities, prompting the Board of Supervisors to consider requiring safety upgrades on older buildings.

March 1, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Resilience Matters: Collective Action For Healthier Communities

The Island Press Urban Resilience Project (URP) has published a new, free "Resilience Matters" e-book that contains fascinating articles, op-eds, and interviews that provide practical guidance for collective action to build a fairer, greener future.

February 27, 2023 - Resilience Matters: Collective Action for Healthier Communities

Lego brick buildings

The 65th Birthday of the Lego Brick

The Lego brick is 65 years old this year. Learn more about its history and impacts on both children and adults.

February 20, 2023 - Inc.

Crosswalk leading to sidewalk and blank construction wall with pedestrian crossing light

The Responsibility of the Building to the Street

Structural engineers are responsible for ensuring that buildings do not fall over. Mechanical engineers must ensure that people inside can breathe. But what responsibility do building designers have to the street outside?

February 16, 2023 - Tristan Cleveland

Exterior of Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas

Critiquing an AI-Generated Architecture Critic

Artificial intelligence is being used to generate all kinds of content. Can it successfully replace architecture critics, or does understanding place require physical presence?

January 23, 2023 - The Dallas Morning News

Aerial view at dusk of downtown Austin, Texas with river in foreground

Austin’s Changing Skyline

Multiple proposed skyscrapers are changing the shape of once low-slung downtown Austin, signaling the growth of the city as a technology and manufacturing hub.

January 19, 2023 - Bloomberg CityLab

View of Vancouver House skycraper under construction with two cranes at top and other downtown Vancouver buildings surrounding it against a grey sky

Vancouver’s Spiral High-Rise Creatively Skirts Zoning Rules

To meet zoning constraints, the twisting skyscraper uses an innovative design that optimizes its small footprint.

January 12, 2023 - Bloomberg CityLab

View looking up at multi-story building on commercial street in Bethesda, Maryland

Montgomery County To Require Decarbonized New Construction

Under a new bill, most new buildings will be banned from using natural gas in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift to all-electric power.

December 1, 2022 - DCist

Seattle

Seattle Considering Expedited Design Review for Affordable Housing

An emergency order in April 2020 exempted affordable housing projects from the city of Seattle’s design review process. A new ordinance would allow affordable housing proposals there own path to approval for another two-year test period.

November 22, 2022 - The Center Square

Market Street San Francisco

San Francisco Could Strike Deal on New Tower

The city is leveraging height increases and density bonuses to acquire more properties for affordable housing.

November 16, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

View of Ocean Drive with colorfu three-story buildings and palm trees

Voters Reject Miami Beach High-Rises

Developers planning to build above the city’s current height limit will have to go back to the drawing board.

November 16, 2022 - The Wall Street Journal

Multiple bridges busy with cars cross Lady Bird Lake outside downtown Austin, Texas.

Skyscraper Proposed for Austin Would Be Tallest in Texas

The skylines are starting to catch up to the hype about everything being bigger in Texas.

November 15, 2022 - Towers

Toronto

‘Skyscraper Race’ Underway in Toronto

No skyline in North America has changed as drastically as Toronto’s in recent decades. A slate of new skyscraper proposals, called a “skyscraper race” by observers, could continue the trend.

November 13, 2022 - Toronto Star

Solar panels on a rooftop with two workers in hard hats and safety vests walking between panels

How Buildings Can Lead the Way to a Decarbonized Future

A public utilities building in Santa Rosa shows how innovations in architecture and grid management can reduce energy use and prepare buildings for a more sustainable energy future.

November 1, 2022 - Next City

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

HUD’s 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.