Architecture
Seattle's Answer to Affordable Housing
Zach Patton details the effects of Seattle's zoning regulation which allows for the construction of "backyard cottages." These cottages, writes the author, are a viable way to increase urban density and provide affordable housing.
A Philosophical Basis for New Urbanism
Raymond Hain says the arguments in favor of New Urbanism are often "murky", and design is in the eye of the beholder. but is there a deeper, philosophical foundation for New Urbanism?
Celebrating the Mid-Rise Building
Builder Magazine thinks its time to give the mid-rise (4-6 stories) building its due.
Getting Off the Water Grid in Seattle
Buildings in Seattle, including a school, are trying to remove themselves from the urban water grid. More could soon follow.
Defending New Urbanism
New Urbanism has been given a bad rap, according to co-founder Andres Duany. In this piece for Metropolis he sets the record straight.
Striking Architecture for the Poor
That was former Medellin, Columbia mayor Sergio Fajardo's plan to rebuild his city, an idea that turned out to be transformational.
How Buildings Shape Our Sense of Place
San Francisco urban design critic John King has a new book out looking at how the built environment influences culture, and how the culture influenced the buildings in return.
When is Historic Preservation Just Misplaced Nostalgia?
With projects in the U.S. and the U.K., architect Rafael Vinoly attempts to navigate "the hazy and treacherous borderlands that lie between architectural history and public nostalgia."
Skyscrapers of the Future
The 2011 eVolo Skyscraper Competition turned up some unusual and futuristic designs for future skyscrapers and other structures, from a reimagined Hoover Dam to a Ferris Wheel-shaped wind turbine.
Sprawl, European Style
The U.S. often gets a bad rap for its sprawling suburbs and unplanned development, but Robert Kwolek notes that many European cities and other parts of the world aren't far behind.
Building A Healthier Environment
The built environment plays a big role in public health, and the professions involved in creating the built environment need to pay more attention to building healthy places, argues Clark Manus, president of the American Institute of Architects.
Kazakhstan's Shiny and Empty New Capital
Kazakhstan built a new capital city in 1997 in far-off Astana. This piece from The New Yorker takes a tour of the city, and finds a unique architectural development underway, but a city still in its early years of formation.
Football Team's Cleveland Plans Could Learn from the Past and Public
The Cleveland Browns football team has announced plans to revitalize a lakefront part of the city. Those plans could benefit from more public input and could learn from previous success, according to this article.
London's Skyscraper Boom Trickles Off
A number of large skyscrapers in London, approved and financed before the recession, are being completed. But with no new ones planned, these skyscrapers are looked at as the end of an age of large-scale building.
International Resolution on the Need For Quality Public Spaces
UN-HABITAT (United Nations Human Settlement Programme) recently adopted its first ever resolution on public space, encouraging equity and the development of quality public spaces.
Edmonton Strives For More Than "Crap"
Edmonton, Alberta has a reputation as "the Canadian fiefdom of sprawl" with a "commitment to architectural crap." Mayor Stephen Mandel is working hard to change that reputation.
What is New Urbanism Anyway?
Andres Duany, the most vocal of New Urbanist, says that the critiques of the "ism" he helped create brand it as a "rustic version of starchitect culture" when it is in actuality an "expanding web of ideas, techniques, projects, and people."
The Transcendent Urbanism of Japan
Architect Vishaan Chakrabarti writes that Japan's urbanism should serve as a model to the rest of the world for its density and the "urbane society" it creates.
D.C. Tops in Green Building
Washington D.C. has built the most "green" buildings within its greater region, according to a new survey.
Pursuing New Development Ideas
As funding falters in the private sector, some privately- or university-driven design centers are still pursuing new ideas is urban design and development. Places profiles one at the University of Arkansas.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
