Architecture
Inside Detroit's Abandoned Iconic Buildings
This slideshow from The Guardian looks inside some of Detroit's historic and decaying buildings.
Air Hangar Reborn as Waterpark
An air hangar in Germany has been converted into a massive waterpark, which some see as the possible beginning of a trend in adaptive reuse of these types of facilities.
The Prince of Wales Seeks "Harmony"
The Prince of Wales has a new book out, called "Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World." Robert Steuteville says the book is "a catalogue of environmental crises and sustainability solutions."
Exploring the Abandoned Metro of Paris
Urban explorer dsankt offers an in-depth look inside abandoned sections of the Metro system of Paris.
Hardly a Celebration
With a recent murder, a shootout-turned-suicide, and a high rate of foreclosure, the reality of Celebration, Florida, is less ideal than appearances would suggest.
The Federal Government's Green Building Megaproject
The federal government set aside $5.5 billion in stimulus funding to retrofit its huge fleet of buildings. $4.5 billion is to be spent on green building projects, some of which have already been launched.
Book Review: Makeshift Metropolis
In this highly readable volume, Witold Rybczynski makes a fresh argument for rethinking the field of planning. Lynn Vande Stouwe has this review of one of our selections for the Top 10 Urban Planning Books for 2011.
The Challenge of Preserving Interiors
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission lists only 110 interiors worthy of preservation. This article in Metropolis says the challenge is the "temporal nature of interior spaces."
Israel's Urban Outlier
Capitalism and bourgeois values built the city of Tel Aviv, which stands today as an outlier in Israel, according to this article.
Big Signs May Top Downtown Seattle Buildings
Seattle is considering a new policy that will allow companies to place large signs atop buildings downtown. It's part of an effort to lure companies downtown, but many locals are outraged.
A Prefab Prototype for Kenyan Villages
A Kansas City design team hopes its model for a prefabricated village can bring "simple, high-quality vernacular architecture" to the country's rural communities.
Downtown L.A. Stadium Plans Fall Flat
Proposed designs for a possible football stadium in downtown L.A. leave a lot to be desired -- both architecturally and urbanistically, according to this review.
Dystopic Dioramas
Artist Lori Nix has created an installation she calls simply, "The City". It consists of detailed dioramas of crumbling public institutions like libraries, churches, and malls.
Da Vinci's Experiment with Town Planning (Yes, That Da Vinci)
Was Leonardo a proponent of sprawl? The Renaissance man evidently believed the congestion of cities caused plagues in Milan in the 1480s, and drew up plans for a new city with wide streets and a network of canals.
Jersey City's 'High Line' Spurs Controversy
A proposal to redevelop an abandoned rail embankment in Jersey City has pitted preservationists and smart growth proponents against each other.
Vancouver Considers Higher Skyline
The city of Vancouver is considering a plan to increase maximum building height restrictions in certain parts of town by 100 feet and more.
Waterfront Redevelopment Hinges on Theater Expansion
A new expansion to a theater in Washington D.C. is seen as the centerpiece of a massive neighborhood revitalization effort.
New LEED Draft Singles Out 'Location and Transportation'
A draft of new LEED requirements has been released for public comment, and it includes a new category that accounts for location and accessibility.
A Giant of a Book on Urban Design
Ben Brown reviews Dhiru Thadani's new book, The Language of Towns and Cities. Weighing in at 800 pages, this encyclopedic urban design dictionary defines planning terms with extensive graphics.
Do Architects Have A Napoleon Complex?
I.M. Pei, Robert A.M. Stern, Daniel Libeskind, Louis Kahn, Frank Gehry - all of these architects were height-challenged. Witold Rybczynski writes in Slate about why great architects are usually short and what that means for the built environment.
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
