Architecture
Tiny Town Counting On Boom Courtesy of 007
Gensler has revealed the designs for The Museum of Bond Vehicles + Espionage, which will be located in Momence, Illinois. Momence, pop. 3000, is hoping the museum could jump start their economy and put them on the map.
TOD: An Architect's View
The American Institute of Architects discovers that architects are finding work redesigning stations, and that a new focus on transit is driving development.
Cities Are Influenced By Theme Parks, World's Fairs, etc.
A exhibit currently at the Centre Pompidou in Paris called "Dreamlands" looks at the lasting and deep influence of themed environments and amusement parks on how we think about cities.
An Architectural 'Love Letter' to NY
The AIA Guide to New York City was last updated 10 years ago, and the latest version shows an explosion of glassy residential towers. James Russell says the guide is "monumental."
The "Blunt Savvy" of Eli Broad
"For all of Eli Broad's consistent prominence on the public stage in recent years, the buildings he has helped develop make up a disparate, even contradictory group," writes Christopher Hawthorne as he describes the patron's philanthropic endeavors.
Rome Modernizes Amid Controversy
Rome, a city steeped in history, is struggling to retain and protect its historical identity as the city modernizes and expands.
Shanghai's Faux World Cities Fail to Catch On
A decade after its inception, Shanghai's One City, Nine Towns project, an ambitious attempt to manage the city's massive population growth via the creation of international-themed satellite communities, has failed to deliver hoped-for results.
"Aquatic Urbanism" in the Thames
Student Anthony Lau put together a not-so-fantastical proposal to redevelop retired ships and platforms in the Thames River into new communities.
Save the Soleri Amphitheater
Officials in Santa Fe have announced plans to demolish an amphitheater designed by architect Paolo Soleri, the visionary behind the as-yet-unfinished Arcosanti project. David Licata says it deserves to be saved.
Activism and Architecture
Architects Anu Mathur and Dilip da Cunha say that activism drives their work: "Rather than waiting for a commissioned project, we ask the first question, frame the issue and propose possibilities," say the two in an interview with PLACES.
An Urban Forest
A white box labeled "Unlimited Urban Woods" stands in the plaza of a modern office building in Amsterdam. Step inside, and an endless vista of trees stretches out before you.
Starchitect Rejected, A New Compromise Rises
With Harvard's plan to build a Renzo Piano-designed art museum rejected, the university took a new tack and built student housing, a park and an underground parking garage -- a "satisfying outcome", says Anthony Flint.
Qatar's Boom Looks Beyond World Cup
As Qatar plans to spend billions on infrastructure and stadia ahead of its hosting of the 2022 World Cup, locals are hopeful that plans will focus on longer-term impacts.
Mysterious Structures in Flushing
Kirsten Hively of the Architectural League of New York stumbled upon some relics of the 1964 New York World's Fair and became obsessed with understanding their history. The Candela Structures, as they are known,
Green Buildings Can Be Noisy
Post-occupancy studies lead by UC Berkeley Center for the Built Environment show that many green strategies result in less satisfactory acoustics.
Homes Shrink As Lower-Priced Homes Sales Surge
More first-time, energy-conscious, urban home buyers with smaller households have contributed to a noticeable reduction in home size as shown in 2008-2009 housing Census data. Concurrently, lower-priced home sales outpaced more expensive homes.
How Yorkville Ended Up With So Much Dead Public Space
Martin Pedersen of Metropolis Magazine explains how a city ordinance termed the 'plaza bonus,' lead to the creation of more than five hundred "privately financed, privately owned, but public spaces."
Vancouver's Laneway Homes Begin to Arouse Complaint
The idea was for the homes to be 'mortgage helpers' or cheaper way to house elderly parents. Since the citywide policy was passed last year, 89 laneways have been approved and some are already generating complaints.
Buildings Alone Do Not Constitute Regeneration
The "Bilbao Effect" is the apotheosis of the notion that a struggling post industrial city can be regenerated through set-piece art and design. But Frank Gehry, the architect of the Guggenheim, suspects the gallery was only part of a larger gestalt.
Eco-Development Gets Green Light in Hangzhou
Architecture firm Woods/Bagot has been contracted to perform a "super green" makeover on the XiXi Wetlands in Hangzhou, China.
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
