Architecture

The Future of Francisville

The Philadelphia neighborhood of Francisville is about to get an urban makeover, but two competing visions have very different ideas of what that means.

July 28, 2009 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Building Codes: Most Important Aspect of Climate Bill

Architect Edward Mazria looks at the climate bill heading to the Senate for approval and argues that its most important part is the section on building energy codes, which he calls "more powerful than 100 nuclear plants".

July 25, 2009 - Grist

Architectural Heritage Endangered in Moscow

Moscow's architectural heritage is in danger, according to a new report on preservation in the city.

July 25, 2009 - Metropolis

Rybczynski on the History of Airport Architecture

Witold Rybczynski provides an illustrated history of airport architecture on Slate [Slideshow].

July 24, 2009 - Slate.com

The Battle Over a Historic L.A. Hotel

Preservationists and developers are deep in a dispute over the Century Plaza hotel in L.A. On the drawing board are two high rise towers, but defenders of the site argue the hotel's historic value trumps the benefit the new project would bring.

July 24, 2009 - The New York Times

The Shared Developmental Trajectory of Megachurches and Corporate America

This piece from Triple Canopy tracks the development of megachurches in America and the similar trajectory of corporate headquarters from dense city areas to vast exurban campuses.

July 23, 2009 - Triple Canopy

LEED-ND: Yay or Nay?

After five years of preparation and testing, members of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Congress for the New Urbanism will begin balloting in late July on whether to authorize a full-fledged LEED-Neighborhood Development program.

July 22, 2009 - New Urban News

Is New Urbanism Conservative-Friendly?

A conservative Christian reporter attended the Congress for New Urbanism this year, and found that many New Urbanists support strategies that don't fit neatly into Democratic or Republican platforms.

July 21, 2009 - WORLD Magazine

Prince Charles vs. the Architects

A dust-up between architects and the Prince of Wales over a speech and a £1b development is bringing the age-old battle between traditional and modern architecture to a head. Managing editor Tim Halbur summarizes the news.

July 20, 2009 - Tim Halbur

R.I.P. Julius Shulman

Julius Shulman, famed popularizing mid-century modern architecture through his photographs, died yesterday at the age of 98. In his honor, The Architect's Journal features some of Shulman's photographs and commentary.

July 17, 2009 - The Architect's Journal

Wayfinding in the City

A review of The Wayfinding Handbook: Information Design for Public Places by David Gibson finds it rich with great ideas for designing new systems, but lacking in ideas for fixing old ones.

July 17, 2009 - re:place Magazine

Prince Charles Quits Preservation Group

In the continuing battle between architects and Prince Charles, the Prince has resigned from the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings after it rejected the foreword he had written for an upcoming handbook on restoration.

July 14, 2009 - The Independent (UK)

The Securitization of Public Space

Julia Galef takes a look at Secure Cities, a new website that maps the effect of security measures on public space since 9/11.

July 14, 2009 - Metropolis Magazine

Top 10 Cities from the World of Comic Books

Citing the important role they tend to play in storylines, the Architects' Journal lists off the top 10 cities from comic books.

July 11, 2009 - Architects' Journal

No Community Pool? Go Dumpster Diving!

Artists in Brooklyn are filling a void by converting construction dumpsters into swimming pools.

July 10, 2009 - Ready Made

Post-Katrina, A Neighborhood Changes

The Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans was deluged in the post-Katrina flooding. Today, a new community emerges with traditional renovations living side-by side with unique contemporary buildings.

July 8, 2009 - The Times-Picayune

Does Destroying a Building Erase History?

The Nakagin Capsule Tower, designed in Tokyo in 1972 as part of the Japanese Metabolism movement in architecture, is facing destruction. Residents of the building have voted to demolish it and replace it with a modern structure.

July 8, 2009 - The New York Times

The Burnham Plan Was Also the Bennett Plan

The 1909 Plan of Chicago is widely credited to Daniel Burnham. But Burnham's right-hand-man, Edward Bennett not only played a big role in writing the plan, he also helped put it into action.

July 7, 2009 - Chicago Tribune

Making Temporary Use of Empty Development Lots

Empty lots are scattered throughout San Francisco, sites of would-be towers that have been temporarily put off by the building bust. Instead of letting these lots sit empty until construction, some are finding ways to utilize them in the meantime.

July 7, 2009 - San Francisco

Designing a City on the Sea

Winners have been announced in an open competition to design what could become a permanent, sea-based, autonomous living facility.

July 6, 2009 - Bustler

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.