Architecture
SF Transbay Transit Center Cracks Isolated to Beams, Say Experts
As the investigation continues, cracks found in girders supporting the building do not appear to be due to a design issue.
New Skyscraper Blooming on London's Skyline
A new tulip-shaped tower designed by Foster + Partners is planned for London. Approval is still pending.
The Street-Level Consequences of Zoning
Modern zoning practices separated uses, claiming this was a better way to organize American cities. However, the social, cultural, and urban design outcomes drastically changed the world we live in.
Op-Ed: Utopian Thinking Poses Continued Dangers for Urbanists
Charles Wolfe calls attention to similarities between contemporary urbanism and yesterday's debunked utopias. The two may differ in substance, but both tend toward a certain level of dogma that isn't necessarily helpful on the ground.
Aldermanic Obstruction Too Strong for Former Chicago Spire Site Plans
Developers Related Midwest have new plans for the infamously failed development site, but have so far been stymied by demands from the office of Alderman Brendan Reilly.
The New York Wheel Stops Spinning
Actually, the New York Wheel never started spinning, but now the project is permanently dead so it will never get the chance.
The New Dream Home Includes a Granny Flat
You can pay off the mortgage, but you can never leave.
San Francisco Considers More Aggressive Measures to Earthquake-Proof High Rises
The city has proposed tighter rules for new construction and a more active approach to securing existing tall structures from collapse.
Potential Height of Dan Gilbert's Detroit Skyscraper Rises Again
The final height of the tower that will become Detroit's tallest building may exceed 900 feet. The tower and its complex are expected to include retail, office, residential, exhibit, and event space.
New Master Plan Envisions Brooklyn Navy Yard as Next-Gen Manufacturing Hub
Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation's master plan for the site is a $2.5 billion bet that high-tech manufacturers can be enticed back to New York, bringing with them the economic heft to transform the whole area.
Op-Ed: Portland Should Fully Commit to Earthquake Preparedness
An editorial calls for Portland, Oregon to approve a requirement that warning signs be placed on unreinforced historic buildings. An argument is made for further measures, and a greater sense of urgency.
Amazon's First Forays Into Homebuilding Are Worth Watching
A new player with a very familiar name has entered into the residential homebuilding market.
Open for a Month, San Francisco's Transit Terminal Shut Down Due to Cracked Beams
The $2.2 billion Salesforce Transit Center, which opened to much celebration on Aug. 11, closed down abruptly Sept. 25 after workers found a cracked steel beam. A second cracked beam was later found. Work began Sunday to shore up the structure.
The Clarity of Robert Venturi
Robert Venturi, who died last week at 93, was not an urbanist as such. But in rejecting modernism and bringing honesty to discussions about aesthetics, Venturi deserves a debt of gratitude from planners and other architects alike.
The Latest on Los Angeles' Hollywood Park Development
New photos and renderings show the Inglewood Stadium construction and future plans for the 300-acre multi-use project.
Another Chicago Skyscraper Sign Controversy
Regulations crafted in the wake of the Trump sign controversy of 2014 could be relaxed to let Salesforce leave its mark on the city of Chicago's skyline.
Montreal's Bonaventure Expressway Removal and Redevelopment Earns Recognition
More than one-half mile of elevated expressway was demolished in the heart of downtown Montréal to make way for a spectacular ground-level urban boulevard and over six acres of continuous public space, bookended by two monumental sculptures.
Making Privately Owned Public Spaces in New York City More Accessible by Mapping Them
A new map shows where privately owned public spaces are located to encourage more public use.
Robert Venturi, Author and Architect, Dies at 93
Urban design media mourned the passing of Robert Venturi this week.
A Showcase of Innovative Climate Change and Resiliency Design Projects
A competition in the San Francisco Bay Area highlights projects considering new ways to design for impending environmental changes.
Pagination
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello