Architecture
Cool Walkability Planning
Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.
Building Community With Cohousing
Developers and buyers create new models for housing that hold the promise of a more environmentally friendly, connected, and multigenerational way of living.
The Link Between Circular Building, Affordability, and Sustainability
A growing movement seeks to reduce waste in the construction industry and focus on the long-term impact of building materials.
LEGO Building Carbon-Neutral Factory in Virginia
The Denmark-based toy company just broke ground on a new carbon-neutral run factory in Chesterfield County near Richmond, Virginia.
Architecture Is for Everyone
An architecture critic disavows ‘gatekeeping’ in the field.
‘Facadism:’ Historical Preservation, Fakery—or a Little of Both?
Developers in cities like Oakland, California are turning to vintage architectural elements to inform building renovations, but this repackaging is far from traditional preservation work.
Single-Staircase Buildings: A Design Solution to a Political Problem?
One writer argues that single-staircase buildings solve an architectural problem and make buildings more interesting, but the political problem of the U.S. housing crisis goes much deeper.
A Dallas Architect Designs Statement Buildings With a Purpose
The Dallas Morning News’ architecture critic profiles one of the city’s most important current architects.
Dallas Ahead of the Game in Adaptive Reuse
Thanks in part to a state tax credit created in the early 2000s, downtown Dallas is set to create roughly 1,500 new housing units by converting office buildings to residential uses.
The ‘Goldilocks Zone’ for Office Conversion
A formula for the ideal office-to-housing candidate.
Skyline-Defining High-Rise Potentially Coming to Boise
A rendering making the rounds in Boise depicts a 40-story apartment building that would be taller than all other buildings in one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.
Philadelphia ‘Lights Out Pledge’ Seeks To Prevent Bird Deaths
Migratory birds are often lured away from their normal paths by the bright lights of cities, with deadly results.
Why Office Conversion is Trickier Than You Think
Converting office buildings to housing is almost always possible, but, thanks in part to design changes in newer office buildings, it can often be cost-prohibitive.
Los Angeles County Looks to Mandate Seismic Retrofits
A common building type is a major contributor to earthquake fatalities, prompting the Board of Supervisors to consider requiring safety upgrades on older buildings.
Resilience Matters: Collective Action For Healthier Communities
The Island Press Urban Resilience Project (URP) has published a new, free "Resilience Matters" e-book that contains fascinating articles, op-eds, and interviews that provide practical guidance for collective action to build a fairer, greener future.
The 65th Birthday of the Lego Brick
The Lego brick is 65 years old this year. Learn more about its history and impacts on both children and adults.
The Responsibility of the Building to the Street
Structural engineers are responsible for ensuring that buildings do not fall over. Mechanical engineers must ensure that people inside can breathe. But what responsibility do building designers have to the street outside?
Critiquing an AI-Generated Architecture Critic
Artificial intelligence is being used to generate all kinds of content. Can it successfully replace architecture critics, or does understanding place require physical presence?
Austin’s Changing Skyline
Multiple proposed skyscrapers are changing the shape of once low-slung downtown Austin, signaling the growth of the city as a technology and manufacturing hub.
Vancouver’s Spiral High-Rise Creatively Skirts Zoning Rules
To meet zoning constraints, the twisting skyscraper uses an innovative design that optimizes its small footprint.
Barrett Planning Group LLC
City of Cleburne
KTUA Planning and Landscape Architecture
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
City of Laramie, Wyoming
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.
