Architecture

Back to the Drawing Board for Eisenhower Memorial Design
The National Capital Planning Commission voted this week to reject a design by Gehry Partners for a memorial to Dwight D. Eisenhower planned for the National Mall in the nation’s capital.

Architecture + Urbanism: Both/And, Not Either/Or
Looking at the trend toward interdisciplinary design practice through the work of WXY Architecture + Urban Design.
''D.C.'s High Line" Could Transform the Banks of the Anacostia
The proposed elevated park across the Anacostia would be a first for D.C. The group backing it has launched a national design competition to design a bridge that fosters economic development, promotes community health, and cleans the river.
Top Architecture Websites
The Life of An Architect website recently published its second list of “The Best Architectural Websites in the World.”
The State of Preservation Policy in L.A. County: Not Great (with Some Exceptions)
The Los Angeles Times reports on the Los Angeles Conservancy's 2014 Preservation Report Card, which "grades" each of L.A. County's local governments on their preservation programs (or lack thereof).
Rewarded for Doing Good: Shigeru Ban Wins Pritzker Prize
The 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize had been awarded to Shigeru Ban. Ban is best known for his innovative use of paper as a construction material and for relief work in disaster areas.
Pérez Art Museum Creates a 'New Vernacular' for Miami
A writer claims that two buildings by architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, including the newly opened Pérez Art Museum, create a new style endemic to Miami—a city more known for its art deco proclivities.

Mid-Rise: Density at a Human Scale
All growing cities must find ways to develop at appropriate, transit-supporting densities without overwhelming the surrounding context. The human-scaled, mid-rise building can be a solution—but achieving a good neighbourhood “fit” is not easy.
'Towers Because Gardens'—Reviewing MoMA's Frank Lloyd Wright Exhibition
In reviewing MoMA’s recent exhibition “Frank Lloyd Wright and the City: Density vs. Dispersal,” Thomas de Monchaux explores the personal life and motivations of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Is BBC's Architecture Mini-Series Biased Against Women?
The BBC is in hot water over alleged gender bias in its mini-series "The Brits Who Built the Modern World."
Calling for a 'Design Revolution' in Philadelphia
The recently rejected proposal for a new Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia failed to live up to the spirit of that seminal event, writes Nathaniel Popkin.
Imagining a Future Vertical City
Not everyone is sold on the idea of vertical cities, populated with futuristic skyscrapers beyond the proportions of earlier eras. But for as long cities bear the brunt of the world’s population growth, explorations of verticality will continue.

Why Urban History Matters
Chuck Wolfe's recent reconnaissance of Edinburgh provides a foil for his rallying cry: Going forward, let’s not discount the influence of history’s recurring themes in how we redevelop the urban realm.
Exploring Architecture with Oscar-Nominated Director Steve McQueen
Many filmmakers are concerned with set making, but not architecture. Steve McQueen, Best Director nominee for 12 Years a Slave (which is also nominated for Best Picture) has made a career of examining the role of architecture in building narrative.
A Village Designed Just For People With Dementia
In the Netherlands, a radical idea is being tested: Self-contained "villages" where people with dementia shop, cook, and live together—safely.
Strange Bedfellows: Germs and Architecture
A study from the University of Oregon has laid the foundation for a new level of architectural outcome: how the materials of buildings can facilitate healthy kinds of bacteria while managing the pernicious sort.

Bad Architecture, Good Urbanism in Philadelphia
The Mormon Church released renderings for development plans at 16th and Vine in Philadelphia. The plan's grab-bag of historic architecture styles succeeds in urbanism but roots the area in an unfortunate historicism, according to critic Inga Saffron.
Examining the Merits of St. Louis’ Infill Boom
The central corridor of St. Louis has a host of development projects in the pipeline. With a celebration of the rebirth of the city has also come questions about the new developments’ adherence to faux-historic brick architecture.

The Future is Cities
Cities are growing faster than you can say megalopolis. But as populations around the world shift to urban areas, cities are also focal points for global challenges—water, energy, health. MIT is working to address these issues.

10 Unexpected Cities to Love
A valentine to ten cities around the world that are quietly creating urban paradigms to admire and emulate.
Pagination
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
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions