Architecture
Wright's Usonian High-Rises Foiled by the Great Depression
Frank Lloyd Wright's design for a Usonian high-rise on the Bowery featured rotated open floor plans to provide living space variation.
Livable Cities Awards Enable Healthy Urban Infrastructure
Rain water collection in Yemen, shaded bus shelters in Uganda and a pop-up modular park in Argentina are the legacy of Philips's Livable Cities Awards.

Why Are India's Cities So Short?
They're among the most populous cities in the world. So why are India's largest cities virtually bereft of skylines? Mark Bergen explores the answers.
Friday Funny: New Feline 'Dorms' Will Be Fancy Feast for the Eyes
Florida Southern College, the National Register-listed campus that features "the largest concentration of [Frank Lloyd] Wright designed structures anywhere in the world," has found an impressive way to house its feral cats.
SFMOMA Retrospective is a Love Letter to Lebbeus Woods
From February 16 to June 2, 2013, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is hosting a retrospective of the provocative architect's work from the last 35 years.
Madison Square Garden and Penn Station In Need of a Divorce
The owners of Madison Square Garden are asking NYC "to renew — in perpetuity — the special permit that allows them to operate an arena atop Penn Station, the country’s busiest transit hub." Michael Kimmelman urges the city to deny their request.
The Enduring Attraction of Containerized Urbanism
Architectural historian Mitchell Schwarzer traces the historic roots of container architecture and argues that today's shipping container developments, like Proxy in San Francisco, are leading the way to a new kind of urbanism.
Valentines for City Enthusiasts
If you're looking for the perfect Valentine's Day card for the planning enthusiast in your life, search no further. Five different Valentines show appreciation for cities and the people that live in them.
A Guide to Creating Great Cities at Eye Level
The result of a collaborative effort between five editors and 43 professionals from around the world, a new open-source book documents the essential concepts and strategies for creating great cities at eye level - along the ground floor ("plinths").
The World's Largest Architecture Firms
Vanessa Quirk discusses the results of Building Design's annual listing of the largest architecture firms in the world. The architecture and engineering behemoth Aecom has claimed top spot (up from number 2 last year) with 1,370 employees.
How Playboy Pushed the Pleasures of Modern Design
A new exhibition at the NAiM/Bureau Europa, in the Netherlands, examines the debt of gratitude that designers such as Mies van der Rohe, John Lautner, and George Nelson owe to the men's magazine for its promotion of the design trends of the day.
Arup Proposes Radical Building of the Near Future
The global engineering firm envisions a "smart" building that will plug into "smart" urban infrastructure and cater to an increasingly dense and technology-savvy urban population.
Design for Tallest Building in the West Unveiled
Roger Vincent shares the long-awaited design of the Wilshire Grand, a 73-story tower planned for downtown Los Angeles. When completed, it will surpass the nearby U.S. Bank Tower as the tallest building west of Chicago.

Picturing Ten Urban Qualities Important for Every City
Writing in The Atlantic Cities, Chuck Wolfe provides ten illustrated examples of enjoyable environments that reflect an evolving recognition for the qualitative aspects of the urban experience.
30 Must-See Architecture Documentaries
As Oscar season approaches, Arch Daily has gathered a list of "30 of the best Architecture Documentaries which will provoke, intrigue and beguile in 2013."
As Canada Heats Up, Officials Scramble to Keep Up
"Canada is getting hotter faster than ever before and at a faster rate than almost any other country," reports Anna Mehler Paperny, and the country's infrastructure, public health, and economy are vulnerable to unforeseen impacts.
How Has 'Mapping' Changed How We Communicate Ideas About Buildings and Landscapes?
Cartographic Grounds, a recent exhibition at the Harvard Graduate School of Design — now online at Places — seeks to "reconcile the precision and instrumentality of the plan with the geographic and territorial scope of the map."
Hudson Yards Construction Ballet Begins
Last week saw the second major groundbreaking on the west side of midtown Manhattan in the last two months, as the $4.5 billion "Manhattan West" project’s first phase officially began.
Gentrification Pushes Artists out of LA's Arts District
The arts district in downtown Los Angeles is transforming its industrial buildings into trendy boutiques, restaurants and hotels. The concern is that gentrification will drive out low-paid artists who can no longer afford to live there.
Stripping the Veneer off LEED-Platinum
Is a new luxury 6,721 square-foot home located in a gated community on the far outskirts of Las Vegas truly “the new face of efficiency"? Kaid Benfield elaborates on how the LEED certification system can be so easily gamed.
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
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