Architecture

Big Winner of Tiny Apartment Competition Unveiled

Today, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the winner of a competition to build a micro-apartment pilot project in Manhattan. Consisting of 55 micro-units measuring between 250 and 375 square feet, the project will utilize modular construction.

January 22, 2013 - The New York Observer

A Korean City for Books and Architecture

Shannon Mattern visits a "a publishers’ enclave" that is seeking to reinvent Korean publishing, architecture and urban planning in the wetlands near the Demilitarized Zone.

January 22, 2013 - Places Journal

John Lautner: Architect for Evil

The homes designed by architect John Lautner have appeared often in films, many times as characters themselves and many times associated with villains. Adam Baer examines what it is about Lautner's designs that inspire associations with evil.

January 21, 2013 - The Virginia Quarterly Review

One of New York's Grande Dames Turns 100

As the 100th anniversary of its opening approaches, The New York Times recounts the birth of one of the finest railway stations in the world - Grand Central Terminal.

January 21, 2013 - The New York Times

The Tokyo Model: From Post-War Slum to Superpower

In this compelling essay, authors Matias Echanove and Rahul Srivastava take a look at Tokyo's post-war development and explore how lessons learned from its unplanned growth may be useful for other rapidly urbanizing Asian cities today.

January 20, 2013 - Next City

The Rise of the Trophy Rental

Renting out luxury homes has become an attractive choice in today's housing market. High-end renters get many of the benefits of owning a home, with greater built-in flexibility, and without the financial risk.

January 19, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

India's Energy and Resources Institute Taking the LEED

India’s foremost environmental think tank is touting a recently developed sustainable building certification program "Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment" (GRIHA) as more holistic than LEED. Could it also help enforce labor laws?

January 19, 2013 - Green Futures Magazine

A Model for How to Transform a Cherished Sports Landmark

The decade-long transformation of Toronto's historic Maple Leaf Gardens into a new centerpiece for its neighborhood may serve as a model for one of the trickiest types of adaptive reuse, reports Mark Byrnes.

January 18, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

What Can be Learned from China's Copycat Architecture?

A new book on the subject argues that we shouldn't be so quick to discount China's increasing instances of architectural mimicry. The practice reveals much about 'the hopes, dreams and contradictions of China's middle class.'

January 17, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Sandy Already Changing How Buildings are Designed in NYC

From roof mounted gas-powered generators to emergency floodgates and watertight mechanical rooms, developers and their designers in New York are already incorporating preventative measures into new and revised designs for their buildings.

January 17, 2013 - The New York Times

Revealing Modernism’s ‘Holy Grail’

Lafayette Park is a thriving and diverse neighborhood of high rises and townhouses designed by Mies van der Rohe. This unique modern architecture success story in Detroit is showcased in a new book "Thanks for the View, Mr. Mies."

January 16, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Design

Affordable Housing with First-Rate Design

Kaid Benfield examines a model 'pocket neighborhood' - Little Rock's Pettaway - which simultaneously improves a declining neighborhood, provides affordable infill housing and applies advanced measures for stormwater control.

January 15, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

AIA Announces 2013 Honor Award Winners

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced this year's winners of the prestigious Honor Awards - "the profession’s highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in architecture, interior architecture and urban design."

January 15, 2013 - AIA

Can We Still Create Beautiful Cities?

Edwin Heathcote looks at "fumbling attempts at creating new forms of urbanity" and "new ideals of beauty" in cities like Milton Keynes, Rotterdam, and Dubai, and asks if we can still create urban beauty, or if it's even desirable in the first place.

January 14, 2013 - The Financial Times

Japan Perfects the Art of Delicate Demolition

John Metcalfe looks at how one Japanese company is advancing a more quieter sensitive method for demolishing high-rise buildings, floor by floor.

January 13, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Reviewing a Smaller Year in Taller Buildings

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has released its annual report on the state of skyscraper construction. Worldwide, 2012 witnessed the completion of 66 buildings taller than 200 meters, including the second tallest in the world.

January 13, 2013 - The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Studies

Friday Flick: Animating Great Architecture

Our friends at the Architect's Newspaper have come across a delightful video that animates the work of 26 of the world's most notable architects, from A to Z, set to a peppy soundtrack.

January 11, 2013 - A/N Blog

Traditional Homes Get a New Lease on Life in Iran

Thomas Erdbrink spotlights the efforts of the dedicated individuals that are trying to reverse decades of neglect and destruction of the traditional courtyard homes that are a 'cornerstone of Iranian architecture.'

January 10, 2013 - The New York Times

Downtown Palmyra

Historic Downtowns: Why Can't We Build 'Em Like We Used To?

What is it about historic downtowns that makes them so darned attractive, and unlike the placeless architecture spreading across our urban landscapes? Graeme Sharpe looks at the "basic recipe" that created these admired environments.

January 10, 2013 - Urban Indy

Tributes to an Iconoclast

Following the death of pioneering architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable, those writers who've followed the trail that she blazed have offered their eloquent appreciations for her impact.

January 9, 2013 - Vanity Fair

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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An annual review of books related to planning.

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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.