Josh Stephens

<p>WARSAW, Poland --I&#39;m on my fourth city in a two-month excursion, and so far I&#39;ve found all the quaintness, density, pedestrian life, and vernacular architecture that I was looking for as an antitode to my beloved, loathed Los Angeles. The cores of Riga and Vilnius come right out of proverbial fairy tales, and even Helsinki, though historically torn between Sweden and Russia, has plenty of the best trappings of Boston and San Francisco (as well as some of the worst of Atlanta or Dallas; more on that later). </p><p>Then there&#39;s Warsaw. </p>

<p>For 37 years, L.A.-based non-profit TreePeople has advocated an enlightened method of community and governmental engagement to create healthier urban ecosystems and built environments.</p>

<p>Having watched L.A. evolve for over three decades, architect Jan van Tilburg has dedicated himself to producing the high-quality, dense, multi-unit housing that the city desperately needs.</p>

<p>The high school curriculum overlooks a great many subjects, so we could go on at length pointing out its ironies and shortcomings. But the topic at hand happens to be urban planning, so let&#39;s stick with that. </p>

<p>In the 20th century, the United States embraced expatriate modernists feeling the rubble of Europe. Today's eclectic style hails from around the world, and, increasingly, talent from Asia is creating bold new ideas in the post-postmodern era.</p>