Tim Halbur

I.M. Pei, Robert A.M. Stern, Daniel Libeskind, Louis Kahn, Frank Gehry - all of these architects were height-challenged. Witold Rybczynski writes in Slate about why great architects are usually short and what that means for the built environment.

Norman Weinstein of The Architectural Record selects his favorite architecture books of the year, which range from a coming-of-age memoir to a treatise on Turkish art and architecture.

As reporter Carrie Wells writes, "Who knew chickens could create so much controversy?" The Sarasota Planning Board is considering legalizing backyard chickens, and residents on both sides are up in arms.

Vancouver's Cambie Street corridor is targeted for increased density by the city's planning department, with buildings up to 12 stories. A bed-and-breakfast owner who has run her business in the neighborhood since 1972 says enough is enough.

Billed as the world's first hybrid ferry, the new ships will run on a combination of wind, solar and hydrogen power (and diesel in a pinch). Service begins in April 2011.