History / Preservation

Friday Eye Candy: All 1,000 Miles of Southern California's Historic Rail Network
An intrepid mapmaker has created a stunning map of the Pacific Electric Railway System, the old public transit system for L.A. and surrounding environs, once the largest trolley system in the world.

Unequivocal Praise for the National Memorial for Peace and Justice
The Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, opened in April, are worthy memorials to one of the nation's greatest tragedies, according to this review.

Classic Chicago Residential Architecture Disappearing Quickly
A recent report by the DePaul University Institute for Housing Studies finds the number of two-flats, three-flats, and four-flats in quick decline among the residential building stock of Chicago.

Alamo Plaza Revitalization Takes Small, Controversial Step Forward
Revitalization plans for the Alamo Plaza are moving forward, controversially, in San Antonio. The hope is to have investments complete by the 300th anniversary of the Alamo in 2024.

Oregon Supreme Court Rejects Challenge by AAA to Stop Electric Vehicle Rebates
A controversial new sales tax on motor vehicles in a state with no sales taxes survived a court challenge. As a result, Oregon consumers will have another reason to consider purchasing or leasing an electric vehicle: receiving up to a $5,000 rebate.

What Do You Do With Controversial Monuments and Statues?
Cities around the country are scrambling with ways to accommodate monuments to a past that many consider as oppressive.

How Setting Makes a Place: A Seattle Retrospective
Chuck Wolfe reflects on his rapidly changing hometown, arguing that Seattle’s signature location and setting—however rearranged by the regrades of the past, Freeway Park, or a pending James Corner-led waterfront remake—remains for all to see.

Why L.A.'s Boyle Heights Matters to Anti-Gentrification Activists
The historically Latino working class neighborhood is a frequent touchstone in debates over gentrification in Los Angeles. That history goes back decades and colors residents' perceptions.

Los Angeles (and Climate Change) Seriously Threaten Air Quality at Mono Lake
With water levels habitually low, officials from the Eastern Sierra say they are "headed for a showdown” with L.A.
Pipeline Politics Ruffle NATO Summit
At the NATO Summit in Brussels last Wednesday, President Trump charged that Germany was captive to Russia because of its dependence on Russian natural gas, and a new, controversial pipeline from Russia to Germany will exacerbate its dependency.

What Do Affordable Housing Developers Think of California's Potential Rent Control Initiative?
A California November 2018 ballot initiative seeking to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act could have unintended consequences, according to Related California's Bill Witte.

Future of Historic Mattapan Trolleys Still Uncertain
The 72-year-old trolley system is beloved by local riders, but difficult to maintain.

Mourning the Loss of the Dairy Queen in Rural Texas
As populations shrink, small towns are losing an important place to get together,,
Regrets of an Accidental Placemaker
My pitches for space usually centered around the developer’s needs and not the needs of the neighborhood or its residents. I didn’t pay much attention to what impact those events would have on the surrounding neighborhoods.

Ford Planning Residential Units in its Detroit Train Station Adaptive Reuse
Ford will treat the Michigan Central Depot to a mixed-use adaptation.

The Ancient Roots of New Urbanism
The planning values and principles of New Urbanism are deeply rooted in human history. What does this look like, and what can we learn from it? The archaeology of an ancient Mayan city sheds some light.

The Uses Of Urban Theory
Eminent urban scholar Richard Sennett populates Building and Dwelling with rich discussions of history, philosophy, and theory—as well as strolls through contemporary cities.

The Massive Significance of Ford's Move into Detroit's Abandoned Michigan Central Depot
Ford has confirmed its plan to move into the Michigan Central Depot in Detroit.

Looking Back to Find the Future of San Diego
An advocacy group is republishing the 1974 regional plan for sustainability, and finding that it's just as relevant now as it was then.

Study: There's a Lot of Vacant Land in Texas Cities
All that empty acreage means that these big, rapidly developing cities don’t really have to sprawl.
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