History / Preservation
Should a Parking Lot in D.C. Be Saved in the Name of Historic Preservation?
In the wealthy community of Spring Valley, just inside the western boundaries of the District of Columbia, residents are opposing a proposed development by claiming the site—a parking lot—is a historic landmark.
Luxury Condos Versus Philadelphia's Jewelers' Row
Downtown gentrification threatens to displace skilled artisans in a district where workshops go back five generations. Some of the jewelers own their premises, but the rewards for building pricey condos are tempting.
Iconic Queens Clock Tower Anchors 915-Foot Skyscraper
In a complex saga involving the MTA, an 88-year-old tower, and a planned 77-story apartment behemoth, affordable housing may be first to fall by the wayside.
Preservation and Revitalization in Latin America
Urban city centers have been decaying for years in Latin America, however, with renewed interest by Latin American governments, these city cores are once again being revitalized. Arup Connect spoke with urban design leader Pablo Lazo to learn how.
'Facadism' Passing for Preservation in Seattle
Lamenting the gutting of historic buildings and leaving them a shell of their former selves.
New York Will Phase Out C Train 'Brightliners' By 2017
Once the subway's pride, R-32 'Brightliner' trains that operate on the C line will soon disappear from service. Mid-century promo videos notwithstanding, the line's rolling stock was in dire need of an update.
Using Urban Observation to 'Ghost-Bust' Cities
Chuck Wolfe champions urban observation, emphasizing "ghosts" that are important to the authenticity of today's urban change, like oral histories among indigenous peoples passing on cultural traditions from one generation to the next.
New Orleans Public Markets Make a Comeback
Plagued by supermarket chains and natural disasters, the public markets of New Orleans could help revive community identity. Here are some of the ways they're getting back in business.
Los Angeles and the Getty Launch Historic Places Database
Confirmed: Los Angeles really does have a rich history. HistoricPlacesLA, a new online database, provides detailed information on the city's historic sites.
How Ancient and Modern Cities Compare (and Why Planners Should Care)
A new scholarly paper argues that ancient and modern cities can be usefully analyzed in a comparative perspective. But what you do with the comps depends on how much you value similarities versus differences in urban form.
Did Augustus Really Transform Rome into a 'City of Marble'?
Caeser Augustus famously boasted "I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble." An architectural historian and urban designer at UCLA now has the model to prove the veracity of the claim.
We're All Complicit in Change—Now What?
Be a citizen, not just a consumer.
Austin Master Plan to Transform Municipal Cemeteries
Could it be that places for the dead might be a new source of urban innovation? Austin provides an example of new thinking regarding urban resting places.
Study: Ancient Cities Grew Much Like Modern Cities
Scientists from the Santa Fe Institute have discovered basic patterns underlying the way cities have always grown. The mechanics of "urban scaling" may have something fundamental to tell us about how large settlements evolve.
Shot by Shot, Brooklyn Histories Revealed
To build ties to its neighbors, a young arts organization embarked on a sprawling multimedia project exploring the past and present of Williamsburg's Latino community.
WWII Internment Camp in Hawaii Designated as a National Monument
A detention center that interred Japanese Americans during World War II, once called Jigoku Dani, or Hell Valley, will become a National Monument.
Will Upzoning Destroy the Beaux Arts Legacy of Midtown Manhattan?
A development proposal for a 1,450 glass skyscraper adjacent to Grand Central Station prompted the Architectural Record to wonder whether New York is chipping away the "Beaux Arts heart" of Manhattan.
Chicago's Pullman Park District to Achieve National Monument Status
President Barack Obama is expected to announce the Pullman Park neighborhood in Chicago as the country's newest national monument. The move is part of a larger effort to recognize more diversity in the country's public lands.
Is California's High Speed Rail the Transcontinental Railroad of its Time?
Journalist Kathleen Sharp, whose great-grandfather worked on the transcontinental railroad, draws comparisons between that epic achievement and the construction of California's high speed rail in this New York Times op-ed.
How Planners Use Planning Theory
Andrew Whittmore of the University of North Carolina Department of Urban and Regional Planning identifies planning theory in everyday practice.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
