History / Preservation

Date with a Wrecking Ball: Oklahoma City’s Brutalist Stage Center

One of Oklahoma City’s most architecturally significant buildings, the Stage Center (known as the Mummers Theatre when it opened in 1970) will be demolished after the city denied an appeal to save the building.

March 17, 2014 - The Oklahoman

Is BBC's Architecture Mini-Series Biased Against Women?

The BBC is in hot water over alleged gender bias in its mini-series "The Brits Who Built the Modern World."

March 9, 2014 - Architects' Journal

Calling for a 'Design Revolution' in Philadelphia

The recently rejected proposal for a new Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia failed to live up to the spirit of that seminal event, writes Nathaniel Popkin.

March 7, 2014 - philly.com

Edinburgh

Why Urban History Matters

Chuck Wolfe's recent reconnaissance of Edinburgh provides a foil for his rallying cry: Going forward, let’s not discount the influence of history’s recurring themes in how we redevelop the urban realm.

March 4, 2014 - myurbanist

Let Love Rule: Resilience in Mesquite

Are your local planning tools supporting a thriving and resilient future? Andrew von Maur shares a little inspiration from Las Cruces, New Mexico.

March 3, 2014 - PlaceMakers

States Reinvest in Once-Abandoned Freight Lines

Take 260 trucks off the road for every train, avoid costs for maintaining highways maintenance cost, and create multiple other environmental and economic development advantages—states are reinvesting in their rail lines.

March 3, 2014 - Governing

Lessons for Detroit—from New Orleans

Detroit recently replaced New Orleans as the American city with the highest rate of blight. As Detroit undertakes its plans to shrink, which includes a massive blight removal campaign, what lessons from New Orleans bear repeating?

February 27, 2014 - New York Times

How Public Space Enables, or Prohibits, Protest

With the provocative title “A Dictator’s Guide to Urban Design,” a recent article in The Atlantic examines the revolutionary capacity of public squares like Ukraine’s Independence Square.

February 25, 2014 - The Atlantic

Is Australia's Housing Bubble About to Burst?

With residential property prices ten times the average salary in Melbourne and Sydney, U.S. forecaster Harry Dent expects the Australian market to mirror the collapse witnessed in the California.

February 18, 2014 - The Age (Australia)

Google's Next Futuristic Setting: A Giant NASA Hangar in Mountain View

Google buses, Google ferries, and now, a Google hangar.

February 13, 2014 - San Jose Mercury News

If You Like Donuts (and Preservation), You'll Like this Story

This is not our first story on preserving a huge donut sign. What makes this one special is that it's as much about Long Beach as it is about preservation. And what makes it ironic is whom they had to fight to keep the donut from being torn down!

February 12, 2014 - The Atlantic Cities

Study: New Mexico MainStreet Achieves Dramatic Success

A new study shows evidence of dramatic positive impacts for the New Mexico MainStreet program, a state program working in coordination with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

February 10, 2014 - KRWG

The Remnants of Atlanta's Demolished Past

The permanent art collection of the Atlanta BeltLine just added a relic from the city’s past—a thirteen-ton sculpture crafted out of old train tracks—but it's not the only example of repurposed detritus from the city's history of demolition.

February 7, 2014 - Atlanta Magazine

Miami Dig ‘One of the Earliest Urban Plans in Eastern North America’

Plans to build “movie theaters, restaurants and a 34-story hotel” overlap with the archaeological site of a 2,000-year-old Tequesta village.

February 6, 2014 - Bradenton Herald

Step Right Up: Play the City Name Game

Nomenclature changes, especially for cities with chronologies spanning centuries and even millennia. Test your knowledge of historic, even ancient, place names.

February 1, 2014 - Guardian Cities

The Mythical Search for 'Congruity' in the City

In the eighth installment of the Urban Juxtapositions series profiled in Planetizen on January 16, Chuck Wolfe asks if we are using the right language when it comes to densifying urban spaces.

February 1, 2014 - myurbanist

Friday Eye Candy: 40 More Maps That Explain Everything

It's hard to keep up with the endless quest to present the world's knowledge in map form, but luckily we've got Max Fisher as a guide. He's collected 40 more fascinating maps that explain world history, present conditions and future scenarios.

January 31, 2014 - The Washington Post

What Can Ancient Cities Teach Modern Urbanites?

These 15 ancient cities can help modern urbanites plan more efficient and sustainable municipalities.

January 30, 2014 - Future Cities

Pullman Historic District in Chicago Considered for National Park Status

Completed in 1880 as a company town by railcar tycoon George Pullman, the 300-acre Pullman Historic District in Chicago could be a beautiful addition to the National Park System.

January 24, 2014 - The Architect's Newspaper

Boyd Theatre in Philadelphia Subject of Preservation Battle

Developers are seeking allowances to gut the historic Boyd Theatre in Philadelphia to build an eight-screen movie complex.

January 23, 2014 - PlanPhilly

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

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.