History / Preservation

Outcry over the potential sale of post offices in Berkeley and the Bronx has prompted those areas’ respective Congressional representatives to seek federal legislation to put the brakes on the Postal Service’s rush to sell historic properties.

January 23, 2014 - Washington Post

In an ongoing series, Urbanism Without Effort author Chuck Wolfe argues the importance of the overlaps, overlays and convergence points that define city life, and emphasizes the importance of reading and interpreting their everyday expression.

January 16, 2014 - myurbanist

From Denver to Syracuse, U.S. cities are looking to heal neighborhoods torn apart by the construction of the Interstate Highway System. Could an alternative way of envisioning and financing such a system provide lessons for the developing world?

January 15, 2014 - The Atlantic Cities

Preserving urban landscapes can be just as important as preserving historic buildings. However, saving our design heritage needs to be balanced with the imperative that places effectively meet the functional needs of contemporary cities.

January 13, 2014 - Mark Hough

Over the last several decades, researchers have examined how our cities deplete natural resources and change the climate and ecosystems of their surrounding areas. But new evidence shows that such impacts aren't a purely modern phenomenon.

January 9, 2014 - Smithsonian

The stay of execution that was granted to the Museum of American Folk Art after protests from architects and preservationists has been lifted. MoMA has announced plans to demolish the celebrated building to accommodate its expansions plans.

January 9, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Faced with $95 million in necessary repairs just 32 years after its Michael Graves-designed administrative headquarters was opened, Portland officials are considering razing the nation's first major work of postmodern architecture.

January 8, 2014 - Portland Architecture

As Chicago's population surged in the second decade of the 20th century, one dominant single-family housing type spread across the city. Over the next year the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association will celebrate these distinctive homes.

January 7, 2014 - WBEZ

During the nightly blackouts designed to protect London from aerial attack during World War II, authorities used white paint as a cheap tool for making the city navigable in the darkness. Could London offer lessons for building resilient cities?

January 7, 2014 - Gizmodo

Louise Bethune was a trailblazer in architecture, yet her burial place didn't even bear her name for over a century. Buffalo's industry heavyweights honored her with a memorial marker last month.

January 5, 2014 - Fast Co. Design

Over twenty years in office, Mayor Thomas Menino had a considerable impact on Boston's built environment. For Robert Campbell, the Mayor's most substantial accomplishment was in recapturing "the places in between".

January 3, 2014 - Boston Globe

For Americans growing up in the 1980s, the sight of a stand-alone restaurant with board-and-batten siding and a red-tile roof meant one thing: pizza ahead.

January 2, 2014 - The Atlantic Cities

As we bid farewell to 2013, here are the Top 10 scandals that cast a negative light on some global cities this past year.

December 31, 2013 - Future Cities

We're looking forward to another stimulating year of news, commentary, and professional development. But before the calendar turns to 2014, we wanted to take a look back at our most popular blog posts, exclusive articles, and news items from 2013.

December 30, 2013 - Jonathan Nettler

Many of Poland's older, iconic Communist buildings require major renovations and are seen as unwelcome reminders of a bygone time. But many people see them as historic landmarks that merit preservation.

December 29, 2013 - The Economist

Will 2013 be remembered as the year that Los Angeles embraced a new urban identity? Cultural, political, and planning and design-related events over the past year seem to suggest the city is experiencing "an urban reawakening".

December 21, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Is it a giant rock? What about a sunken ship? Beneath Seattle's waterfront, a mysterious object has halted Bertha, the world's largest tunnel-boring machine. Stumped engineers are unclear on how long a highway tunneling project will be suspended.

December 20, 2013 - The New York Times

For the second time in a year, Baltimore has pulled the plug on both its red-light and speed enforcement cameras, paying the contractor $600,000 to do so. Re-evaluation will determine where the city, which now owns most of the cameras, goes next.

December 19, 2013 - Governing

Planetizen is pleased to release its twelfth annual list of the ten best books in urban planning, design and development published in 2013.

December 11, 2013 - Jonathan Nettler

The U.S. Department of State has selected Ann Beha Architects (ABA) to renovate the United States Embassy in Athens, Greece.

November 24, 2013 - Architect Magazine