History / Preservation

What is Manhattan's Carrying Capacity?

NYT reporter Amy O'Leary observes Manhattan's ubiquitous construction while suffering through overcrowded sidewalks, stores, and subway trains, and wonders just how many more people the crowded borough can absorb.

March 5, 2012 - The New York Times - Real Estate

Top Planning Trends of 2011-2012

February 27, 2012 - Jonathan Nettler

How LEED Gives the Cold Shoulder to Historic Preservation

In a guest editorial for Rust Wire, Nick Gurich examines the ways in which LEED discounts the environmental benefits of historic preservation and adaptive reuse

February 26, 2012 - Rust Wire

Rebuilding the Long Forgotten Treasures of L.A.'s Golden Era

A $1.1 billion renovation of the Disney California Adventure theme park in Anaheim is oriented around the recreation of Los Angeles landmarks of the 1920s and 30s, when the head mouseketeer himself began building his empire.

February 22, 2012 - KCET.org

Settlement Reached to Preserve Modernist Masterpiece

After a drawn-out saga, Tom Stoelker reports on the settlement reached last week over the fate of the Manufacturers Hanover Trust building in Manhattan.

February 14, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Murky Future for Two of D.C.'s Architectural Gems

The good news is that two of Washington's historical treasures are scheduled for renovation and re-use; columnist Steven Pearlstein delivers the bad news.

February 13, 2012 - The Washington Post

One of Britain's Most Important Architectural Treasures Gets Rescued

Robin Stummer reports on the fate of Britain's greatest surviving historic wooden building, a huge medieval barn that had suffered from years of neglect.

February 10, 2012 - The Independent

Using Adaptive Reuse to Scale the Urban Future

Chuck Wolfe uses the urban scale adaptive reuse of the Roman Emperor Diocletian's retirement palace in Split, Croatia to argue for blending the past and future on a broader scale.

February 8, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Has Preservation Gone Too Far?

Ben Adler writes about the growing contingent of policy wonks, architects, and architectural critics who believe that preservationists have acquired too much power.

February 6, 2012 - Architectural Record

Razing of Historic House Stirs Outrage in Beijing

In a cruel twist, a historic house associated with Chinese architects who championed the notion that 'a great nation should hold dear its historic patrimony', and deemed by authorities an 'immovable cultural relic,' was recently demolished.

February 6, 2012 - The New York Times

Top 8 Facadist Renovations, from Melbourne to Bucharest

Facadism is often criticized for its awkward juxtapositions, but here are eight of the nicest facadist renovations from around the world, according to Stephen Smith.

February 4, 2012 - International Business Times

Boston's Emerald Necklace Waits for its Saviour

As urban parks across the country are being created and refurbished thanks in large part to private philanthropy (e.g. the High Line and Millennium Park), Charles Birnbaum asks who will come to the rescue of Boston's famed Emerald Necklace.

February 4, 2012 - Huffington Post

A Win For Preservation in Miami

The Miami City Commission will give a nonprofit group the green light to rehabilitate Miami Marine Stadium, an abandoned Modernist landmark that was identified as one of the country's most endangered places in 2009, reports David Sokol.

January 31, 2012 - Architectural Record

A Guide to Classic L.A. Houses

Adrian Glick Kudler writes in Curbed LA about a feature in the February issue of Los Angeles magazine profiling 16 of the most classic types of L.A. houses.

January 30, 2012 - Curbed LA

Study Confirms Environmental Benefits of Adaptive Reuse

Sarah Laskow reports on a new study from the National Trust for Historic Preservation that confirms and quantifies the adage that reuse of a historic building is more sustainable than LEED certified new construction.

January 26, 2012 - Good

Shedding New Light on Constantinople

The discovery of the harbor town of Bathonea in 2007, after a drought uncovered its water-logged remains, has yielded a treasure trove of relics illuminating Istanbul's rise as a world power.

January 26, 2012 - The New York Times

In LA, Agricultural-Residential Zoned Neighborhoods Threatened

A neighborhood in Tarzana, one of the few residential areas in Los Angeles County that allows raising livestock, battles developmental pressures. The latest proposal: razing five homes for an elderly care center.

January 25, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Dismantling the Myths of Pruitt-Igoe

A new documentary aims to challenge the existing narrative surrounding the birth, life, and death of the Pruitt-Igoe public housing development.

January 24, 2012 - Architectural Record

On the Allure of Ghost Ads

When a building in blighted Highland Park, Michigan was demolished, a painted advertisement on the adjacent building was revealed. Nearby, other ghost ads remain, "nearly as bright" as ever. Dan Berry reports on why we're so fascinated by them.

January 24, 2012 - The New York Times

The Story of Hollywood's Jealous Co-Star

Eric Jaffe writes of an article appearing in the January issue of the Journal of Urban History in which the forgotten story of a time when Hollywood's jealous co-star tried to claim her throne is re-told.

January 23, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

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.