History / Preservation

A new book looks into the history of the transcontinental railroads and how the corrupt connection between politics and business helped spread the American economy to the West.

July 14, 2011 - NPR

Through a combination of local food initiatives and the installation of a new high-speed fiber optic network, the city of Chattanooga is hoping to continue its trend of recovering from years of industrial decline.

July 11, 2011 - Citiwire

OF the many written works about Los Angeles, Mike Davis' "City of Quartz" stands out, according to this review by Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne.

July 10, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

In a new book, author Iain Sinclair argues against the Olympic redevelopment of London's East End, and argues that the legacy goals its planners are pushing largely already exist.

July 9, 2011 - Metro

The Manufacturer's Hanover Trust Company building of New York from 1953 has been the focus of much debate over the right way to preserve an historically significant building.

July 8, 2011 - Metropolis Magazine

The legacy of Los Angeles murals has all but left the city, buried under sign ordinances, billboard policy and tagging. Tanner Blackman in the Dept. of City Planning Code Studies Section is working to free up the knot of regulation.

July 7, 2011 - KCET

A new series from the BBC tracks six homeowners trying to convert historic (or just plain old) buildings into modern homes.

July 6, 2011 - The Telegraph

The City Parks blog looks at Santa Fe Railyard Park and Plaza, one of the winners of this year's Rudy Bruner Awards for Urban Excellence.

July 6, 2011 - City Parks Blog

Todd Reisz reviews "Living in the Endless City," a collection edited by Ricky Burdett, which looks at urban issues in Sao Paulo, Mumbai and Istanbul.

June 29, 2011 - The Huffington Post

Plans to build a parking garage below an old plaza in Seville, Spain, revealed underground roman ruins. So the city built a new structure to hover over the site and to emphasize the area's historic amenities.

June 28, 2011 - Metropolis

This episode of 99% Invisible looks into the history of the cul-de-sac, and why its design flaws overpower its benefits.

June 21, 2011 - 99% Invisible

In this post from Reason, Tim Cavanaugh joins the debate over preservation holding back the city, and argues that land use regulations have a wholesale negative impact on the city.

June 20, 2011 - Reason

In response to Chicago's recent naming of a street in honor of Oprah Winfrey, late night TV host Conan O'Brien has suggested having his own street in L.A., along with various streetscape improvements.

June 17, 2011 - Curbed LA

Plans to build a copy of a scenic Austrian village in China have irked officials in Hallstatt, Austria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

June 17, 2011 - Der Spiegel

An old disused airport in Brooklyn will be converted into an urban campground, expanding from its current 5 campsites to more than 600.

June 17, 2011 - Inhabitat

The National Trust for Historic Preservation releases a list each year highlighting their Top 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. This year's list includes buttes, hospitals, forts, alleys and John Coltrane's home in Dix Hills, New York.

June 15, 2011 - National Trust For Historic Preservation

The Arlington, VA County Board is voting in July on naming 23 properties as 'essential' to preserve. Among those chosen are two strip malls.

June 14, 2011 - The Green Miles

In this post on The Infrastructurist, Peter Kageyama looks at a recent listing of 10 "dying" cities, and how the metrics used to rate these places can be and have been misinterpreted.

June 14, 2011 - Infrastructurist

This piece from Domus goes on a tour of Athens with local architect Andreas Angelidakis, who reflects on the city's lasting and negative impacts from hosting the Olympics.

June 14, 2011 - domus

Chuck Wolfe focuses on the role of the urban corner, terming it "the central place of urban life".

June 13, 2011 - The Huffington Post