The Year in Architecture

Two of the country's most famed and respected architecture critics have produced a list of the "good, bad, and the pink" of architecture in 2017.

1 minute read

December 20, 2017, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Cupertino

Uladzik Kryhin / Shutterstock

The annual review of the year in architecture produced by Alexandra Lange, architecture critic for Curbed, and Mark Lamster, architecture critic for the Dallas Morning News, is a fan and Planetizen favorite. This year's list continues the tradition of previous mixing some fun in with some snark for an irreverent approach to the year's events in a usually stuffy field.

Among the list are some recognitions that have the fingerprints of planners too, such as the "Best Disappearing Act," which goes to the design leadership at Apple: "From the 11,000-car garage at Apple “Park,” to the company’s claim that stores are “town squares,” the behemoth has lost the plot," according to the post.

There's also a "Honk Twice for Sustainability Award," which goes to Totota for "[dumping] plans for their own LEED-rated Texas headquarters in suburbia, with 6,500 parking spaces and effectively zero public transit."

Planetizen picked up news of Lange and Lamster's annual architecture review in 2016 and 2014. The annual architecture review pairs well with a review of the year in landscape architecture, published earlier this month and written by Charles A. Birnbaum.

Monday, December 18, 2017 in Curbed

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A Firefighter sprays water from a hose at a tall blaze.

US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060

Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.

3 hours ago - Inside Climate News

People cross a crosswalk in Los Angeles.

LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks

Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.

4 hours ago - ABC7

Two women walking on the sidewalk in Dallas.

Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code

The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.

5 hours ago - Yahoo News