Allison Arieff finds fault with the nation's uninspired conversation on infrastructure. When urban design projects have more emotional appeal, she argues, they can unify rather than divide.
According to Allison Arieff, infrastructure projects have largely lost the grand appeal they once possessed, both within the planning community and among the general public. "There is no awe. There are issues of structural integrity. There are mind-blowing cost overruns. Accidents. Sinkholes. Problems with bolts."
While projects like the Golden Gate Bridge once inspired the nation, "A century later, we've lost our collective faith in the power of great projects like the Golden Gate, not to mention our trust in the government to fix a pothole on time and on budget, let alone create an inspiring bridge. How can we restore that faith in possibility?" Arieff holds up Atlanta's BeltLine as one contemporary example of that faith.
She also takes aim at planners and other professionals for using too much uninspired jargon. "Yet engineers, planners and policy makers tend to focus on wonky stuff like percentage of parkland per person. They're awash in acronyms like V.M.T. (vehicle miles traveled), too reliant on planning terms like modeshare that don't resonate with the general public. These things may be useful in measuring the metrics of a city, but they sure don't get to the reasons people want to live there."
She concludes, "In an age of cost overruns, project delays, safety risks and the other, seemingly infinite obstacles to infrastructure, this all might sound awfully reductive, even naïve. But keeping our eye on what's possible is certainly as important as fixating on what isn't."
FULL STORY: What Happened to the Great Urban Design Projects?
‘Architectural Epidemiology:’ Centering Public Health in Urban Design
A new book asks, what if cities were designed around health equity?
The Vast Potential of the Right-of-Way
One writer argues that the space between two building faces is the most important element of the built environment.
How Public Spaces Exclude Teen Girls
Adolescent girls face unique challenges and concerns when navigating public spaces. We can design cities with their needs in mind.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
Car Designs Make it Harder to See Pedestrians
Blind spots created by thicker pillars built to withstand rollover crashes are creating dangerous conditions for people outside vehicles.
Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie