Roger Duffy's quiet demeanor masks a steely determination to remake one of architecture's behemoths.
At Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), a firm known for its skyscrapers and sprawling corporate campuses, Roger Duffy has designed a series of small projects--from a grade school to a science museum--that are innovative, stylish, and well crafted. And where collaborating with artists once meant choosing the right Picasso or Calder for a plaza, Duffy has delved deeper. At Connecticut's Greenwich Academy he worked with James Turrell to turn the lobby and library of a new building into glowing "light chambers." At the same time Duffy's commercial projects seem surprisingly uncompromised by market pressures.
Thanks to Julie Taraska
Read the full story: Not Your Daddy's SOM
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Data reveals that NYC’s bet on congestion pricing has paid off
After almost two years of the program, reports show positive impacts on traffic and air quality and no disruptions to parking.
Denver is solving homelessness. Why aren't the rest of us?
Since 2023, Denver's street homeless population has decreased by 64%, proving that effective tools exist to support those in need of housing.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
SF weighs putting data center inside abandoned mall
An unnamed technology company may buy the entire building, and convert one-third of it into what development consultants are calling a “regenerative urban energy center.”
Michigan needs billions to save its water infrastructure. The state won't fund it
Michigan needs to invest $2.8 billion per year over the next 20 years to fix its water infrastructure. The FY 2027 budget allocates only $27.9 million.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority