Alex McDowell was asked by Steven Spielberg to build the set for the movie, "The Terminal", and built a 'fantasy terminal' in just eight months.
"If you think of airport terminals as little more than people-moving machines, then most work well. But if you think of airport terminals as places, not machines, then most don't offer much.
In the end, making the terminal a place where you'd want to spend time goes against the grain of typical terminal design. For years designers have been building airport terminals as cold places where you don't want to linger. Ever see a terminal with wood floors or nice carpeting, comfy chairs or a bar with live entertainment? New terminals are almost universally filled with carpeting so ugly that stains blend in, or shiny granite floors that reflect shop signs. They have acres of glass that give an attractive openness -- but also suggest that you're trapped in a fishbowl."
[Editor's note: The link below is available for non-subscribers for a period of 6 days.]
Thanks to Chris Steins
FULL STORY: Terminal Case of Blandness: Airports Could Use a Makeover

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

NRDC Releases State Transportation Scorecard
The Getting Transportation Right report highlights which states are making the most progress on reducing transportation emissions and improving access to clean transportation options.

Study: How Urban Parks Can Support Biodiversity
Conservation and recreation can go hand in hand in urban green spaces designed to serve both humans and local wildlife.

High-Speed Rail Tracker
Smart Cities Dive follows high-speed rail developments around the country
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service