Richard Weinstein, a professor of architecture and urban design at UCLA, and dean from 1985-94, comments on the role design competitions can play in building a better downtown.
"Competitions can energize the conversation about who we uniquely are as a city. This was the case with Disney Hall, the Orange County Great Park and Millennium Park in Chicago.
Granted, sometimes the contests backfire, such as when a designer proposes an idea outside the rules...The best way to run competitions for large-scale projects is in two stages. The first, an ideas competition, would identify overlooked potentials.... At that point, political, civic and community leaders would decide which of the proposals, if any, should influence a second stage. We then could be confident that all options had been explored, that no good idea was lost to punish us with regret later.
Read the full story: Build a better downtown
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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.
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.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority