Check out the Moscow that never was -- but might have been, if Stalin had gotten his way.The architectural designs are in the City Beautiful vein, typical of egotistical rulers and their capital city makeovers. So yeah, there's that Daniel Burnham/Chicago vibe, replete with ultrawidescreen plazas and monumental buildings. And because it was the 1930s, you get some classicism mixed in with Hugh Ferris pulp science-fiction. But then, on top of all that you'll see some indomitable socialist modernism, the same stuff you can see in Revolutionary avant-gardism. Architecture was always a part of that artistic movement, expressing similar freedom of form and technological optimism. At least, that's how the art always looks to me.
Crazy constructvism and futurism and suprematism all tried to find inspiration in the giant machines driving the Industrial Revolution. You never would have wanted to live in one of these cities, or go to work in one of these buildings, unless you were Batman.
Or would you? I totally get the feeling of pride that comes from walking around an impressive city. Not to go all September-11 on you, but I remember taking the elevator to the top of the World Trade Center, to the observation deck, to check out a chess tournament back when I was working for Newsweek. The elevator doors opened just a few feet back from a floor-to-ceiling window -- I don't even remember which direction it faced. But my first reaction when those doors opened was a wave of vertigo, and an exclaimed "holy shit!"
Human-scaled cities. New urbanism. Walkable shopping streets. Parks. Cities integrated into the natural environment. You know I'm down with the program.
But cities -- and more precisely, skyscrapers -- are some of the best things people make, collaborative programmatic performance art. They are fists we shake at the sky. They scream at the universe, like Steve McQueen floating on the coconuts at the end of Papillon: "I'm still here, you bastards!"
That's the Revolution talking.

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
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