MI5 has requested that planners and architects keep some details of building designs top secret as part of the fight against terrorism.
An MI5 advisor told the AJ that by publishing detailed security measures in online planning applications, architects and planning authorities could be giving terrorists a 'head start'.
The officer added: 'It's a pre-emptive measure. It does not mean people do not get to see what a scheme will look like, but we have to take steps to prevent someone with hostile intent from accessing it. These people are bloody clever and we shouldn't be giving them gifts.'
The government has sent letters to chief planning officers throughout the UK asking planning departments not to publish plans which detail potential weak points in buildings, such as where bollards meet the foundations.
Read the full story: MI5 asks architects to keep plans secret
Building Secure Yet Welcoming Public Spaces
Strategies for securing public spaces from vehicle attacks and other acts of terrorism without sacrificing accessible, vibrant urban places.
Urban Design Through a Gender Lens
Building cities to be safe and accessible for women and LGBTQIA+ people has benefits for all users of public space.
Pedestrian Barriers Installed on London's Bridges Endanger Cyclists
In the wake of two terrorist attacks on London bridges that killed pedestrians, concrete barriers were installed on three crossings to prevent repeat rampages. The only problem is that they were installed in bicycle lanes.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Study reveals best places in the U.S. for cycling, walking
New research from Streetlight Data examines bicycle and pedestrian miles per capita in the 100 largest U.S. cities by population.
DSA members accuse Mamdani of 'abandoning values' over housing redevelopment
New York City's mayor plans to replace about 2,000 units of public housing with private, mixed-income housing.
All sides of BRT debate unhappy with CDOT’s most recent move
The Colorado Department of Transportation is no longer considering center-running bus lanes for Colorado Boulevard.
Massachusetts bogs generate both power, and cranberries
Putting solar panels above farmland is one way Massachusetts is advancing toward its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello