The Cambodian city of Siem Reap is a hotbed of tourist activity -- and of tacky hotels. Many say this sprawl of hotels is a major problem in the city, but new designs are making the city a cooler place to visit and live.
"Siem Reap is shaking off its image of a city ruined by tourism - with its oft-referenced row of ticky-tacky hotels - and re-emerging architecturally as a new capital of cool.
Recent conventional wisdom among travel writers has been that the travel industry has killed the olde-worlde charm of Siem Reap, even though what constituted this olde-worlde charm has never been defined."
"But the city is now being transformed into an urbane cosmopolitan centre with character, and while some hotel developments are tawdry and tacky, others are sophisticated and have added beauty to the city, with graceful architecture and grand gardens."
Read the full story: City becomes cool by design
An Argument for Eliminating Traffic Lights
For far different reasons, uncontrolled intersections are proliferating in Northern Europe and Southeast Asia. But how can they be safe? Matthew Yglesias uses a video of such an intersection in Siem Reap, Cambodia to prove their functionality.
Borscht Belt Meets Rust Belt
The "Borscht Belt", a once-thriving vacation getaway in upstate New York, has entered a serious decline. Legalizing gambling in the region is being discussed as a cure-all to revitalize the Catskills, but Citiography thinks its too late.
Turning A Brutal Regime into a Tourist Attraction
Officials in Cambodia are hoping to capitalize on tourists' interest in the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge regime with a proposed theme park.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello