Witold Rybczynski takes a look at the new tendency toward buildings that look collapsible, rather than the solid-looking buildings of the past. Is this trend a symptom of our shaky times?
"Buildings once strove for solidity-not merely to be stable but also to look stable, hence the optical corrections in ancient Greek architecture such as entasis, a subtle tapering of columns that makes them appear more settled to the human eye. Even the Empire State Building tapers as it rises, as if to assure us that the tall structure will not tip over. Not anymore. The New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York resembles a stack of elegant shoe boxes that have casually shifted this way and that. Of course, the "boxes" are make-believe. Buried inside Tokyo-based SANAA's mannered composition is a conventional steel frame with added diagonal struts and transfer beams to support the desired cantilevers. Nevertheless, the building has met with so much acclaim that the architects have designed a slightly tamer 25-story version-Torre Neruda-for Guadalajara, Mexico."
Thanks to Franny Ritchie
FULL STORY: The Jenga Effect: A new vogue for tottering towers.

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

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

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

USDOT Could Pull Federal Funding for New York
The federal government gave the state until May 21 to end new York City’s congestion pricing program or risk losing federal funding and project approvals.

Connecticut Just Cause Eviction Bill Dies in State House
The bill would have protected tenants from unfair evictions by requiring landlords to provide a reason for ending a lease.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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