As it prepares to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, the City of London is getting closer to completion on some of its event-related infrastructure. So far, the best buildings are more nuts-and-bolts than flash, according to this piece.
A water pumping station and an electricity substation are winning high marks from this reviewer.
"While the drama of Zaha Hadid's pool is drained away by continual value engineering, the electricity substation by UK practice Nord will be completed this summer and will start functioning in 2010. It will set an impressive standard. A beautifully textured brick box that hides transformers and coolers; suited both to the semi-industrial context of the Lea Valley and to the architecture of London's Victorian parks."
FULL STORY: Aesthetics and Infrastructure at London 2012

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.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

Starting in 2026, You Can Charge Your EV at Waffle House
The 24-hour chain infamous for brawls and, to a lesser extent, waffles plans to install fast-chargers at many of its locations.
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