Architecture critic John King reads Sharon Zukin's new book "Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Spaces" and ruminates on the meaning of authenticity in his own hometown, San Francisco.
King writes, "It's a provocative book and a conflicted one, and the conflict is what gives it life. Zukin's premise is that her adopted New York City has "lost its soul" to homogenization and globalization and all those things progressives loathe, but she's too perceptive and thorough an observer not to grant that reality is more complex.
Yes, she bemoans the changes in her East Village neighborhood, how "the local struggles against wealth and power" have been superseded by "trendy restaurants, chain stores and expensive, renovated apartments.""
FULL STORY: Sharon Building stands still as times change
Does Zoning Create a Vicious Circle—Or Can It Fix Itself?
Ideally, planners could balance homeowners' interests in zoning against the public good, liberalizing zoning when prices got too high. But this may be politically impossible.
S.F. Rezoning Plan Paused for Equity Analysis
A plan to rezone parcels around the busy intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, called the Hub, will undergo an analysis of the potential impacts of the plan on marginalized communities.
'A Strange, Second-Wave Gentrification' in San Francisco
Vast amounts of tech money have transformed the city's commercial spaces in unexpected ways.
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
EPA Terminates $116 Million in Grants for Reducing Emissions from Construction Materials
C-MORE grants were earmarked for industry trade groups and universities.
BART Closes $35 Million Deficit
Cost control and revenue generation measures prevented service cuts.
The New Parisian Hearse is a Bicycle
Sleek, silent, and sustainable, a green trip to the graveyard has hit the streets of the French capital.
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.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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