The Vdara Hotel at CityCenter, designed by architect Rafael Vinoly, has an unforeseen side effect: its curving shape captures and focuses the hot Las Vegas sun, heating up visitors below like bugs under a microscope.
Geoff Manaugh explains that this isn't the first time that contemporary starchitecture has burned passerby- the Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles has had the same effect.
Manaugh wonders if this power could be turned to positive uses:
"...could you deliberately design an architecture without walls, using only thermal gradients-defining areas of public use and congregation solely based on heat? Could these and other parabolic reflections of solar energy be deliberately used as a tactic of architectural intervention and urban design?"
FULL STORY: Las Vegas Death Ray

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

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

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The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

Since Zion's Shuttles Went Electric “The Smog is Gone”
Visitors to Zion National Park can enjoy the canyon via the nation’s first fully electric park shuttle system.

Trump Distributing DOT Safety Funds at 1/10 Rate of Biden
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Free or low-cost taxi rides can help women navigate cities more safely, but critics say the programs don't address the root causes of violence against women.
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