"...and maybe America," added Gov. Christie. The building in question is Xanadu, a brightly-colord mall that was scheduled to open in 2007 and with almost $2 billion spent ran into financing problems. New investment may turn the project around.
The mall has had a troubled history -- just last February heavy snow caused a section of the roof to collapse. But nothing has elicited more comments than the bright and blocky color scheme on the exterior. Architect David Jansen blames the developers for scaling back the original plans.
Mike Kelly reports:
"Jansen said the stripes-and-plaids design was not supposed to be the foreground. The colors were supposed to be a backdrop to a landscape of digital displays, cascading lights, pulsating helixes over entrances and extensive landscaping. When the budget cutters were through, all that was left was the ugly color scheme."
Triple Five, the Mall of America development company, has agreed to step in and try to fix the situation. A press release from the Governor's office talks about the redesign plans:
"Exterior views address the much maligned existing exterior. Triple Five understands the public's displeasure with the current exterior and is committed to improving the look so that it better fits in with the surrounding area, yet has a dynamic, exciting feel."
FULL STORY: Kelly: Xanadu 'architect of record' feels he's gotten a bad rap
Phoenix Mall Sold for Mixed-Use Redevelopment
The former Paradise Valley Mall will undergo a conversion to a mixed-use community with homes, offices, and stores.
Can Mall Redevelopment 'Urbanize the Suburbs'?
Local leaders in Virginia are banking on mall redevelopment projects to revive their tax bases and create more mixed-use neighborhoods.
Innovative Approaches May Save Physical Retail
In places like San Jose, "new approaches to the storefront" are paying dividends for physical retailers willing to experiment.
Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.
Car Noise Is Killing Us
It’s not just traffic collisions that kill—a new study from researcher at Rutgers finds that the loud noises emanating from cars has direct impact on heart health in Americans.
Acceptable Deaths
What can we learn from our Covid response?
New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.
Fare-Free Transit Hasn’t Reduced Car Trips, Data Says
Fare-free transit isn’t the climate change benefit that many have hoped, according to recent writing by David Zipper for Bloomberg.
Redevelopment Threatens Iconic, Affordable Chicago Homes
The ‘workers’ cottages’ are being replaced with larger, more expensive homes, threatening one of the city’s original forms of affordable housing.
City of Malibu
EMC Planning Group Inc.
Jefferson Parish
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
City of Lakeway, Texas
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
