Lonely Planet has just released a book highlighting the "1,000 Ultimate Sites." ASLA looks inside, and marvels at the natural scenery and the ways humans have chosen to frame them.
Alongside lists of the "most impressive waterfalls" and "most fairytale-like European castles", ASLA gravitated towards the list of viewing platforms, which "often created by landscape architects and architects to create closer connections with nature," like Aukland's Sky Tower:
"Auckland's 328-meter-tall Sky Tower enables visitors to interact with the views and heights in different ways: 'A handful of high adrenalin options are available, 192m up: gaze out from the enclosed glass rotunda; don a harness to walk a dizzying lap outside; or plunge (with safety wire) at 85km/h to the plaza below – less lookout than leap-off.'"
Read the full story: Designing Views of Nature
Mapping (and Ranking) the Natural Amenities of U.S. Counties
Wonkblog illustrates the results of a "Natural Amenities Index" created by the federal government.
San Francisco's Presidio Celebrated for Bridging Nature and Culture
The Presidio is, and will remain, a source of San Francisco's most contentious planning and design proposals. But the reason for the controversy isn't all bad, according to John King: "everyone sees their own potential paradise."
D.C. Juggles Overhead Wires and Historic Views
Washington D.C. is planning to build a citywide streetcar network, but the overhead wires required for those plans would affect the city's historic views.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Philadelphia to invest $2 billion into upgrading city airports as PHL places last in customer satisfaction
Modernizations to Philadelphia's airports will include baggage system upgrades and a new automated parking garage guidance system.
The LA housing policies making developers turn away from the city
Despite LA’s housing shortage, developers say the city’s "mansion-tax" and pandemic-era policies make it an unappealing place to build housing.
New density bill would require 7 California cities to establish regional transit hubs
The bill would also require major cities in California to permit high-rise residential buildings.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello