What's in a name? For some of New York City's buildings, a brand that reflects history, mood, and even geography. Joanne Kaufman takes us through the naming process for some of the city's newest buildings, and what they might mean to buyers.
"A name can also - perhaps - paper over a less-than-fabulous address; or give would-be residents a sense of a building's salient features, like proximity to water (Northside Piers, a development in Williamsburg) or its values (the ecologically correct Tribeca Green). A name can appeal to an aspirational purchaser (the Georgica, a glass curtain-wall building on the Upper East Side, invites association with the ultra-exclusive Hamptons enclave).
Or the name can refer to an aspect of the building's design, as is the case with the Metal Shutter Houses on West 19th Street, a condominium designed by Shigeru Ban and Dean Maltz."
Read the full story: Using a Building's Name as Bait for Buyers
Ranking the Best City Brands
"The inaugural Guardian Cities brand barometer ranks world cities on everything from transport and weather to crime and social 'buzz.'" Guardian Cities released a trio of posts in connection with the rankings.
New York Needs a Wrecking Ball
New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff argues that some buildings make the city worse, and lists of some that need to be demolished. Included in his list are Penn Station, Madison Square Garden and Astor Place.
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
Post election, Texas is no longer Musk’s 'AI oasis'
Elon Musk dolled out $446 million on the 2026 midterms, the most ever spent by a non-canidate.
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 Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority