There might be something to the analogy, opines Blair Kamin, when comparing the building's star status to its contribution to the urban setting.
"Only now are the authorities announcing an enormous, glass-enclosed pedestrian walkway, set to be 820 meters long (eight meters shorter than the tower), that will connect the futuristic Dubai Metro station with the tower and its vast adjoining mall. The walkway, due to open next year with the requisite Dubai flash, is meant to alleviate the traffic snarls that have cropped up around the mall.
Recent news reports, meanwhile, say that Dubai's sewer infrastructure can't handle the human waste generated by skyscrapers like the Burj Khalifa. As The Wall Street Journal wrote in 2008, trucks have to take the poop out of underground holding tanks and haul it to wastewater treatment plants."
Read the full story: The Burj Khalifa two years later: With help from Hollywood, the world's tallest building asserts its status as a global icon
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.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
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.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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