Metropolis II, on display now at the LA County Museum of Art, features a futuristic model of Los Angeles in which cars and trains zip around super-efficiently (and, reportedly, loudly).
"'Metropolis II'...has 'an elaborate system of 18 roadways, including one 6 lane freeway, and HO scale train tracks,' according to LACMA. 1,100 custom-made Hot Wheels-style cars zoom around erector set and LEGO buildings at a scale speed of about 240 mph--they're pulled up a conveyor belt by a magnet, then ride gravity through the Teflon-covered course (the trains are "out of the box electric train sets," according to the museum's Unframed blog. LACMA built a catwalk around the room for Eagle eye viewing, and put up a couple of walls that help buffer the sound."
Read the full story: See and Hear LACMA's Zippy New Mini-City "Metropolis II"
Artists Find Alternate Uses for Billboards in Los Angeles
With a surplus of unsold billboard spaces dotting Los Angeles, artists are using the empty spaces as canvasses for new forms of public art.
A Playful Approach to Activating Spaces along the Los Angeles River
An interview with two of Project 51's co-founders, John Arroyo and Catherine Gudis, on the collective's recent "Play the LA River" card deck, a playable guide which invites participants to discover 56 unique sights along the entire Los Angeles River.
Reviving the Art of Urban Sketching
Los Angeles County Planner Dr. Clement Lau reviews "The Art of Urban Sketching" (2012) by Gabriel Campanario. The volume has added to his planning skill set and allowed him to discover his inner artist.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
Less housing, wasted money: study reveals impact of city parking mandates
The study found that 71% of carless households in the United States pay for a parking space they don’t use.
Minnesota seeks to replace fraud-ridden Housing Stabilization Services with new program
Federal prosecutors have charged over a dozen people in fraud cases involving at least $26 million.
A multi-billion dollar problem is brewing under Oakland’s streets
Oakland’s stormwater drainage systems are in desperate need of upgrades and repairs. The El Niño will only further strain the city’s infrastructure.
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.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority