St. Louis is moving towards protecting its mid-century architectural treasures. Some see the buildings as impediments to economic development.
Margaret Gillerman catalogs the increasing awareness of, and recent efforts to protect, some of St Louis's mid-century architecture such as the flying saucer shaped Del Taco restaurant and a neighborhood of 50 ranch homes in the city of Kirkwood. A plan for a new CVS threatens an existing gem.
"Andrew Weil, executive director of Landmarks Association, defends the style against naysayers who say they just don't get what all the fuss is about. 'A lot of people may not like or appreciate Mid-Century design,' Weil said. 'Like it or not, it was an important phase in the evolution of architectural design in this country, city and area.'
Weil added: 'People's aesthetic tastes change over time.' At one point, St. Louis' signature Victorian architecture was considered gaudy and unattractive, he said. 'Now we love it.'
FULL STORY: Those '50s ranch homes are finally getting some architectural respect
St. Louis Zeroing in on Safe Streets
The city is creating its first Department of Transportation and using hundreds of millions in federal funding to launch road safety projects.
Moving Beyond Crash Statistics to Understand Road Safety
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St. Louis to Introduce Traffic Calming Downtown
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Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
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Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.
Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
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