Last week's record setting premiere of the Avengers movie franchise inspired the launch of a planning and design themed legion of superheroes on Twitter. Sommer Mathis interviews the urbanist behind the mask.
Marrying comic book and urbanist geekdom, @UrbanismAvenger has quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with for the world's anti-urbanism super villains. Seeking nominations from followers for their favorite heroes & villains, @UrbanismAvenger has already bestowed titles on Janette Sadik-Khan: Black Widow, Jan Gehl: Odin All-Father, NRDC: Guardians of the Universe, and Rem Koolhaas as the arch-villain of context-sensitive urbanism.
In his interview, Mathis gets the person behind the profile to provide some tanatlizing clues to their identity:
"In my secret identity I'm a high-ranking multi-disciplinary urbanist
with a major metropolitan planning department, where speaking out is not
necessarily encouraged."
and inspiration:
"I believe that the heroic mission of designing + building better cities,
towns and communities needs symbols, inspiration ... and yes, some fun!
We can all be too pessimistic and stuffy at times about city-building,
and that's hardly influential either to the converted, or especially the
unconverted. The forces of evil are many - The Sprawl Gang of America,
Dr. Low-Density, Captain Car Dependence, and the Big Box Blob, just to
name a few! The Urbanism Avenger is positive, honorable, hopefully
inspirational, and not a stuffed shirt!"
FULL STORY: Behind the Mask: @UrbanismAvenger Speaks!
Lessons from 'The Human Scale'
How can we redirect our city building into a form that can handle the expected doubling of urban residents over the next 40 years? Great ideas can be found in this collection of soundbites from the film, "The Human Scale."
The Busiest Street In Town
Few children’s books skillfully cover the subject of urban planning. Chicago's Wacker Manual for the Plan of Chicago (1911), David Macaulay’s lavishly illustrated City:A Story of Roman Planning and Construction (1974), and most recently, Planetizen's Where Things Are, From Near to Far (2008) are standouts.
Video: How Tall Should Buildings Be?
Is there an ideal height — or should buildings be as tall as they need to be to fulfill housing needs?
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
Washington State’s Parking Reform Law Could Unlock ‘Countless’ Acres for New Housing
A law that limits how much parking cities can require for residential amd commercial developments could lead to a construction boom.
Wildlife Rebounds After the Eaton Fire
Following the devastation of the Eaton Fire, the return of wildlife and the regrowth of native plants are offering powerful signs of resilience and renewal.
LA to Replace Inglewood Light Rail Project With Bus Shuttles
LA Metro says the change is in response to community engagement and that the new design will be ready before the 2028 Olympic Games.
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.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions