The habitable bridge, "out of favor since the Renaissance," is having a moment, as cities across America seek to "shift the task of mending the urban fabric toward the private sector," reports Henry Grabar.
According to Grabar, "At one time, nearly every city in Europe could boast at least one
chaotic span that balanced people, shops and houses over a river." However, by the early 2000s only the iconic Ponte Vecchio in Florence and three other habitable bridges were left on the continent.
The infrastructure challenges that led to the historic decline of the habitable bridge may be a thing of the past, as the later half of the last decade saw the construction of new habitable bridges in Columbus, Ohio (America's first), Zaragoza, Spain, and Beijing.
Now, writes Grabar, "Plans are underway for habitable bridges over highways in Washington,
D.C., and New Haven, Connecticut, and architects and planners have
proposed similar ideas in Montreal, Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Acapulco, and London."
Read the full story: The Habitable Bridge, Resurrected
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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.
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Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello