Steve Rose surveys the scene at this year's Architecture Biennale in Venice, where he observes that the mood has shifted: "away from starchitecture towards something quieter, more collaborative and utopian."
According to Rose, this year's Biennale - regularly the most important event on the architectural calendar - reflects the new reality for a field trying to regain its footing following the crash of the high-flying real estate market of the 2000s.
"The theme for this year's Biennale, chosen by its British director David Chipperfield,
is Common Ground. It's a choice that hints at architecture's need to
refocus on issues like engagement and communication, on its need to
establish shared values. But as the Spanish students show, there are
chasms splitting the world of architecture. A divide is opening up –
generationally, economically and philosophically. The starchitects of
Trujillo's second reality are still here, but the appetite for
celebrations of individual genius, and isolated, beautifully crafted
buildings, seems to be dissipating. To co-opt the language of the Occupy
movement, the big names are starting to look like architecture's 1%."
In the search for stable ground, architects are gazing backwards to the mid-20th century when the pendulum had firmly swung in the other direction - away from designing and developing the trophy homes and buildings for the global 1%, and towards a social utopianism.
"Those were the days: when architects knew what needed to be done and
governments had the money to let them do it," says Rose. "Dutch superstars OMA,
for example, celebrate the work of anonymous architects in public
authorities across Europe from the 1960s and 70s. As OMA architect Reinier de Graaf
puts it, the era was 'a short-lived, fragile period of naive optimism –
before the brutal rule of the market economy became the common
denominator.'"
FULL STORY: Starchitects and squatters: Venice Architecture Biennale

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie