Middlemen, private jets, communication blackouts: providing design services to the world's most reclusive regime isn't easy. Mark Byrnes describes how one architecture and planning firm was selected to redesign North Korea's airports.
"Not many architecture firms can claim (or would even want to claim?) North Korea as a client, but one firm in China has seemingly found its way into making Kim Jong Un a happy, repeat customer," writes Byrnes. "PLT Planning and Architecture, with offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong, had previously proposed a redesign for the Kamgang tourism zone airport in the North Korean port city of Wonsan. The firm imagined the military airport transformed for civilian use via two sleek terminals designed to resemble the drums used in traditional Korean musical performances."
"Their design apparently pleased North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong Un. 'We were told that Kim was happy with our design,' PLT planner Otto Cheng told the South China Morning Post earlier this week, in a fascinating interview that offers a glimpse at how the North Korean government goes about reaching out to private, outside firms."
Read the full story: How North Korea Commissions Architects
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Philadelphia to invest $2 billion into upgrading city airports as PHL places last in customer satisfaction
Modernizations to Philadelphia's airports will include baggage system upgrades and a new automated parking garage guidance system.
The LA housing policies making developers turn away from the city
Despite LA’s housing shortage, developers say the city’s "mansion-tax" and pandemic-era policies make it an unappealing place to build housing.
New density bill would require 7 California cities to establish regional transit hubs
The bill would also require major cities in California to permit high-rise residential buildings.
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.
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello