Writing for The Dirt, Jared Green takes a critical eye to the proposed master plan for the Smithsonian's South Mall campus, designed by high-profile Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group.
"The new master plan for the Smithsonian’s South Mall campus, which runs from the Hirshhorn Museum all the way to the Freer Museum, is a shocker," according to Jared Green. "It obliterates the existing landscape, filled with intimate nooks that invite exploration, in favor of 'improved connectivity' and open plazas that extend the grand expanse of the Mall in between the buildings."
In all, writes Green, "the new plan by Danish architecture and urban design firm BIG and San Francisco-based landscape architecture firm Surface Design, as well as many other collaborators, may leave visitors feeling exposed."
The review includes a lot more details about the master plan and a large collection of renderings.
Read the full story: Major Revamp Planned for D.C.’s South Mall
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
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Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
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NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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 Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority