When it comes to civic gathering places, bigger and newer aren’t always better. A look at L.A.’s disconnected cathedrals, concert halls, museums and malls.
Certain downtown districts are undergoing their own version of mansionization. In Los Angeles, the $189 million Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels complex has just opened. It will be joined a year from now by the $260 million Walt Disney Concert Hall. Both are highly theatrical architectural statements from a pair of Pritzker-winners: The Cathedral is designed by Jose Raphael Moneo, and Disney Hall is by Frank Gehry... Despite evidence that grand buildings alone cant revitalize their downtowns, city planners and cultural institutions still tend to rely on them, perhaps precisely because they make such dramatic statements.
Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan
FULL STORY: The Mansionization of Downtowns
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.
End Human Sacrifices to the Demanding Gods of Automobile Dependency and Sprawl
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Trump: Federal Government Won’t Pay for California HSR
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San Francisco Enhances Urban Planning Initiatives with Green Infrastructure
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Chicago Approves Green Affordable Housing Plan
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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.
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions