Photographer and architect Lars Mortensen captured the new face of urbanization in Gurgaon, a suburb of New Delhi. The scales involved are unprecedented, and rich and poor live in close proximity.
Non-western powers like China and India are undertaking massive, picturesque, sometimes-terrifying urbanization projects. "'Gurgaon embodies all the aspirations of India's urbanization,' says Danish photographer and architect Lars Mortensen. 'At the same time, [it] explicitly reveals the thin, crackling façade and the monumental problems—both social and environmental—urban India has to deal with.'"
The scale of India's urbanizing population dwarfs all historical comparison. "The number of people living in India's cities has soared from 62 million in 1951 to 429 million today, a trend that shows no sign of abating."
The pace of development, endless demand for housing, and inevitable local delays in construction have produced a landscape unlike any other. "In Gurgaon, high-rise apartments behind tall walls had paved roads that ended abruptly at the property's boundary. [...] 'With such intense development, quite a few projects simply fall by the wayside,' Mortensen says. 'Sometimes it is simply hard to tell whether something is being constructed or whether it is slowly deteriorating.'"
Read the full story: Striking Photos of India’s Rapid, Chaotic Urbanization
The Fastest Growing Cities in the World
None of the fastest growing cities in the world are found in North or South America.
Census Data Reveal Increasing Density in the U.S.—Reversing a Two-Decade Trend
The New York Times is calling 2010 to 2020 the "Downtown Decade."
The 2010s Didn't Live Up to Potential as the 'Decade of the City'
The renaissance predicted for urban areas in the United States started strong during the 2010s but slowed in the years leading up to a potentially generation defining pandemic.
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
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
This road in NYC is infamously dangerous — and Mamdani can't fix it
New York City's Ocean Parkway is known for reckless driving, but the power to implement safety measures lies with the state rather than the city.
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