Controversy erupted last week in Washington, D.C., after D.C. Metro decided to paint Union Station's vaulted ceilings—a famous icon of the District, it's regional transit system, and the architectural style of Brutalism.

Martin Austermuhle and Amanda Kolson Hurley both took to the pages of their respective media outlets to document the outcry against a controversial decision by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to paint a coat of white paint over the station's famous grey vault.
Austermuhle reports that the WMATA's Back2Good campaign is responsible for the paint job—one project among plans to power-wash, scrub, and polish all of the system's 91 stations on an annual basis.
The decision to paint Union Station, however, prompted strong responses from writers like Kriston Capps and Kolson Hurley.
After initially voicing concern on Twitter, Kolson Hurley eventually wrote an article for Washington City Paper, describing the decision to pain Union Station as troubling for "multiple reasons":
"First…dirt will show up prominently on a background of white paint," writes Kolson Hurley. "Second, exposed concrete is integral to the Brutalist style in which the Metro system was designed."
An update to the latter article notes that the Washington chapter of the American Institute of Architects had since expressed "deep concern" over the painting of the Union Station vault.
FULL STORY: Metro’s Effort To Create A Brighter Station Is Met With ‘Brutal’ Opposition

Amtrak Ramping Up Infrastructure Projects
Thanks to federal funding from the 2021 infrastructure act, the agency plans to triple its investment in infrastructure improvements and new routes in the next two years.

Ending Downtown San Francisco’s ‘Doom Loop’
A new public space project offers an ambitious vision—so why is the city implementing it at such a small scale?

Proposal Would Transform L.A.’s ‘Freeway to Nowhere’ Into Park, Housing
A never-completed freeway segment could see new life as a mixed-use development with housing, commercial space, and one of the county’s largest parks.

Why Brand New Cities Won’t Solve Our Urban Problems
Building cities takes time and resources. Why not spend them on fixing the ones we have?

Former Brooklyn Sugar Refinery Reopens as All-Electric Office Tower
A historic building was reimagined as a 15-story office tower powered by renewable energy.

NHTSA: Traffic Fatalities Decline for Fifth Straight Quarter
Traffic deaths were 3.3 percent lower in the first half of 2023 than the same period last year, but not all states saw the same results.
Urban3
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Washington University
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
Lassen County Planning and Building Services
City of San Carlos
National Capital Planning Commission
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.