Modernism

Aerial view of Le Corbusier-designed Cité Radieuse in Marseilles, France.

What Is the City of Tomorrow?

The City of Tomorrow is the English name given to an early work of urban design by Le Corbusier, who, throughout his career, evolved a concept of city planning firmly based in rationality and order.

August 21, 2023 - Diana Ionescu

Frank Lloyd Wright

8 Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings Named World Heritage Sites

Eight buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright are the first works of U.S. modern architecture to be named UNESCO World heritage sites.

July 8, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

Downtown Honolulu as seen from the top of Diamond Head

Honolulu, Modernist Paradise

Despite its immeasurable geographic and cultural distinctiveness, there is perhaps no American city that has embraced Modernist city planning as fully as Honolulu has.

May 15, 2018 - Common Edge Collaborative

Sprawl

Will There Be Another 'Urban Reset' and What Will it Look Like?

Some might have thought that a great "urban reset" was sure to follow the foreclosure crisis and Great Recession in 2008. Some think an "urban reset" is still sure to come.

February 27, 2018 - Public Square: A CNU Journal

Frank Lloyd Wright Oak Park

National or Regional? Finding American Identity in Architecture

In an extended discussion, Keith Eggener examines what it means for a work of architecture to be "naturally" American, and why looking at modern American styles through an intensively regional lens may be unhelpful.

September 15, 2017 - Places Journal

Northwestern National Life

Minnesota's Modernism Gaining Historic Status

It might seem like a contradiction of terms, but many buildings labeled "modern" when built some 50 years ago are now considered "historic."

May 12, 2016 - MinnPost

Oakland Architecture in Music Video

The Significance of Architecture in Music Videos

What can be learned from music videos about popular culture's relationship to architecture?

August 10, 2015 - ArchDaily

'Keeping it Modern' to Research Conservation Solutions

The quest to preserve the masterpieces of modern architecture can also provide a model for preserving lesser-known construction from the 20th century. An initiative of the Getty Conservation Institute would achieve both goals.

October 6, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Trolls

Modernism-Hating Neighbor Sues to Halt Home Construction

Allison Arieff tells the sordid tale of a "modestly modernist" house in Oakwood, a historic district in Raleigh, North Carolina. Despite the fully permitted house being 85 percent complete, a lawsuit by a neighbor could force its demolition.

July 16, 2014 - New York Times

Can the Garden City of the Past Work in the Future?

Anthony Flynt explores the motivations behind Robert A.M. Stern's recent revival of the Garden City as a model for future development. Among the benefits of the model proposed by Ebenezer Howard in 1902, according to Stern: equity and comfort.

May 30, 2014 - CityLab

Saving Endangered Modern Homes

The trend toward bigger houses makes the efficient and cool styles of modernism look inadequate to many Americans. A new article by the Architectural Record studies the difficult work of preservation efforts all over the country.

April 11, 2014 - Architectural Record

In Defense of Architectural Nostalgia

Robert A.M. Stern doesn't get much respect from the architectural avant-garde. In a time in which sleek glass and curves are all the rage, Stern goes against the grain with his use of stone and nods to history. Does that make him a lesser architect?

November 5, 2013 - New York Magazine

child playing in Peavey Plaza fountain in Minneapolis

“Make Love, Not Worse”: On the State of Landscape Preservation

Charles Birnbaum, founder of TCLF, discusses the challenges with preserving and managing significant Modernist landscapes, lifting the veil on the field’s key contributors, and why its easier to love a landscape than a building.

October 21, 2013 - Charles Birnbaum

Does a 'Palace of Parking' Deserve to be Preserved?

The owners of a Weimar-era parking garage in Berlin that's beloved by modernist enthusiasts are seeking to have its landmark status revoked in order to tear it down. Will officials forgo an opportunity to preserve the German capital's recent past?

August 23, 2013 - The New York Times

Step Aside California, Michigan Modernism Gets a Spin in the Spotlight

During the post-war years, the Wolverine State gave the world much more than just elegant automobiles. A new exhibit explores Michigan's under-appreciated contributions to the design world.

May 21, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Leading Mexican Modernist Architect Dies at 94

Sam Dillon eulogizes architect Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, who helped transition Mexico "from a mostly peasant society into a modern industrial state," as much with his political skills as his technical skills.

April 18, 2013 - The New York Times

Future Looking Brighter for Landscapes of the Recent Past

While modernist buildings have fared somewhat better in the minds of preservationists, recent trends seem to indicate a more promising future for protecting the significant modernist landscapes of the recent past, says Charles Birnbaum.

March 19, 2013 - Dwell

How Playboy Pushed the Pleasures of Modern Design

A new exhibition at the NAiM/Bureau Europa, in the Netherlands, examines the debt of gratitude that designers such as Mies van der Rohe, John Lautner, and George Nelson owe to the men's magazine for its promotion of the design trends of the day.

February 11, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Design

A Potpourri of Planning's Many Forms - All in one City

In this fascinating photo essay, Jordi Sanchez-Cuenca explores Mexico City's urban morphology. Seemingly every type of urban form known to man can be found within the Mexican capital's boundaries.

December 27, 2012 - POLIS

Appreciation for a Modern Master

Paul Goldberger offers a remembrance of the "last lion" of Modernism - Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer - who passed away earlier this week at the age of 104.

December 9, 2012 - Vanity Fair

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.