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Pittsburgh Votes: Keep Our Bridges Gold

In a civic exercise only possible in Pittsburgh, residents voted online in resounding support of keeping the color scheme of the city's famous Three Sisters Bridges.

July 7, 2015 - Pittsburg Post-Gazette

Wanted: An Architectural Icon to Capture the Essence of Portland

On op-ed in the Oregonian makes the case for Portland to design and build a unique architectural icon that differentiates the city from its rivals in the Pacific Northwest.

May 20, 2015 - The Oregonian

Denver's Pedestrian 'Icon' Celebrates Its 30th Birthday

Jack Healy explores Denver's conflicted relationship with its 16th Street Mall, the pedestrian-oriented street that runs for a mile through the city's downtown. Bustling by day, but deserted and dicey at night, it has become an icon of the city.

October 10, 2012 - The New York Times

New Zealand's Hillside Sign Idea Irks Hollywood

The city of Wellington, an emerging center for filmmaking in New Zealand, is considering a plans to build a hillside sign with the word "Wellywood" -- an homage to the famous "Hollywood" sign. Hollywood is not flattered.

May 27, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Wayfinding Symbols Across the World

Metro stations, train stations and streetcar systems have distinct ways of showing how to get from one area to another. TheCityFix's Jonna McKone looks at mass transit systems from Mexico City to Paris and the visual representations used in each one.

January 11, 2011 - TheCityFix

Icons Versus Places

Fred Kent of the Project for Public Spaces was recently entangled in a dispute with architect Frank Gehry over the impact of iconic architecture in cities. Though Gehry's work has its moments, Kent says city emphasis on icons is a mistake.

September 24, 2009 - The Project for Public Spaces

A Six-Acre Green Roof in Vancouver

The new west wing of the Vancouver Convention Center(VCC) provides 338,000 square feet of new function spaces as well as an angular six acre green roof, which is the largest non-commercial roof in North America.

June 23, 2009 - The Architect's Newspaper

Architecture's 'Bilbao Era' Could Be Over

The age of iconic architecture may be ending. The recession is a major factor, but much of the shift may be due to changing perceptions about what architecture is supposed to do for a place, according to critic Robert Campbell.

January 16, 2009 - The Boston Globe

The Unseen City Icons

This piece from Discover looks at the iconic "invisible" things that define cities -- like Seattle's clouds, Houston's air conditioning, and L.A.'s Botox.

September 7, 2008 - Discover

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Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.