Design Observer
An Ode to Public Transit
Public transit is for everyone.
2014's Best and Worst in Architecture and Design
Critics Alexandra Lange and Mark Lamster hand out their annual awards for architecture and design. Snark is on the menu, but the awards still provide a nice recap of the biggest design news from around the country (and some from around the world).
The Problem with Architecture that is Landscape-Driven
Architect David Heymann says that a lot of architects claim to use the specifics of a site's natural features to inspire their design, but most end up with designs that are aggressive to the landscape - and to people.
Zoning for Apartheid
Lisa Findley & Liz Ogbu explain how architecture and urban planning were critical to apartheid in South Africa and how Le Corbusier and Ebenezer Howard influenced the racial segregation practice.
The High Line Memorialized in Print
Alexandra Lange reviews a new book documenting the creation of The High Line, finding it "chatty and accessible" and filled with beautiful photographs but low on new revelations for those who have been following the project.
Touring the Suburban Environment
Jason Griffiths and Alex Gino set out in 2002 to document the unremarkable character of the American suburbs. 22,382 miles and 2,593 photographs later, they concluded that suburbia "is difficult to define."
The "Urban-Vegetal World" of the Future
An exhibit in Paris presents elaborate, lush visions of "La Ville Fertile", or "The Fertile City."
Turning to the Crowd for Ideas
Alexandra Lange highlights a crowd-sourced urban design that actually worked.
The Modern-Day Reality of New Deal Utopias
This slideshow from Design Observer takes a look at New Deal-era utopian cities as they exist today.
ARRA Misses the Ecological Mark
Hillary Brown argues that the infrastructure priorities of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act further the carbon-intensive status quo and miss an unprecedented opportunity to build innovative, green systems.
Mapping Kenya's Largest Slum
A new project has created a digital map of Kibera, a large slum outside Nairobi, Kenya.
Planning for Sustainability, Japanese-Style
Artist and student of architecture Azby Brown has spent 25 years in Japan, and today sees a number of design principles that drive the Japanese way of building and living that can be used by designers.
Critiquing the Architectural Critic
This piece from Design Observer takes a pointed and critical look at the work of New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff and finds much to be desired in his work.
Density Gone Bad
The Walled City of Kowloon, Hong Kong was demolished in 1993, but remains a symbol of what happens when a city evolves anarchically. It was known as 'Hak Nam', or 'City of Darkness.'
The Fall of Malltopia
Mark Dery looks back at the birth and death of the mall, from Victor Gruen to the present collapse, then beyond to proposals for reusing and revitalizing mall spaces.
Jeff Speck reviews the NY Street Design Manual
Suburban Nation co-author Jeff Speck cracks the new New York Street Design Manual and finds a lot of useful material and some that falls short.
The Aesthetic Dangers of Group Decisionmaking
In response to an essay on restricting outdoor advertising in L.A., designer and lawyer Lawrence Barth argues that putting these decisions into the hands of groups -- whether city- or activist-led -- can lead to unintended consequences.
L.A.'s Billboard War
L.A. is at war with outdoor advertising. Though activists have urged the city to make moves to block video billboards, it's not really clear which side is winning the war, according to this piece from Design Observer.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.