World

No architectural style arouses more hostility than brutalism. Its monolithic concrete buildings are unloved features of cities around the world. Is it time to reappraise this maligned style? Here are 20 buildings that don't deserve your barbs.

October 4, 2013 - Future Cities

Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada, who helped develop the world's most popular hybrid-electric vehicle, questioned the ability of pure electric vehicles to supplant petroleum-fueled vehicles because of battery and charging challenges.

October 4, 2013 - The Washington Post

A new exhibition on Greco-Roman mapmaking at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World in New York examines the relationship between geographic and metaphysical world views.

October 3, 2013 - The New York Times

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) announced the winners of its 2013 Professional Awards and Student Awards today. 33 projects were selected for recognition out of more than 534 entries.

October 1, 2013 - ASLA

Thanks to the efforts of donors, aid groups, and the economic development of countries like India and China, the number of people living in extreme poverty around the world has dropped significantly since 1980.

September 30, 2013 - The New York Times

A ranking of the 10 most civic-minded companies holds some surprises -- mainly that the list is dominated by financial services firms.

September 30, 2013 - Future Cities

Are your marketing strategies in need of a "New Media" refresh? Steve Mouzon's new e-book, New Media for Designers + Builders gets two thumbs up from Susan Henderson and Hazel Borys.

September 29, 2013 - PlaceShakers

A conference hosted by TED last week in New York continued the conversation the organization started last year with the awarding of its 2012 prize to The City 2.0. Alissa Walker looks at some of the most promising visions for the future of cities.

September 29, 2013 - Gizmodo

The creator of a lauded guerrilla wayfinding project for Raleigh has launched a new website that allows users to duplicate his compelling signage for their communities.

September 28, 2013 - Pop-Up City

What do an upside-down White House, a toilet-shaped museum, and a planetarium shaped like Saturn and its rings have in common? All can be found in futurist website io9's collection of the world's most extreme buildings.

September 27, 2013 - io9

The synopsis of the IPCC's fifth major climate assessment was released today in Stockholm. With near absolute certainty, the panel identified humans as the cause of the dangerously warming planet. Could the report propel languishing negotiations?

September 27, 2013 - The New York Times

China's drive to reduce urban air pollution and increase energy security will unleash massive carbon and toxic emissions, almost tripling its current emissions over 40 years. The plan is to build 40 plants to convert coal to synthetic natural gas.

September 27, 2013 - Quartz

He's transformed the personal computer, health outcomes in the developing world, and education opportunities in the U.S. For Bill Gates's next act, the Microsoft founder is trying to turn atomic trash into treasure.

September 26, 2013 - The New York Times

While many of Santiago Calatrava's anatomically-inspired designs are lauded, in Valencia - the architect's birthplace and the city where he's built the most - Calatrava is reviled for cost overruns, exorbitant fees, and inexplicable design errors.

September 25, 2013 - The New York Times

Even if our warming planet wasn't threatened with environmental catastrophe, the case for reducing fossil-fuel use is an easy one to make. A new study shows that reduced air pollution from cutting emissions would save millions of lives by 2100.

September 24, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Gabrielle Esperdy explores the development of an online encyclopedia of American architecture — and argues that metadata is a crucial tool for future historians.

September 24, 2013 - Places Journal

In this era of federal government disfunction, cities have been able to innovate, cooperate, and tackle our biggest challenges. It behooves nation-states to see investment in cities as nation-building, and adjust their policies accordingly.

September 23, 2013 - Meeting of the Minds

Build more lanes, improve operations, let cars do the driving: Are these the best ways to reduce traffic congestion? Richard Mudge thinks a more effective route may be to offer financial incentives to keep people off the roads.

September 23, 2013 - Eno Brief Newsletter

You're probably thinking "Way too many cars on the road, duh!" But the real answer is a bit more complicated, and counterintuitive. Tom Vanderbilt explains in a 20-minute presentation.

September 21, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Though Park(ing) day organizers stopped tracking numbers last year, it's safe to say that dozens of cities will be turning their parking spaces into public spaces today. But for Alissa Walker, participants could better spend their time and energy.

September 20, 2013 - Gizmodo