History / Preservation

The Consequences of New York's New East Midtown Plan Include Skyscraper Demolition

A highly controversial proposal hit the newswire this week, as JP Morgan announced its plans to demolish 270 Park Avenue (formerly known as the Union Carbide tower), designed by architect Natalie Griffin de Blois.

February 22, 2018 - The New York Times

U.K. Couple Fined for Living in Home Disguised as Garage

Reeta Herzallah and Hamdi Almasri used a fake garage door to live in an area that required a garage space.

February 18, 2018 - The Guardian

Brazil Olympics

Abandoned Olympic Venues Cast Doubt on the Value of Hosting

Though cities hope for an economic boost, these photos show it's far from guaranteed.

February 17, 2018 - Business Insider

Paris Trees

The World's Most Iconic Architecture, Brought to You By Taxes and Regulation

How many now-classic design features are actually tax-avoidance strategies?

February 16, 2018 - 99% Invisible

One Native American Family, Two Housing Crises

In Oakland, California and Torreon, New Mexico, Julian Brave NoiseCat reports that "[f]or Indigenous people, the crisis of the home is intergenerational."

February 8, 2018 - High Country News

Detroit Sports Arena

Saying No to Surface Parking in Downtown Detroit

Multiple proposals to demolish downtown buildings and put up surface parking lots are meeting resistance.

February 8, 2018 - Detroit Free Press

Race Map

Pollution Does Discriminate in Orlando’s Parramore Neighborhood

Poor air quality has decimated the health of residents in this predominantly black community ringed by highways.

January 31, 2018 - Huffington Post

HOPE Outdoor Gallery

Death Warrant Signed for Austin's Graffiti Park

The Hope Outdoor Galley, as Graffiti Park is officially known, will relocate to a decidedly less central location.

January 31, 2018 - Community Impact Newspaper

Floodplain

'America’s First Climate Refugees' Are Still on the Island

The 99 residents of Isle de Jean Charles have $48 million to relocate together, but that doesn’t make it easy.

January 30, 2018 - CityLab

Baltimore, Maryland

How British Investments Enabled American Segregation

Exploring the surprising origins of the American suburbs.

January 30, 2018 - Building Suburban Power

Washington D.C. Row Houses

Is Washington D.C. Preserving Buildings or Hoarding Them?

A piecemeal, reactive approach to historic preservation in the capital may burden the future with too many buildings of "middling merit."

January 29, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

Oakland and San Francisco

Planners Cannot Ignore Legacy Of Government-Sanctioned Segregation

Even in liberal states like California, government-sanctioned residential segregation persisted in the 20th century. In a recent talk in L.A., Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law, charged planners with undoing this shameful legacy.

January 24, 2018 - California Planning & Development Report

Administration building at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, on opening day, May 1, 1893

Daniel Burnham to Get the Musical Theatre Treatment

A theater in Chicago will open a new musical about the famous urban planner and architect in June of this year.

January 24, 2018 - Chicago Sun-Times

Garden City

An Infographic to Explain the History of Urban Planning

What do you think about the linked visual presentation of the history of urban planning?

January 23, 2018 - Visual Capitalist

Brario 31

Barrio 31 in Buenos Aires Holds Universal Truths About Informal Urban Places

A study of a poorer neighborhood in Buenos Aires reveals that a delicate balance of design, public space, planning, and access are keys to success.

January 22, 2018 - Next City

Louisiana

Downtown Revitalization Comes to Louisiana

Like many cities before it, Shreveport's downtown is transforming through the renovation of historic buildings.

January 15, 2018 - Shreveport Times

Millennium Tower

San Francisco’s Salesforce Tower Opens, Underwhelms

Of the city’s newest, tallest building John King writes, “[it’s] as if the creators were so busy being tasteful they forgot that big buildings can be fun."

January 13, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

New York Subway

Regardless of Cost, New York Must Rehabilitate its Crown Jewel: the Subway

Depending on what's included, the cost to rebuild the ailing 665-mile system could be $111 billion, but the city's future depends on it. A feature-length New York Times Magazine piece looks at its history and suggests ways to finance rebuilding.

January 12, 2018 - The New York Times Magazine

Moynihan Train Hall

In New York's Next Penn Station, Function Does Not Always Follow Form

Some of the time and money invested in the visually spectacular Moynihan Station should have been spent looking at how well it actually works for commuters, writes Alon Levy.

January 11, 2018 - CityLab

Scott Pruitt

Scott Pruitt and the 'Paradigm Shift' at Trump's EPA

In just his first year, the high-profile and controversial cabinet member “has begun to dismantle former president Barack Obama’s environmental legacy.”

January 8, 2018 - The Washington Post

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

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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