History / Preservation
With Pedestrianization Plan, the Eternal City Looks to Ban a Modern Scourge
Mayor Ignazio Marino of Rome has banned private vehicles from Via dei Fori Imperiali, built by Benito Mussolini to link his palace in Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum. Initially open to buses and taxis, it will eventually be completely pedestrianized.
A Look at Roads Not Taken Provides Path for L.A.'s More Public-Minded Future
A new exhibition of the bold designs that were never executed in Los Angeles provides lessons for today's leaders and planners. By imagining a more public-minded path for Los Angeles, it provides the impetus for creating such a future.
Unrealized City Plans a Window on a Future That Would Not Be
Blogger Andrew Lynch’s collection of unrealized city plans is a catalog of could-have-beens.
The History of Modern Architecture Told Through Hollywood's Lens
Does an inordinate amount of your knowledge come from films? Then you might take pleasure in Zachary Edelson's romp through the past hundred and twenty years of architectural history as told through motion pictures.
MoMA Architecture Head Goes Back to School
Barry Bergdoll, the Museum of Modern Art's Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, has announced he is leaving the museum to take up a post at Columbia University. Over six years he curated a number of popular, and critically praised, exhibitions.
Natalie de Blois, Influential but Excluded Modernist Architect, Dies
While working for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, de Blois helped design some of the most influential office towers of the 20th century. But, when it came time to open one of her signature buildings, she was told not to attend if she was still pregnant.
Quantifying How Haussmann Changed the Function and Form of Paris
A new study has quantified how Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann's plans changed the form and function of Paris - a topic that had previously been open to the subjective analysis of urban theorists. The results might surprise you.
Homeowners Threaten Beijing's Hutong Heritage
For years, Beijing's historic homes have been threatened by redevelopment pressures. Now, the building of illegal additions by homeowners looking for affordable ways to expand are causing alarm. For the local government, the solution is demolition.
Cottage Living Shows the Enduring Attraction of Simplicity
In a world of seemingly infinite variety and excess, simplicity engenders great affection. Hazel Borys offers this query on the subject of cottage living: How is it that less adds up to so much more?
Has the Oldest African American Neighborhood Been Unearthed in Maryland?
Could 'the Hill' neighborhood in Talbot County, MD predate New Orleans' Treme as the nation's oldest continuously inhabited black community? That's what archaeologists are trying to find out in the back yard of the local women’s club.
Might London's Monumental 'Crystal Palace' Rise Again?
A Chinese developer is interested in erecting an exact replica of one of architecture's most notable lost buildings on the site where it burned to the ground in 1936.
14 Ways San Francisco Has Given New Life to Its Historic Assets
In the current feature story from its 'Urbanist' magazine, the Bay Area planning think tank SPUR looks at 14 efforts to preserve the soul of San Francisco through the adaptive reuse, incorporation and juxtaposition of the city's historic buildings.
Can St. Louis Keep Its Unique Heritage from Crumbling?
As the back-to-the-city movement takes hold, cities are turning old industrial buildings into distinctive spaces prized as offices and lofts. St. Louis is trying to figure out how to preserve their legacy assets from crumbling as they await new life.
Reputation Renewal: Reconsidering America's Master Builders
Over the last several years, successive books and exhibitions have sought to paint America's midcentury master builders in a new light, by focusing on their accomplishments. What can we learn from the 'post-war planning titans'?
Appreciating Architecture: The Idea of the 'Naked' Museum
Removing the art from an art museum sounds like a foolish proposition until one embraces the opportunity to take in the architectural beauty of the building itself, transforming it into the work of art that it is.
Watch North America's Cities Grow Up
A Canadian real estate startup has created striking animated 3-D visualizations of the evolution of the skylines in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago.
Teaching Urban Lessons from Rural Landscapes
Chuck Wolfe's photoshoot in the Palouse region of southeastern Washington State shows the timeless issues of human settlement, from agrarian to urban.
In Historic Missouri City, Visionary Entrepreneurs Follow in the Path of Preservation Pioneers
Echoing the pioneering preservationists that saved and restored historic neighborhoods "left behind by suburban development" in the 1960s, a group of visionary entrepreneurs is battling to defend the historic soul of St. Joseph, Mo.
Stunning Images from America's Urban Past
Independence Day is a day to reflect on America's history; and with many of the activities associated with the holiday (parades, fireworks) set on urban stages, it's the perfect occasion to enjoy some amazing images of the country's urban past.
Could Mandatory Insurance Prevent Vacant Building Blight?
Abandoned factories litter the landscapes of cities and towns throughout the Rust Belt. A new paper proposes an innovative solution to help prevent vacant buildings from plaguing a community before a building is ever constructed.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
