One of Chicago architect Daniel Burnham's lesser-known achievements was a rethinking of the National Mall, bringing ideas- like a reflecting pool- from his designs for the Columbian Exhibition of 1893.
"When Barack Obama takes the oath of office Tuesday, he'll look down the National Mall (left) and toward an echo of a historic landscape that once stood not far from his house on Chicago's South Side: The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, called "the White City" (below) for its spectacular ensemble of temporary, Beaux-Arts buildings
The fair, masterminded by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, was a milestone in the history of urban planning, as well as a reaction to the soot-covered, "Gray City" of skyscrapers that had just arisen in the Loop and drawn criticism for blotting out the sky and clogging streets with traffic
Around a watery basin, Burnham and his fellow planners drew together large, low-slung exposition halls that shared a common height and classical vocabulary. Flanking one end of the basin was a domed administration building. Rising out of the other end was a colossal gilded statue, "The Republic," meant to symbolize national unity.
If that now-vanished tableau and its dazzling combination of architecture, water features and sculpture sounds like the portion of the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, it is no coincidence."
FULL STORY: How Chicago landscape inspired D.C
Grand Ambitions for $7 Billion Investment in Washington D.C.'s Union Station
The Washington Post provides all the details, renderings, history, commentary, and more that one could want about Amtrak's proposed $7 billion investment in Daniel Burnham's historic Union Station.
Redesigning the "Fascist" Park in Front of the White House
The National Capital Planning Commission invites the public to weigh-in on five proposals for improvements to the Ellipse, the large public park between White House and the National Mall.
Public Lands in the United States, Part Two: The Conservation Turn and ‘America’s Best Idea’
As Western expansion reached its geographic terminus, the U.S. government began tightening rules around land use and designating protected areas such as national parks and wilderness areas, often displacing local Native Americans in favor of a Wester
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
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