Michael J. Lewis reviews a new biography of Frederick Law Olmsted, which he says reveals new facts about the man who coined the term "landscape architect."
Even though it has new observations, Lewis says it doesn't quite capture "the largeness of Olmsted's achievement":
"In place of the conventional image of Olmsted as idealistic social reformer, he portrays an imperious and disagreeable workaholic, who repeatedly transplanted his family as unfeelingly as he would any sapling. Mr. Martin reproduces a shockingly abusive letter to his stepson, John, whom Olmsted sent to study the parks of Europe and whose letters he found uninspired: "You are not a man of genius in art, a man of less artistic impulse I never knew.""
FULL STORY: Meaning In a Meadow
Design in the Time of Cholera: How Pandemics Reshaped the Built Environment
Some of the most beloved public parks and essential advances in public sanitation can be traced back to their roots in the Cholera outbreaks in the 1800s.
Exhibition Shows the Swagger and the Social Conscience of a Previous Era of Planning
It's rare for an entire exhibition to be devoted to the practice and history of planning. This is a big one.
The Colliding Legacies of Olmsted and Obama
Architects will soon be hired to design Obama's presidential library in Chicago. It may turn out to be a beautiful building, but will it be worth all that is lost in the process?
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.
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Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
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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