With the pipeline of glitzy real estate projects slowing, star designers are branching out with new fashion items and other luxury goods.
"With the real estate boom all but over and skittish property developers breaking ground on fewer glitzy projects, architects from London to Los Angeles are finding creative ways to stay in the spotlight and extend their brands. The creative outlets of today's star designers are departures from the side projects undertaken by notable architects of the past like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright, who generally designed furnishings and home interiors when not creating buildings.
Norman Foster, the leading British architect who designed the Hearst Tower in New York, has added yachts to his résumé, recently creating a string of vessels for luxury boating company YachtPlus. Frank Gehry, mastermind of the titanium-covered Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, is employing materials such as black gold and oxidized silver to expand his already popular line of jewelry for Tiffany. And Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win a Pritzker Prize, has put her name on stainless-steel vases for Italian kitchenware company Alessi."
FULL STORY: Architects’ Designs on Fashion and Boating

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Research Shows More Roads = More Driving
A national study shows, once again, that increasing road supply induces additional vehicle travel, particularly over the long run.

Judge Halts Enforcement of Anti-Homeless Laws in Grants Pass
The Oregon city will be barred from enforcing two ordinances that prosecute unhoused residents until it increases capacity and accessibility at designated camping sites.

Advancing Sustainability in Los Angeles County Schools
The Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Green Schools Symposium brings together educators, students, and experts to advance sustainability in schools through innovative design, climate resilience strategies, and collaborative learning.

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
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.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
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