Architecture
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
A Monument to Resilience: Native Hawaiian Art Installation Honors History and Healing
The towering ʻUmeke Lāʻau installation by Native Hawaiian artist Meleanna Aluli Meyer, unveiled at Honolulu's city hall, is a powerful symbol of cultural resilience and healing.
Neurodivergence and the City
Researchers are starting to understand how people with conditions like autism experience cities differently — and how to design for the neurodiverse brain.
Single-Stair Reform Gains Strength
The movement to legalize single-stair multi-story buildings is gathering momentum, with the typology offering a more efficient, flexible, and healthy way to build housing.
A New Cultural Landmark: Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Set to Open in 2026
Transforming a former parking lot into a dynamic cultural hub, this new museum will feature expansive gallery spaces, theaters, educational areas, and lush green landscapes while prioritizing community engagement, local hiring, and inclusive design.
The Key Role of Row Houses in Philadelphia and Baltimore
The row house is ubiquitous in the two cities, but their policies on design and preservation vary widely.
Rising Above: Innovative Solutions for Waikīkī’s Sea-Level Challenges
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s award-winning Waikīkī sea-level rise adaptation project combines science, architecture, and community input to create scalable solutions for climate resilience and coastal flood mitigation.
Avoiding Misplacement of a Place
To balance the interests of current residents and economic well-being, does a city's signature identity need an update?
DC Announces ‘Office to Anything’ Adaptive Reuse Program
The program complements an existing residential conversion initiative and could yield up to 2.5 million square feet of new commercial space.
Innovative Water Towers Popping Up in Sweden
Swedish cities are encouraging designers to dramatically reimagine the humble water tower.
Research Links Urban Design and Human Happiness
An emerging field of ‘neuroarchitectural’ research is revealing how building facades and urban design impact the human brain and body.
How Smaller Supermarkets Could Transform American Communities
Bigger is not always better.
One Year Into Brazil’s ‘Hostile Architecture’ Ban
A recent law prohibits ‘defensive’ architecture designed to keep people away from buildings or public spaces.
Planetizen’s Top Posts of 2024
The most-read articles on Planetizen in 2024.
Denver's New High-Rise Integrates Vertical Canyon in Architectural Design
Unlike other new builds in Denver, Colorado, a new high-rise reveals a unique “sculptural canyon” running vertically through the facade to foster a sense of community and connection to nature.
Francis Ford Copolla’s Urban Planning Swan Song
Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola’s likely final major film, Megalopolis, celebrates design and urban planning. It is a dazzling mishmash of architectural, cinematic, and literary history.
Urban Planning Creators You Should Know in 2024
Whether you’re a TikTok enthusiast or a Substack reader, you can find plenty of valuable and engaging urban planning content in the new media landscape.
Office Vacancies Drag Down Property Taxes
Downtown office buildings around the country are selling for much lower prices than before the pandemic, prompting questions about the future of central business districts.
Study: Retrofitting Old Buildings Has Lower Total Carbon Footprint Than New Construction
A study of over a million Chicago buildings assessed their ‘embodied carbon’ footprint over their lifetimes, showing that demolishing an old building in favor of a new one almost always produced more emissions.
A Guide to Regulating Adaptive Reuse
How building codes and zoning laws can guide the safe and effective conversion of existing properties to residential units.
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.
Roaring Fork Transportation Authority
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
