Architecture

Friday Eye Candy: London From Above
A new book, "London Rising," collects photos taken in not-quite-legal fashion from the tops of London's tallest buildings and structures.

The Impossible 'Dream Cities'
A book review of the newly released book, "Dream Cities," by Wade Graham.

New York City's Sidewalk Shed Epidemic
A 1980 law protecting pedestrians from falling debris has spawned a labyrinth of sidewalk sheds: the covered walkways that often support scaffolding. Many of these "temporary" structures linger for years.
Formidable Barriers Threaten Penn Station Renovation
Last month N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed that Empire Station replace Penn Station, but many challenging parts, e.g., the Hudson River Tunnels, moving Madison Square Garden, could derail it. A related piece delves into the prior ARC tunnel project.

Preserving Main Street in Large Developments
The Terraces, a mixed-use project in Charlottesville, Virginia, adopts a design that reflects its historic downtown surroundings. Oliver Kuttner, the developer, says that "breaking up" large buildings can make them more palatable on street level.
Filling in the 'Missing Middle': No New Wheels, Please
A new crop of developers are delivering fine-grained urbanism. Ben Brown checks into their boot camp and provides an update on the movement.

Everyone Wants a Piece of Havana—Can Cuba Keep Up?
Cuba and its capital city of Havana are experiencing several, simultaneous revolutions. The opportunity for residents is also an opportunity for developers and architects, as well as a challenge for planners.
Skyscrapers and Starchitects Coming Soon to Downtown San Francisco
Take a tour of the changes coming the to the Transbay District in San Francisco.

Home Builders Creating Space for Nontraditional Households
At a building industry trade show held last week, the new trend was for houses constructed with extra space for renters or extended family. In other words, depreciation comes standard.
There's More Than One Way for Energy Efficiency Goals to Fail
A heated political battle over funding for the Washington State Building Code Council shows how legislated mandates for energy efficiency must also fund regulators to back them up.
Planning After the 1666 Great Fire of London
Revisiting a collected effort to reshape one of the world's most famous cities after a catastrophic disaster.
Skyscraper Construction Continues Record Breaking Pace
The new record for skyscrapers built in a year brakes the record set by the previous year. The record is expected to be set again next year.
GM Announces Renovation of Detroit's Iconic Renaissance Center
Detroit's most iconic building, the Renaissance Center, will soon get a major upgrade.
Data Plus Community: A Winning Formula for Green Infrastructure
These days, Big Data is the topic at hand, but Arup's Vincent Lee says data analysis can only go so far. He uses his work on the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program to illustrate why a "human element" is crucial to finding solutions.

What Will the 'Third Los Angeles' Look Like?
Architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne describes an L.A. in flux, at once beholden to its postwar image and pushing in a new direction. The city, he says, faces existential questions on a scale unmatched elsewhere in the nation.

A Critique of the Built Environment: How We Built Unhappiness
One writer's view of the modern city goes negative. If our environment affects our happiness, surely we're all suffering from depression.

Are Tiny Houses All They Are Cracked Up To Be?
Maybe not so much, according to an article in the Globe and Mail.
Cautious Optimism in the Wake of COP21
With the historic climate agreement reached in Paris at COP21, what implications will it have on the architecture, engineering and design industries? Doggerel spoke to U.S. Green Building Council Chair-elect Fiona Cousins for her perspective.
NYC's SoHo Gets a 'Noxious' Use
SoHo, a Manhattan neighborhood full of luxury apartments and a median income of $111,000/year, must accept a new facility that includes a garage for sanitation trucks. Why, and how will it test the city's commitment to infrastructure design?
Alejandro Aravena: First Chilean Architect to Take Home the Pritzker Prize
The awarding of the Pritzker Prize to the 48-year-old Alejandro Aravena sends a strong signal about the architecture world's focus on social responsibility.
Pagination
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service