Landscape Architecture

Are Seattle's Trees Depressed?

Ariel Schwartz reports on an art project turning Seattle's trees an electric shade of blue in an effort to raise awareness of them.

April 12, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

How Much is a Tree Worth to a City?

Nate Berg reports on several recent pilot studies that have quantified the economic, aesthetic and energy saving benefits of urban trees and why the costs for replacing them can be formidable.

April 12, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

The Cleansing Power of Mexico City's Vertical Gardens

Damien Cave reports on Mexico City's ambitious efforts to reduce pollution and beautify the city through the planting of vertical gardens, and other progressive pollution reducing measures.

April 11, 2012 - The New York Times

Philadelphia Poised to Jump on the Elevated Park Bandwagon

Tyler Silvestro reports on the release of new designs for the SEPTA Spur by Studio Bryan Hanes and Urban Engineers, a significant step in realizing Philadelphia's Reading Viaduct revamp.

April 9, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

New Riverfront Rail Trail in America's "Most Livable City"

Pittsburgh is smoothing over the residue of its industrial past, turning an abandoned railway into a waterfront park, Paige Miller reports.

April 6, 2012 - Smart Growth America

Can Tappan Zee Park Make It Past the Drawing Board?

Plans to transform New York's Tappan Zee Bridge into a park have captured the public's imagination, but some speculate it's just a pipe dream, Peter Applebome reports.

April 6, 2012 - The New York Times

Hollywood Freeway Cap Park Gets Boost From LaHood

Kate DeFronzo reports that an ambitious 44-acre freeway cap park envisioned for Hollywood took an important step towards reality last week, with the blessing of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

March 31, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

The Challenges of Memorializing

In light of the recent controversy surrounding the Eisenhower Memorial in Washington DC, and observations from a recent trip to Japan, Christopher Hawthorne pens an opinion piece on memorials - the "eternally fraught corner of design practice.

March 21, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

On the Growing Controversy Over Gehry's Eisenhower Memorial

Amanda Hurley examines the furor that has developed in the four months since a design by Frank Gehry for a memorial to President Dwight Eisenhower, destined for a four-acre site just off the National Mall in Washington D.C., was made public.

March 20, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

The Importance of Gateway Experiences to Punk Rock & Urbanism

Dan Reed cautions against an elitist aversion to sterile and inauthentic "town centers" – for all their supposed faults, they offer a stepping stone for the uninitiated masses to get interested in "true" urbanism.

March 16, 2012 - Greater Greater Washington

Urban Furniture That Rocks

Web Urbanist has published a fun post featuring examples of unconventional urban furniture. If you're tired of the same old boring bus benches and park picnic tables, these interactive, comfortable, and visually interesting pieces should inspire you.

March 14, 2012 - Web Urbanist

Design Unveiled for Final Phase of High Line

Yesterday James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro unveiled their designs for the third and final phase of the High Line, and The Architect's Newspaper has a plethora of tantalizing renderings.

March 13, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

All Aboard for Chicago's Massive Rail to Trail Conversion

Lisa Donovan reports that the city of Chicago has plugged a $9 million shortfall in funding required to begin construction on the long-anticipated Bloomingdale Trail project.

March 13, 2012 - Chicago Sun-Times

A Win for Pedestrians in the Land of the Automobile

Nate Berg reports on the opening of L.A.'s first effort at a street-to-plaza conversion project in the city's Silver Lake neighborhood, which was inspired by similar street plazas created in New York City and San Francisco.

March 6, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Driving out one Nuisance With Another

The American Society of Landscape Architects examines the implications of squeezing teens out of the public sphere.

March 4, 2012 - THE DIRT

Top Planning Trends of 2011-2012

February 27, 2012 - Jonathan Nettler

Bringing the Green to Downtown L.A.

As the population of Downtown Los Angeles has grown dramatically over the last decade, the need for park space to serve that population has grown along with it. A new pocket park being built along Spring Street helps meet that need.

February 27, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Growing a Green Roof Movement in America

Metropolis blogger Joseph G. Brin interviews Charlie Miller, P.E., of Roofmeadow, to find out why green roofs have been slow to catch on in the United States.

February 27, 2012 - Metropolis

Guidelines on Privately Owned Public Spaces in S.F. Need Rethinking

John King authors an article examining the types of privately owned public spaces that have been created in San Francisco under the city's 1985 downtown plan and sees room for improvement.

February 22, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

Metropolitan Museum Courtyard Renovation Plans Court Controversy

Ambitious plans to revamp the Metropolitan Museum's Fifth Avenue plaza, more than 40 years after its last makeover, are being criticized by the Museum's affluent neighbors, who fear that the project might be too successful.

February 17, 2012 - DNAinfo.com

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

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A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.