There might be something to the analogy, opines Blair Kamin, when comparing the building's star status to its contribution to the urban setting.
"Only now are the authorities announcing an enormous, glass-enclosed pedestrian walkway, set to be 820 meters long (eight meters shorter than the tower), that will connect the futuristic Dubai Metro station with the tower and its vast adjoining mall. The walkway, due to open next year with the requisite Dubai flash, is meant to alleviate the traffic snarls that have cropped up around the mall.
Recent news reports, meanwhile, say that Dubai's sewer infrastructure can't handle the human waste generated by skyscrapers like the Burj Khalifa. As The Wall Street Journal wrote in 2008, trucks have to take the poop out of underground holding tanks and haul it to wastewater treatment plants."
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
SoCal Leaders Debate Moving Coastal Rail Line
Train tracks running along the Pacific Ocean are in danger from sea level rise, but residents are divided on how to fix the problem.
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.
City of Albany
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