The gaze of the world's starchitects has turned lovingly towards the lowly parking garage. New projects by Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Frank Gehry, and Enrique Norten in Miami give a makeover to the Cinderella of structures.
The world's most revered architects are showing their chops in a showdown in America's southeast. The setting for this virtuoso duel is Miami, Florida and the object of attention is the much maligned parking garage.
"The fact that the parking garage has been a neglected form excites some architects, says Bernardo Fort-Brescia, founding principal of Arquitectonica. "That's precisely the challenge-how to turn that garage into something that people love," he says."
"As star architects descend on Miami Beach, they seem to be goading more of their peers to join. "What's happening now is similar to what happened in the Art Deco period, when the city developed a collaborative of architects who played off each other's designs," says William Cary, assistant director of the Miami Beach planning department."
FULL STORY: Sleek, Chic Hangout ... a Garage
Op-Ed: Starchitecture Fails the Future
An addiction to spectacle and fad, says Peter Buchanan, has set architecture adrift in a sea of meaningless forms. And real design problems go ignored.
Miami's High-Rise Orthodoxy Hides a Better Way
Alastair Gordon lambasts Miami's high-end architectural extremes. A horizontal, nature-inspired urbanism might better address contradictions between breezy luxury and inland poverty.
Buildings Gone Bad: 2014's Worst Architecture
The designs of architecture's most famous practitioners inspire the most public forms of attention and criticism. A recent column in Slate doesn't shy away from the latter.
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.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
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.
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