Last week's record setting premiere of the Avengers movie franchise inspired the launch of a planning and design themed legion of superheroes on Twitter. Sommer Mathis interviews the urbanist behind the mask.
Marrying comic book and urbanist geekdom, @UrbanismAvenger has quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with for the world's anti-urbanism super villains. Seeking nominations from followers for their favorite heroes & villains, @UrbanismAvenger has already bestowed titles on Janette Sadik-Khan: Black Widow, Jan Gehl: Odin All-Father, NRDC: Guardians of the Universe, and Rem Koolhaas as the arch-villain of context-sensitive urbanism.
In his interview, Mathis gets the person behind the profile to provide some tanatlizing clues to their identity:
"In my secret identity I'm a high-ranking multi-disciplinary urbanist
with a major metropolitan planning department, where speaking out is not
necessarily encouraged."
and inspiration:
"I believe that the heroic mission of designing + building better cities,
towns and communities needs symbols, inspiration ... and yes, some fun!
We can all be too pessimistic and stuffy at times about city-building,
and that's hardly influential either to the converted, or especially the
unconverted. The forces of evil are many - The Sprawl Gang of America,
Dr. Low-Density, Captain Car Dependence, and the Big Box Blob, just to
name a few! The Urbanism Avenger is positive, honorable, hopefully
inspirational, and not a stuffed shirt!"
FULL STORY: Behind the Mask: @UrbanismAvenger Speaks!
Lessons from 'The Human Scale'
How can we redirect our city building into a form that can handle the expected doubling of urban residents over the next 40 years? Great ideas can be found in this collection of soundbites from the film, "The Human Scale."
The Busiest Street In Town
Few children’s books skillfully cover the subject of urban planning. Chicago's Wacker Manual for the Plan of Chicago (1911), David Macaulay’s lavishly illustrated City:A Story of Roman Planning and Construction (1974), and most recently, Planetizen's Where Things Are, From Near to Far (2008) are standouts.
Video: How Tall Should Buildings Be?
Is there an ideal height — or should buildings be as tall as they need to be to fulfill housing needs?
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