Philip Rojc is a Contributing Editor at Planetizen. He writes about cities, philanthropy, and socioeconomic equity.
Downtown L.A.'s Chinese Real Estate Cycle
Chinese developers are pouring money into high-rise housing projects in Los Angeles. But will these be pieds-a-terre for absent buyers? And how are developers dealing with the American regulatory environment?
Tale of Two Cities: A U.S.-Mexico Bike Trail
Election rhetoric aside, towns on the U.S.-Mexico border share common urban challenges. A proposal is in the works to connect Brownsville, Texas and the Mexican city of Matamoros via bike path.
Foolish Utopianism in Today's Top Architecture
Reviewing Douglas Murphy's book "Last Futures: Nature, Technology and the End of Architecture," Jonathan Meades lays into the new utopianism of contemporary architecture. Silicon Valley gets portrayed as both foolish and hypocritical.
In Brooklyn's Navy Yard, a New Manufacturing Incubator
New Lab repurposes a gritty shipbuilding warehouse, giving manufacturing startups the support that software firms get from your typical incubator.
Pasadena Eases Into Bikeshare, Complete Streets
Located northeast of downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena is a "destination city" of its own. A recent push to make its streets more bike-friendly coincides with the upcoming arrival of bikeshare.