Infrastructure Investment in the Time of Few Compromises
Important projects will get off the ground with or without Congress. It'd just be a whole lot easier with them.
The Tragic Comedy of Small Business Permitting
A New Year’s resolution for cities: Quit drowning small businesses in outdated red tape.
Building the New Harvard Art Museums Was a Story of Many, Many Constraints
The long list of difficulties Renzo Piano faced with this renovation and expansion point to why many architects prefer greenfield builds to infill.
At MoMA, How 'Tactical Urbanism' Can Preserve the Future of Cities
As the world braces for a huge population influx into cities, a new exhibit looks at how scaling infrastructure could improve life in the accompanying "unplanned settlements."
Ushering in an Era of Concrete Destruction
Cities spend big money to retrofit and modernize landscapes built with the world’s most popular construction material—even as others go right on pouring it.
The Hazardous Business of Celebrating Le Corbusier
The pioneer of modern architecture inspired hundreds of drab downtowns and suburban corporate office parks. But he had many good ideas that are relevant to citybuilding today
As Asian Cities Grow, So Do Public Health Concerns
Smoking, junk food, and and alcohol use are wreaking havoc among poor migrants in Asian capitals.
Why Is Italy's 'National Mall' So Unwelcoming?
Caserta's La Reggia palace and grounds could bring new energy and a sense of ownership to citizens of a tourist destination—if only it wasn't so hard to get in.
Wait Your Turn for the Swings at Boston's Adult Playground
The wildly successful Lawn on D Street is a temporary park that took no tedious city planning. Should we let more urban design emerge organically?
When Neighborhood Re-Branding Celebrates What's Disappearing
"Branding" revamped neighborhoods for a barely past history can feel like a backhanded homage.
Beachfront in the Time of Climate Change
It's the end of the summer, but it's starting to feel like the end of an era.
A Failed Public-Housing Project Could Be a Key to St. Louis' Future
The Pruitt-Igoe projects were razed in 1972, but their influence on Ferguson's social and financial divides echo today as redevelopment is planned.
Braving the New World of Performance-Based Zoning
Conventional zoning is an outdated barrier against good urbanism, but there's disagreement on the best way forward.
Restaurants Really Can Determine the Fate of Cities and Neighborhoods
A new survey shows how much food influences the vibrance of urban centers.
Who Really Owns Public Spaces?
A new exhibit at the AIA New York Center for Architecture examines the changing function of parks and other open urban centers.
Olmsted the Hero, Moses the Villain
History views master planners Frederick Law Olmsted and Robert Moses very differently.
Why the 'Garden City' Is Making an Unlikely Comeback
"Suburbs are like cholesterol," says Robert A.M. Stern — there's good and there's bad, all to be sensibly calibrated.
What Millennials Want—And Why Cities Are Right to Pay Them So Much Attention
You might be sick of hearing about this generation, but two recent surveys show they can't, and shouldn't, be dismissed.
When Taking Back the City Means Returning to the Scene of the Crime
In the relentless Boston bombing anniversary coverage, the tagline on one local news channel is, "Let's Remember, Let's Run." Can we really do both?
Is There a Medellín Hype Machine?
The city has been celebrated as an international model. Naturally, it's time for a backlash.
