All articles tagged with #urban planning
Anne Hidalgo’s 12-year tenure reimagined Paris as a walkable, bike-friendly city by removing parking, pedestrianizing streets, and expanding cycle lanes, earning international praise forCleaner air and safer streets while drawing local criticism over traffic jams and a strained bus network, signaling a controversial but lasting shift in the city’s urban planning.
A Next City feature uses Oakland's Ice Center—built in the 1990s with tax-increment financing from California’s now-defunct Redevelopment Agencies—to illustrate how RDAs catalyzed urban investment and how their 2012 dissolution left a gap in long-term public stewardship, prompting debates about equitable funding models and newer approaches like Seattle’s preservation authorities and a social-housing development authority to fill that void without repeating past missteps.
Toronto’s PATH is a 30-kilometer climate-controlled network of tunnels that connects offices, shops and transit, letting downtown workers and visitors dodge winter; while it’s no longer the Guinness World Records holder after Montreal’s RÉSO, the underground system is expanding as a “third space” with new businesses, and locals like Jadiel Teófilo are mapping it to help people navigate the maze.
Heavy rainfall from Cyclone Harry triggers a massive landslide in Niscemi, Sicily, creating a 4km abyss and forcing evacuation of more than 1,600 residents as homes, historic sites, and a public library hang over the unstable ground; authorities probe negligence amid decades of risky urban planning and fragile environmental policies tied to climate change.
At Sundance, The History of Concrete, John Wilson's feature-length follow-up to How To with John Wilson, wittily roams from Hallmark movie seminars to New York's cracked streets as it uses concrete to explore permanence, urban life, and mortality; a meandering, funny yet emotionally resonant documentary that combines whimsy with sharp observations about architecture and time.
Kinshasa’s historic Zando Market reopens in February after a five-year makeover, combining traditional market life with modern sustainable design: a 92,000 sq m complex with 10,000 stalls, 630 shops, rainwater harvesting, and improved safety. The PPP-led project, backed by a SofiBanque loan and built by Think Tank Architecture Paysage Urbanisme with SZTC, aims to revive a cultural backbone that previously drew up to a million shoppers a day, while addressing sanitation and crowding—though critics raised corruption concerns about the contract.
Research in Los Angeles shows that park use declines during extreme heat, but behavioral patterns like time of day and day of week have a greater influence on visitation than heat or amenities. High social sensitivity residents are more willing to travel to less sensitive parks, highlighting disparities. The study suggests focusing on increasing tree cover and green spaces in marginalized communities to improve heat relief and equity, emphasizing the importance of urban planning solutions like cool roofs and reflective pavements to combat climate change effects.
The Denver Broncos have submitted a preliminary plan for a new stadium and mixed-use community at Burnham Yard, emphasizing collaboration with the city and community to create a vibrant, accessible neighborhood that honors local history and enhances quality of life.
Vietnam is adopting new strategies, including 'sponge cities' and improved drainage, to cope with increasing extreme storms driven by climate change, which have caused severe economic and infrastructural damage, especially in urban areas like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
President Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom project will be decided by the obscure National Capital Planning Commission, a federal board overseeing construction projects, now led by his allies.
A new 10-story mixed-use development called 'The Phoenix' is proposed for 3611 North Halsted Street in Lake View East, Chicago, featuring 188 residential units, a café, parking garage, and rooftop amenities, with an estimated cost of $65 million and a completion target of 2027.
San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio was recalled by voters who opposed his support for converting the Great Highway into a park, reflecting ongoing local debates over urban development and community preferences.
The NYC subway geyser at 28th Street Station was caused by the city's ancient Manhattan stream and wetland terrain, which, combined with aging sewer infrastructure and increased rainfall due to climate change, leads to frequent flooding. Urban development has exacerbated the issue by replacing natural water absorption areas with impervious surfaces, highlighting the need to adapt infrastructure to future climate conditions.
Google Earth now allows users to access historical Street View images, making it easier to see how neighborhoods and environments have changed over the years, which is useful for nostalgia and urban planning.
The death of a cyclist in Paris has intensified the debate over Mayor Anne Hidalgo's policies aimed at reducing car traffic in favor of promoting cycling and pedestrian spaces. The incident highlights the tensions between drivers and cyclists, as well as the challenges in implementing urban planning changes that prioritize sustainable transportation.