• Starchitecture skyline

    You can't make a decent city solely with the kinds of buildings designed by today's big-name architects.
    "I think every city is allowed one Frank Gehry building, but could you imagine an entire city made out of Frank Gehry buildings?" says John Torti of Torti Gallas + Partners. The image above, of "starchitect" buildings assembled in a poster by starchitect Rem Koolhaas , is one way of imagining such...Read more

  • Parking lot designed as an avenue

    Parking lots are among the ugliest and most common features of the American landscape. They cost a lot of money, use tremendous land, and make much of our cities less walkable. Yet as long as we drive, we do need parking. Parking doesn't have to be ugly. There are ways to provide far more value—...Read more

  • Breaking the NIMBY impasse with design

    A recent The New York Times article The Bipartisan Cry of 'Not in My Backyard' reporting on opposition from across the political spectrum to higher-density housing, failed to mention a crucial point, says Nathan Norris, founding principal of the CityBuilding Partnership . "What is missing in the...Read more

  • City dreams

    An exhibit promotes a discordant, unsustainable model for growth in the developing world—but we have an opportunity to do better.
    A constant debate within the CNU revolves around the height of buildings. Léon Krier has emphatically stated that buildings in villages, towns, or cities should not be higher than four stories. He notes that low-rise structures are sustainable as they can function solely on human energy without the...Read more