The Montreal UNESCO City of Design initiative aims at creating opportunities for designers in Montreal so as to give vital and tangible expression to Montréal’s status as a UNESCO City of Design.

First launched throught an investment of $1.2 million over three years (2007-2011), the initiative aims to fund design and architecture competitions as well as promote made-in-Montréal design initiatives via various digital communication tools. — Montreal UNESCO City of Design

Among 64 submissions, a team of Slovenian architects was assigned the 1st prize in the open competition for the kindergarten „Mavrica“ in the small town of Brežice, Slovenia. The municipality of Brežice in cooperation with the Chamber of Architecture and the Spatial Planning of Slovenia had invited applications for this public project. The winning team comprises Ljubljana architects Breda Bizjak, Lidija Dragišić M.A., Katja Florjanc, Emir Jelkić, and Ajda Vogelnik Saje. — Bustler

Most ills in this world (and we know there isn’t a shortage of them) require massive change on systematic and ideological levels. Indeed, it is a capacity—and many say, a responsibility—of design to address the many pressing problems facing the world today.

But is this the only role for design? Is design solely a form of crisis management and problem solving? Or can design also offer a different perspective on a problem, without having the aim of solving the problem entirely? — openhouse2011.com

The first phase of this zero-carbon Gulf city is up and running. But behind the futuristic facade of driverless pods, medieval streets twist and turn back the clock to traditional design — guardian.co.uk

Most of these units have never sold, and though they were finished just three years ago, they are already falling into disrepair, the concrete chipping off the sides of the buildings. Vandals have stolen piping, radiators, doors — anything they could get their hands on. — nytimes.com

Five winners have just been announced at the 2011 edition of DawnTown Miami. The annual architecture ideas competition seeks to bring creative, innovative, and inspiring new solutions to Downtown Miami and to the City of Miami at large. — bustler.net

In the early '90s Caracas dreamed of a shimmering downtown financial centre—now it's the tallest squat in the world — domusweb.it

MONU - magazine on urbanism has released its new call for submissions for MONU #15 on the topic of Post-Ideological Urbanism — MONU

Or rather, what is the value of using the traditional tools, processes and sensibilities of architecture, urban planning and related disciplines to the processes and practices of producing cities?

In particular, I'm trying to focus on the idea of 'identifying the right questions', rather than letting discipline-based thinking or unthinking define answers to what may be the wrong questions — City of Sound

April 2011 marks the completion of "Metropol Parasol", the Redevelopment of the Plaza de la Encarnacíon in Seville, Spain. Designed by Berlin-based J. MAYER H. architects, this project has already become the new landmark for Seville, a place of identification and to articulate Seville's role as one of the world´s most fascinating cultural destinations. — bustler.net

"It is interesting here in the frontier: Who were they trying to impress?" — Timothy Brumm via Green Bay Press-Gazette

"It's a bug," Google CEO Eric Schmidt said, "that cars were invented before computers." So Ingels reimagines city streets and highways crowded with tight-packed, auto-piloted cars, taking up one-quarter of the road space and allowing for precision guidance alongside people and other vehicles -- all of which would together reboot the city's streets as vibrant public spaces. A smart transport grid, in essence, in parallel with the rise of smart energy grids. — Chris Turner, Mother Nature Network

NL: In some cases, the local professional design community regards university-based design centers as potential competitions What is the UACDC's relationship with the local professionals?

SL: Well, teaching and research hospitals don’t refrain from delivering medical services. We've enjoyed broad-based support from the professional design communities — but still, these types of skirmishes are symptomatic of a structural underdevelopment in the design profession. —