Maltzan and his firm were sent back to the drawing board to revise plans for a pier renovation in St. Petersburg, Florida after scientists disputed the feasibility of the proposal’s main appeal: its underwater reef garden. Today, the firm released details of its revisions – the redesign will add shaded balconies, vehicular transit, and another restaurant — features suggested by the local community — while taking away the quasi-aquarium that helped christen the project “The Lens.” — blogs.artinfo.com

Named after the sheikh, Mohammed bin Rashid city will aim to harness the tourism growth in Dubai -- Dubai's official statement estimated current tourism growth at 13 percent and retail sales growth at 25 percent annually.

The development plans for the new city are largely divided into four themes -- family tourism, retail, art galleries and a “unique area that will provide an integrated environment for entrepreneurship and innovation in the region.” — travel.cnn.com

A public symposium will be held in February where the final proposals will be displayed. The final design will be chosen by a jury. "People can expect some high-level proposals", said Speaks. "We will be the beneficiaries, and the city will get a high-quality project." — Archinect / UK/CoD

Noted Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy suggested that “before investing or proposing new mechanical solutions, traditional vernacular architecture should be evaluated and developed to make them compatible with modern requirements.” — DesignBuild Source

Luo Baogen and his wife are the lone holdouts from a neighborhood that was demolished to make way for the main thoroughfare heading to a newly built railway station on the outskirts of the city of Wenling in Zhejiang province.

"Nail house" families occasionally have resorted to violence. Some homeowners have set themselves on fire in protests. Often, they keep 24-hour vigils because developers will shy away from bulldozing homes when people are inside. — in2eastafrica.net

In a straightforward sense, Mr. García, 44, is a Mexican ecologist. More broadly, though, he is a self-appointed emissary from the land once known as Pimería Alta, an interpreter of its culture, plants and people. — NYT

Carved out of shipping containers, these LEGO-like, stackable apartments offer all the amenities of home. Or more, since they are bigger, and brighter, than the typical Manhattan studio. It’s the FEMA trailer of the future, built with the Dwell reader in mind. — New York Observer

After the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Sandy, those responsible for our built environment, especially in New York, are facing the dawn of a new environmental clime and industry reality. Designing and delivering to the highest safety standards in what were once thought of as safe areas of the world now holds far greater importance than ever before. — DesignBuild Source

At least six landmark projects - worth hundreds of millions of pounds - have been put on ice or cancelled altogether.

These include the 172m (564ft) 100 Bishopsgate skyscraper, on hold until developers secure enough advance tenants to make it viable.

Also on hold is the so-called Can of Ham, on St Mary's Axe. — bbc.co.uk

The idea of creating a low-line companion to Philadelphia's planned high line has so gripped imaginations that a team of top designers has volunteered to sketch ideas for a belowground trail on the west side of Broad St. Tours are now practically weekly events conducted by Paul van Meter, who first proposed a low-line park.

There's one hitch: A new city plan just earmarked the low-line trench for a high-speed bus route that would connect a string of cultural venues to the heart of downtown. — articles.philly.com

London’s love affair with the urban planning masterpiece that is New York’s High Line is intensifying as plans for the city’s newest urban garden space are revealed.
The newly-unveiled Linear Park marks the city’s latest foray into urban parkland design. The unveiling took place at a major event hosted by landscape architects Camlins and property developers Ballymore. — DesignBuild Source

Developers in San Francisco are loath to take architectural risks because the city’s approval process for new development is long and rigorous, perhaps the most onerous in the country, architects say.

It’s hard to fault their caution when you consider how small San Francisco really is — 47 square miles (Manhattan alone is 23 square miles) — with much of the area consumed by neighborhoods zoned for single-family homes. — The New York Times

The Downtown Market, in effect, is the newest piece of civic equipment built here since the mid-1990s to leverage the same urban economic trends of the 21st century — higher education, hospitals and health care, housing, entertainment, transit, and cleaner air and water — that are reviving most large American cities. — New York Times