For grand projects - building a new town or rebuilding a city neighborhood - part of the challenge is phasing. Which elements of a grand plan should be built in the first phase? What should be deferred to later phases? The Washington Post View full entry

I recently completed a series of guest columns for MetroMode, a Detroit region online magazine. Topics range from recontextualizing abandoned structures to a proposed borough system for Metropolitan Detroit. Read all five entries here. View full entry

“'Sound in the environment, especially that made by other people, has overwhelmingly been considered purely as a matter of volume and generally in negative terms, as both intrusive and undesirable,' said Dr Bill Davies of Salford University, who is leading the Engineering and Physical... View full entry

As an exhibition opening today at the Municipal Art Society reminds us, Jane Jacobs did not believe that planners could ever restore life to American cities. Instead she put her faith in the chaos of urban life, in diversity, in people - the grocery store owner, the young mother, the child... View full entry

Cameras survey Chicago's toughest blocks, but do they reduce crime? | A closer look at logic behind S.F.'s anti-crime surveillance | Tens of thousands of CCTV cameras, yet 80% of crime unsolved | Shotgun Cams for Urban Surveillance | Drones Taking a Bite Out of Crime | British troops accused of... View full entry

ArchNewsNow brings subscribers a pair of perspectives on the urbanism of Portland, Oregon. The CATO Institute says that the city doesn't work. The Congress for New Urbanism argues against the CATO report. CATO vs. CNU View full entry

The city of Amsterdam announced Thursday that it will invest up to 15 million euros to help clean up its famous red light district by buying brothels there. AFP View full entry

In China, a sprawling lakefront is redeveloped with an eye toward the past. NY Times View full entry

Michael Sorkin offers his critique of Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing scheme, part of his PlaNYC. A security camera on every corner is not your pal. ArchRecord | previously 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 View full entry

The latest issue (#07) of Monu magazine is out, dedicated to 2nd Rate Urbanism. Have a look, and be advised: mudot - magazine 'on urban documentation, opinion and theory' will be the new follow up publication to monu headed by former monu editor Thomas Soehl. As of the next issue Bernd Upmeyer... View full entry

City of Sound posts a very interesting take on the effects of the APEC security zone on the urban and informational fabric of Sydney. "Actually, it is of course fascinating: I overhear people talking of going to actually see The Fence, as if it were a new temporary attraction, and when I visited... View full entry

Ancient squatters may have been the world's first suburbanites. Immigrants likely proved more powerful than central rulers in shaping ancient metropolis in Syria. sci-american View full entry

SPIEGEL: What does a city need to have for you to feel good in it? “Contradictions, most of all, a balance between chaos and order. It needs neighborhoods vibrating with energy just as much as cozy little corners and parks; well-tended, middle-class sections as well as an alternative scene... View full entry

..how much has actually been done?NYT Multimedia Map New Orleans Residents to Protest Stalled Rebuilding on Second Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina Fox News 2 years after Katrina, pace of rebuilding depends on who pays USA Today New Orleans marks 2nd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with mix of... View full entry

Vancouver has been selected as the world's most "livable city" and Toronto the fifth most livable in a survey of 132 cities by the Economist magazine. Globe & Mail View full entry