Mike Davis' Evil Paradises: Dreamworlds of Neoliberalism vs. Rem Koolhaas' Al Manakh Review by Christopher Hawthorne, LA Times View full entry
The IHT's Amelia Gentleman (no known relation to Philip Gentleman) discusses the world's growing need for architects and urban planners.Of the planet's six billion people, three billion live in cities, of whom one billion live in urban slums.Seventy percent of architects come from the developed... View full entry
Globalization or call-it-what-you-will, as China's cities, say the authors, "rehearse the processes analysed by Marx: commodification of land and labour, formation of markets and capitalist elites, what lessons might the West’s past hold for China’s future?" NLR | via View full entry
A Berlin sociologist, Andrej H, has been branded a terrorist and kept in solitary confinement for two weeks. "The two letters calling for his release have been signed by numerous eminent academics, including Mike Davis, Peter Marcuse, Claus Offe, Saskia Sassen and Richard Sennett." Apparently... View full entry
“Leading design professionals should refuse to be merely producers of high-end cultural icons and luxury housing, and make themselves relevant to every part of the infrastructure challenge, and work to re-instate the public's trust in their authority.” The New Republic (sub. req.)... View full entry
The same Irish developer team that is bringing an eco-city to Chongming Island, near Shanghai, China, is planning to build a €1bn eco-city in Bogotá, Colombia. Other Urbanism news from Colombia: The Bronx Learning from Bogotá | Biking in Bogotá | The Medellin Model |... View full entry
This is a story about the murder of a great American city. It's a tale about how political shortsightedness, naked greed and the loss of civic will is conspiring to destroy what was, until fairly recently, the most delightfully eclectic, iconoclastic city in the lower forty-eight. I refer here to... View full entry
A combination of expensive health insurance and an ever-increasing rate of obesity appear to be behind a startling fall by the US in the world rankings of life expectancy. (but, expect in New York?) - guardian View full entry
Life-expectancy for the Big Apple is growing, making its inhabitants (in average) the longest-living North Americans. Why New Yorkers Last Longer | On Point (listen) | Related 1 | 2 | Discuss! View full entry
The Feds yesterday committed $354.5 million to the city to reduce traffic congestion, provided the state Legislature approves Mayor Bloomberg's controversial fee proposal or an alternative that achieves the same goals. NYPost | NYT Blog | previously View full entry
“Tastes differ from one person to another, but there is a general architectural feel to a certain neighborhood that should be agreed upon by the residents of the neighborhood and the Municipality ordinances. In all honesty, I believe the Municipality should enforce laws on what the... View full entry
"The technology for harvesting water that enabled the Khmer to thrive also led to their fall, researchers say."la times View full entry
"African drumming is wonderful for the first four hours, but after that, it's pure, unadulterated noise. We couldn't see straight anymore," said a new Harlem resident. yahoo View full entry
Spatial segregation in the west bank has been taken to a new level. A road with a Palestinian side and an Israeli side separated by 10' tall concrete wall (faux finished as Jerusalem stone) is being built near Jerusalem - no they are not equal, but they are seperate. Not like this will bring... View full entry
Remember reading about Flood Maps a couple months back? More Google Map mashups are popping up all the time. We like Rotten Neighbor, which Curbed LA calls "an excellent way to find parties", and Walk Score, which calculates the walkability of a neighborhood. My personal favorite though is Global... View full entry
