As the building of the palm of the coast of Dubai nears completion, yahoo collected the news and tons of pictures. View full entry

Manipulative developers, shrill protesters, and a sixteen-tower glass-and-steel monster marching inexorably forward. What the battle for the soul of Brooklyn looks like””from right next door. NY Metro View full entry

The summer issue of Urban Design Review is out and it's edited by -drumroll please- the BLDGblog executive chef himself, Geoff Manaugh: "You'll find an amusing - and much-needed - analysis of New York Times Magazine real estate ads, written by Brand Avenue's own Chris Timmerman; Charles Jencks's... View full entry

Last week saw the opening of the new Arsenal stadium (London Premiership football team), photos here. Martin Spring writing for Building magazine blogs gives his opinion on how the project has failed on its regeneration promise. View full entry

The battle over L.A. gentrification is part of a long war between the poor and those who would displace them. The Downside of Upscale, Where a Porn Palace Stood, Downtown's Bipolar Housing Policy, Rents Through the Roof, via LA Times. View full entry

"Blueprints without black people, elaborated by the wealthy to exclude the poor." Since hurricane Katrina battered New Orleans almost a year ago, the population has halved. Amid the debris and regret, Gary Younge finds a city losing its soul.Guardian View full entry

Las Vegas City officials decided to curb the charity practice, with possible fines of $1,000 and six months imprisonment, after complaints from residents. bbc View full entry

In a landmark ruling, Ohio's Supreme Court ruled - unanimously - that the City of Norwood overstepped its bounds in destroying a neighborhood for new development. Too bad they already destroyed 70 houses and only 3 remain.... View full entry

google map of the day - name that building View full entry

Jeff Baker, attorney for Develop Don't Destroy and Jim Stuckey, president of the Atlantic Yards Development Group offer dueling positions on the recent environmental impact statement for the Atlantic Yards Development Project in Brooklyn. WNYC View full entry

A recent study has shown that poor urban residents frequently pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year in extra costs for everyday necessities. NYT View full entry

"Today, Lebanon is being forced toward total ruin. If Israel's intent is just to destroy Hezbollah, then why are they bombing Christian and Sunni neighborhoods and towns? Why did Israel wait until July 15 to bomb Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut, making sure to first bomb power plants, bridges... View full entry

"Iraq's reconstruction has been a crude taxpayer rip-off -- and while $30 billion has been spent, only 30 percent of Iraqis are even aware of the rebuilding effort." Joshua Holland writes a good piece on the reconstruction of Iraq, which "has become a boondoggle of historic proportions, but make... View full entry

A new report from the grantmaker behind plans by the CHA (or CHA?) for public housing in Chicago. MacArthur View full entry

70 years after Robert Moses's Triborough Bridge opened to traffic, his pro-automobile career is being re-appraised. "'He made it all fit together,' said Laura Rosen, the archivist for Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges and Tunnels." NYTimes. View full entry