Similes recently used in newspapers and magazines to describe the shapes of the geographical boundaries of federal and state legislative districts. Harpers Like yogurt cups Like doughnuts Like a crescent moon Like embryos Like the head of a pipe wrench Like a horseshoe Like a crab with two narrow... View full entry
About the exhibition (and open-to-the-public competition) Barcelona & Fotografia. Until March 2006 the City History Museum of BCN offers the "the best exploration of the relationship between photography and the city", as told by City Of Sound. And "the Barcelona & Fotografia website has... View full entry
"After years of losing population, the downtown region, known as Center City, is booming, with developments going up and old buildings being transformed into lofts and condominiums. The construction, fueled by tax breaks, has succeeded in halting the city's 40-year population decline." NYT. View full entry
In April, the UK's new anti-light pollution legislation will go into effect, marking the end of a decade-long fight by astronomers. And campaigners are already vowing to use this law to go after a list of violating projects. - Independent View full entry
"The city's official blueprint for redevelopment after Hurricane Katrina, to be released on Wednesday, will recommend that residents be allowed to return and rebuild anywhere they like, no matter how damaged or vulnerable the neighborhood, according to several members of the mayor's rebuilding... View full entry
Pataki's plan to combat NY's energy-supply problems and decrease the Empire State's ecological footprint is to dot upstate rural lands with windmills, but residents there are "fighting the green power plants with scare tactics more often associated with the anti-nuclear lobby." - Wired View full entry
The Brooklyn Rail has a stirring essay about the French suburbian riots, which offers an interesting local prespective that places this event in a global context. View full entry
"The Bush administration has scaled back its ambitions to rebuild Iraq from the devastation wrought by war and dictatorship and does not intend to seek new funds for reconstruction, it emerged yesterday." What does this mean for the infrastructure of Iraq? The Guardian breaks it down. View full entry
Urban theorist Joel Kotkin asks -- Why is your hometown located where it is? Why is Atlanta where it is? Or Phoenix? Or Mason City, Iowa? And what happens when a city or town's original justification disappears? Can it survive? NPR View full entry
The Washington Post discusses Downtown LA's revival. LinkEli Broad, left, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and County Supervisor Gloria Molina look at a model for the Grand Avenue project, which has Broad as the committee chairman. It is one of the major undertakings planned to revitalize... View full entry
Sealand (pop. less than 5) just off the coast of Suffolk UK, has entered the ranks of Micronations. More here. View full entry
New York is witnessing the birth of "a quiet trend: lounge chairs are popping up in New York City's public spaces." NYT. View full entry
"'The area is safe, appealing and convenient,' said Ms. Torres, a Toronto native" - which is why she's moving to Vancouver. (Cue music). It's Canada's golden city; it's urbanism on the rebound; it's where you should be. NYT. View full entry
The city of Dubai is to build an opera house and two museums to reflect the 'cultural side' of the rapidly growing Gulf emirate, Dubai's Crown Prince Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum said... 'We want to expose the other face of our state and its love for civilisation, peace and culture,'... View full entry
The Sierra Club, normally at odds with developers, has issued its Guide to America's Best New Development Projects, endorsing sustainable mixed-use projects that work to counter sprawl. WSJ | via my pop, who cut-it-out and mailed it the old-fashioned way View full entry
