Now in its third edition, the Knight Cities Challenge asks one question: “What’s your best idea to make cities more successful?”. Every year the Challenge's national call for ideas attracts a staggering number of applicants, who submit their strongest written ideas that they believe can improve everyday living in cities across the U.S. — particularly the 26 Knight communities. Out of more than 4,500 hopeful ideas, the jury narrowed down the competition pool to 144 finalist ideas. — Bustler

“If you don’t understand anything about this world, or what that space was, or who these people were, your first reaction is going to be: ‘Why don’t you just bring this place up to code?’ And it’s a very quaint notion, and it would be good if that’s how the world worked [...]”

“There are so many interlocking problems that are fundamental, it’s hard to know where to begin. In almost every case, there are existing code violations to the building before they even move in.” — GOOD

What impact will Donald Trump’s league of global-warming deniers and fossil-fuel boosters have on U.S. climate action? The short-term prognosis might not be as damaging as some fear, but...it seems safe to assume that for the next four years, domestic climate policy will be in the deep freezer—while the rest of us heat up...[But] U.S. cities have the power to shrink that footprint and prepare for the worst, even in the absence of financial or regulatory support from the federal government — Citylab

"We explained what the agency does and what we stand for, and he gave me a handshake right there," offering to work pro bono. [...] Of his design — a series of two-story, garden-surrounded buildings that echo the modest scale of the neighborhood, their shiny roofs the only Gehry-esque note — he says: "This building is not fancy but has all of my heart and soul in it. I worked hard to make spaces for the kids and families that would use it so that they would feel special." — hollywoodreporter.com

The 2016 winners have been revealed for the honorable Aga Khan Award for Architecture...Starting out with 348 nominations for the 2014-2016 cycle, the independent Master Jury shortlisted 19 competitive projects this past May. Following rigorous deliberation, the jury finally selected the six winning projects, which...include a children's library in Beijing, a spirituality refuge in Dhaka, and the Zaha Hadid-designed Issam Fares Institute, to name a few. — Bustler

The idea behind Turncoats is for people to relax, slough off their more cautious professional selves, and engage in full-throated (yet respectful!), rapid-fire debate on a broad range of topics. Audience members are encouraged to speak up, Powerpoints are strictly forbidden, and alcohol is served liberally. — washingtoncitypaper.com

"We’re not against art or culture," [says Boyle Heights activist Maga Miranda.] "...But the art galleries are part of a broader effort by planners and politicians and developers who want to artwash gentrification."

"We’re saying that they need to make a bigger effort to amplify the voices of the people that are gonna be most affected by this, and that doesn’t happen to be artists in this situation. It happens to be people who can’t afford to live here anymore." — LA Weekly

The ninth cycle of the prestigious 2016 Fuller Challenge is well underway, and competition is as fierce as ever. Following the expert jury's rigorous evaluations, 19 semi-finalists were announced today...Multi-disciplinary teams work hard for a chance at winning the $100,000 grand prize that will help implement their initiative. — Bustler

With the new mayor focusing our attention on smart development and social equality, 2016 will be a banner year for the London Festival of Architecture. Election watchers will be familiar with many of this year’s hot topics: community spaces, social housing, docklands renewal. But considering the theme this year is ‘community’, there will be something for every tribe of Londoner. Out of 300 events, we’ve picked the 10 must-sees. — thespaces.com

She would ask us to look at the consequences of these sub-economies for the city – for its people, its neighbourhoods, and the visual orders involved...Talking with Jacobs, it became clear that community battles were, for her, simply part of a wider inquiry as she sought to better understand, and develop concepts for, the role of cities in the economy. — The Guardian

“I believe it’s important for all ages to interact on a day to day basis. It...hopefully removes the labelling of people as ‘elderly’ or ‘past it’ and the self-fulfilling behaviours that are often generated by this.”

“Cities need cross-generational activities...People living alone of whatever age can become isolated, lonely and then mental health problems can develop.”

“Teach young people that we are not going to move over, nor do we have to.” — The Guardian

”...it might be that loneliness is often due to circumstance.

The thing with cities is we are absolutely surrounded by people...We can see other people living richer, more populated lives than our own. At the same time, we can feel very exposed … there are lots of eyes on everyone. That is why the loneliness of the city has a particularly distinct tang to it.

Loneliness, however, is often like bad weather, “it passes through our lives”. — The Guardian

“A police station could be welcoming...And if you can remake space, you can change a culture."

Out of that comes Polis Station...Working in their home city, [Studio Gang] looked at a typical station on the troubled West Side. Their proposal reimagines the station house, placing the secure areas at the back and a variety of public services – a library, daycare, mental-health-care providers and a community room – all sharing a grand public entrance and adjacent to new park space. — The Globe and Mail