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[The] MSG Sphere, a new concert hall planned for Stratford in east London – which would be as wide as the London Eye and as tall as Big Ben – could soon move a step closer to reality.
On Tuesday evening, the planning committee of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) will meet to consider its developer’s plans for managing the advertising display and its impact.
— The Guardian
Efforts to halt the development of the Populous-designed entertainment venue date back to late 2020, when the public consultation phase for the project was extended for a third time over concerns about light pollution. Plans were approved by the LLDC in March of last year contingent on an... View full entry
Officials in Clark County, Nevada, have voted to approve a new 43-story resort and casino project to be located on the Las Vegas Strip following a successful bid from Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. According to Construction Dive, the scheme will include a 2,420-room hotel, 2,536-seat... View full entry
Ahead of this week’s scheduled planning commission meeting in Santa Monica, Gehry Partners has revealed updated renderings for the proposed Ocean Avenue Project that would install a new mixed-use cultural campus in the heart of Los Angeles’ beachy Westside. The proposal calls for the creation... View full entry
The 25-foot tall (7.6 meter) sculpture of a shark crashing through the roof of Magnus Hanson-Heine’s house in rural Oxford, England, is now a protected landmark — and he’s not happy about it. — The Associated Press
City Council members in Oxford voted earlier in the month to add the protest artwork to its Heritage Asset Register along with 16 other sites. Officially named the Headington Shark, the sculpture was installed on the anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki in 1986 as a powerful anti-war... View full entry
A planning report for the scheme acknowledges criticism of the Sphere for its scale and massing, its impact on Stratford Station, and the impact of advertising on nearby residents. But it says the Sphere would ‘establish a strong sense of place at a scale that is not considered to be excessive, taking account of the established scale of surrounding buildings. — Architects' Journal UK
More than 1,000 objections were lodged against the project, which will come before the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) for a final approval vote on Tuesday. Their voices echo the derision Guardian critic Oliver Wainwright and others have parroted against the giant LED display’s... View full entry
Firms are preparing for the new year and many are looking for candidates to join their team in 2022. For this week's curated job post we highlight urban design and planning positions currently listed on the Archinect Job Board. If you're preparing for an upcoming job interview or refreshing your... View full entry
Recognized for their distinct approach within architecture and landscape design, Snøhetta has published a new book highlighting their efforts to "recognize a potential to further challenge existing industry standards by developing new Lean key principles in the complex merge of design... View full entry
Architects pH+ and Developer City & Suburban have received planning permission to transform a decommissioned electricity works into a mixed-use residential scheme at The Camp, St Albans. Wrapped around two courtyards the project implements hidden parking below the landscaped shared spaces to... View full entry
Winning “The Cambridge to Oxford Connection: Ideas Competition” is the all-women team behind VeloCity. The competition is focused on the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford arc, which currently is home to leading tech hubs and universities, as well as some 3.3 million people. The area is... View full entry
The Antepavilion program, a joint venture between the Architecture Foundation and the Arthouse Foundation, launched an international competition to design a £25,000 pop-up rooftop at Columbia and Brunswick Wharf in Hackney, north-east London. The goal was to invite architects, artists and... View full entry
Researchers from the Urban Displacement project, a joint UCLA and UC Berkeley effort, recently released a gentrification map of Los Angeles.
They examined the city from 1990 to 2000 and up to 2015, focusing on neighborhoods near transit stops. The goal was to see if these areas saw higher rents and more displacement than other areas.
The answer? Yes — with some exceptions.
— scpr.org
Some of the UCLA researchers' key findings for Los Angeles Country (via the project's website, urbandisplacement.org):Our analysis found that areas around transit stations are changing and that many of the changes are in direction of neighborhood upscaling and gentrification.Examining the changes... View full entry
When it hits its completion date, which is expected to be in time for Canada’s 150th birthday next July 1, it will cover about 24,000 kilometres...But some think The Trans Canada Trail is better in concept than in execution...Some early adopters of the trail...claim that some parts of it are off limits to bicycles while other parts are spread out and hard to actually access. — cantechletter.com
Since construction began in 1992, the Trans Canada Trail — which is now being promoted as The Great Trail — is 87 percent complete. Organizers of the recreational trail claim that Canadians will be able to use the route from coast to coast once it's complete next year. But unsurprisingly... View full entry
California may be a capital of cosmetic surgery, but it’s not just noses and eyelids falling under the knife. A hot housing market is driving buyers to pay exorbitant sums for old, frumpy houses, knowing they’ll pay plenty more to remake them to modern tastes. Others currently own dowdy houses and choose to renovate rather than relocate. — Wall Street Journal
"While the dynamic is playing out in a number of U.S. cities, California’s plight is particularly intense because of Proposition 13, a 1978 amendment to the state constitution. It set property taxes based on 1975 assessments and capped future property-tax increases at 2% a... View full entry
Facing a potentially bruising ballot fight over real estate development next year, Los Angeles' political leaders announced Wednesday that they will seek a sweeping update of the plans that govern the size and density of new buildings that go up in scores of neighborhoods.
Mayor Eric Garcetti and several council members said they want the Planning Department to revise nearly three dozen “community plans” by 2026, a task that will require the hiring of 28 new employees at a cost of $4.2M a year.
— latimes.com
In related news:Nation's first combined housing complex for LGBT youth and seniors coming to HollywoodPlanning War Zone: The Battle for L.A.Top 7 Reasons to Oppose the Los Angeles Neighborhood Integrity InitiativeIt's easier now to tear down "historic homes" in Beverly Hills than before – is... View full entry
Rapidly rising property prices and rents, combined with the loss of social housing through right to buy, have put councils under growing pressure to find new ways to help people off their housing lists.
In Lewisham one solution is a £4.3m scheme to provide 24 homes and 880 sq m of business space that can be picked up and moved at a later date, allowing the council to make use of vacant brownfield land while longer-term projects are finalised.
— theguardian.com
