Urbanising tha suburbs

Housing and park replace parking lot in suburban Seattle. I still wander wether the sidewalks are walkable. In any case it seems like a good example of densification and reduction of car use. Hoping to see more of such developments.

http://m.fastcoexist.com/3023360/how-a-giant-mall-parking-lot-turned-into-a-park-and-a-walkable-community?partner=rss

Urban vs suburban

Breaking the myth of the lower cost of suburban development. Worth a read. Even though it is only based in Canada, many of the observations are comparable to other European or American cases.
http://thecostofsprawl.com/

A matter of scale

How urban grids shape our everyday life. It is all about scale.
http://m.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2013/12/what-your-street-grid-reveals-about-your-city/7746/

Mexico city claims rights for pedestrians

Alejandro Hernandez comments on the minority (car drivers) that occupy the majority of public space in Mexico City. New plans for prioritising the pedestrian.
http://www.arquine.com/blog/la-ciudad-tomada/

Still building unnecessary skyscrapers...

One more time. Rotterdam has 30% of its built office space lying empty, yet the city government still co sponsors the building of new starchitecture. Continuing the collage of Rotterdam. Is it ever going to stop?

Rem Koolhaas's De Rotterdam: cut and paste architecture
http://gu.com/p/3kdpt

Fred Kent in The New York Times in 1993

The influence of William H Whyte saw some popularity in the 1990s
It is a shame that these type of position towards public space is still not more generalised in urban planning internationally.

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/28/weekinreview/conversations-fred-kent-one-who-would-like-to-see-most-architects-hit-the-road.html?src=pm

Happier cities

When investment in public transport infrastructure beats roads. Bogotá case study.
The secrets of the world's happiest cities http://gu.com/p/3kvze