ArchNewsNow

Home Yesterday's News Calendar Contact Us Subscribe

Today's News - July 12, 2006

Are 2008 Olympic developments killing off what remains of Beijing's cultural heritage? -- New trend: "New Villages" a.k.a. TOD's but further out (or a reinvention of sprawl?). -- An anti-sprawl expert considers himself more pro-smart growth. -- Stalling sprawl: advice from two former governors. -- Kotkin takes on L.A.'s convention center give-away's; it's not the only white elephant in the country. -- Big plans (and big bucks) to revive Chicago's financial district. -- A British council architect's woes (better keep current on those HSW credits!). -- The label game: is it green or just greenwash? -- Prince-Ramus deconstructs on TEDTalks. -- Experts take on the future. -- We couldn't resist: evaluating genius (late-bloomers take heart). -- A new book looks at real and unreal cities in film and literature: are they one in the same?

To subscribe to the free daily newsletter click here

Olympics Imperil Historic Beijing Neighborhood: Will the Olympics, which organizers promised would enhance the city’s "cultural heritage," instead help finish off what remains of old Beijing? [images]- New York Times

The next real estate boom: Dense settlements, not sprawling ranch houses, are the future of housing...While transit villages mostly reinvented older suburbs that are close to cities, New Villages promise to reinvent the sprawl further out. -- Congress for New Urbanism; Center for Transit-Oriented Development- Business 2.0

Street Smarts: An interview with smart-growth expert and author Anthony Flint- Grist Magazine

Stalling Sprawl: Connecticut Must Take Leadership Role In Shaping Development: The goal, of course, is not to try to stop growth and development - a cure worse than the disease - but to harness and shape it so that communities get better as they grow... By Christine Todd Whitman and Parris N. Glendening -- National Smart Growth Council- Hartford Courant (Connecticut)

Don't feed downtown L.A.'s white elephant: Convention Center giveaways line developers' pockets at the expense of the rest of the city...Stagnant trade-show business coupled with a convention center glut translates into more white elephants subsidized by taxpayers. By Joel Kotkin- Los Angeles Times

City proposes $550M LaSalle Street revival: Chicago's financial district suffers from 'deterioration' and 'obsolescence'...overview proposal...to clear land, subsidize new building and redevelopment, and pay for public projects...- Crain's Chicago Business

Official 'had no safety training': A council architect accused of causing an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease which led to seven deaths had no health and safety training...while she studied for five years to become an architect..."None at all...I don't think it was on the syllabus at all."- BBC (UK)

The Label Game: More and more building products are boasting green certification labels. What's really green and what's greenwashing? Consensus Based Eco-Labeling Programs; Trade Association Greenwash Labels; "Independent" Certification Labels- Healthy Building Network

Joshua Prince-Ramus on TEDTalks: ...deconstructs the collaborative process of building the Seattle Public Library, and also offers a sneak preview of his works in progress... -- Ramus-Ella Architects [audio & video]- TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design)

Tomorrow's world: Emotional houses, robot dance teachers and 3D TV - is this how technology will transform the arts? Leo Benedictus asks a panel of experts to gaze into their virtual crystal balls. -- Amanda Levete- Guardian (UK)

What next for humanity? Enlightening the Future 2024 is a survey of experts, opinion formers and interesting people from across many sectors...with the modest ambition of challenging the downbeat spirit of the age. -- Nick Hubble/Centre for Suburban Studies; Austin Williams/Future Cities Project; Ian Abley/audacity [links]- Spiked (UK)

What Kind of Genius Are You? A new theory suggests that creativity comes in two distinct types – quick and dramatic, or careful and quiet...genius – whether in art or architecture or even business – is not the sole province of 17-year-old Picassos... -- Maya Lin; Frank Lloyd Wright- Wired

Book Review: The Real And The Unreal: Are the city and the metaphor of the city, as depicted in film and literature, one in the same? In "Cityscapes: Cultural Readings in the Material and Symbolic City," Ben Highmore...attempt[s] to show how artists capture the essence of the rhythm, networks, and contradictions of city life- PLANetizen

Jean Nouvel/Architectural Alliance: Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window.
External news links are not endorsed by ArchNewsNow.com.
Free registration may be required on some sites.
Some pages may expire after a few days.

Yesterday's News