Built Environment

A natural experiment in Medellín indicates that infrastructural investments can reduce crime and improve perceptions of public safety.

January 20, 2022 - Streetsblog Chicago

As climate change, the pandemic, and a historic housing crisis continue to impact the nation, experts weigh in on the issues that could shape the future of the built environment in 2022.

January 13, 2022 - Brookings

A 1971 effort to quantify the city's values and design goals reflects many of the same priorities that planners and residents face today.

January 13, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

A European study suggests that good urban design can affect cognitive and motor function development in young children.

November 30, 2021 - Barcelona Institute for Global Health

A growing awareness of the link between the built environment and mental health has led some designers to examine the ways we can make housing feel more safe and welcoming for vulnerable populations.

October 27, 2021 - NextCity

A global survey shows that women around the world overwhelmingly cite fear of assault as the top reason for avoiding walking.

July 21, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

New research sheds light on how the brain responds to urban environments and architecture.

June 18, 2021 - American Society Of Landscape Architects

The effects of the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act are visible throughout the built environment—on sidewalks, on buses, and in almost every building and public facility in the country.

February 17, 2021 - plnz-admin

The United States has a long and insidious history of erecting structures to control the movements of African Americans in urban and suburban spaces.

December 9, 2020 - Places Journal

Modular systems and flexible use of shared spaces are priorities as urban designers begin to consider how design requirements will change in the future.

May 14, 2020 - WHYY

Avoiding the effects of climate change should not be a privilege for the wealthy.

May 12, 2020 - The New York Times

Software and other fields have made brilliant progress with the pattern language methodology, while built environment fields lag badly, mired in parochial debates over the massive book that invented the methodology.

April 21, 2020 - Michael Mehaffy

Preferences in the characteristics of communities—from the shape of the built environment to demographics—reveal stark partisan preferences. Planners are faced with the task of navigating ideological divides.

February 20, 2020 - Pew Research Center

Johnny Simon shares the work of artist Marc Yankus, who created a series of images that remove people, cars, and animals from images of New York City.

November 22, 2019 - Quartzy

If it emulated and adapted the scope of its predecessor, the Green New Deal could transform the country in fundamental ways, with builders, planners, and architects playing central roles.

July 27, 2019 - Fast Company

Looking forward to 2019, Chuck Wolfe reflects on how time living in London—and exposure to many other places during 2018— has highlighted how the physical shell of the old often frames today's sociocultural realities around the world.

January 2, 2019 - Charles R. Wolfe

Using data from Microsoft, the New York Times has published an online map showing the placement of every building in the country, in a simple black and white format.

October 12, 2018 - The New York Times

Satellite images make some of the best maps.

February 3, 2018 - Local Authority of Building Control

Following Hurricane Harvey, Houston's City Hall became flooded with four feet of water, rendering the building's electrical and mechanical equipment useless. Restoring power back to City Hall quickly was crucial in aiding the recovery efforts.

October 6, 2017 - Doggerel

Gainesville turns contaminated land into a contemporary public greenspace to serve as the city's “Central Park."

January 17, 2017 - Modern Cities