Le Corbusier

Aerial view of Le Corbusier-designed Cité Radieuse in Marseilles, France.

What Is the City of Tomorrow?

The City of Tomorrow is the English name given to an early work of urban design by Le Corbusier, who, throughout his career, evolved a concept of city planning firmly based in rationality and order.

August 21, 2023 - Diana Ionescu

Washington D.C. - The National Mall

What Is the City Beautiful Movement?

Known for grand buildings and sweeping green spaces, the City Beautiful movement combined philosophy and architecture into a powerful planning ideology that still drives urban design into the present day.

December 2, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

Plan Voisin

What Are Le Corbusier's Towers in the Park?

Part of a movement that sought to modernize cities through a rational reorganization of the urban form, "Towers in the Park" is a style of housing development that emphasizes a separation of uses and access to communal green space and amenities.

May 24, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

Downtown Honolulu as seen from the top of Diamond Head

Honolulu, Modernist Paradise

Despite its immeasurable geographic and cultural distinctiveness, there is perhaps no American city that has embraced Modernist city planning as fully as Honolulu has.

May 15, 2018 - Common Edge Collaborative

Marseille, France

The Complete Works of Le Corbusier, Set Free

One of the most influential, and controversial, figures of modern architecture and design is more accessible than ever.

October 9, 2017 - Arch Daily

Bus Rapid Transit

The Evolution of Green Urbanism

Today’s "Eco" or "Green" Urbanism movement has ancient, cross-cultural roots. This history is worth contemplating for lessons relevant to sustainable planning and design.

January 17, 2017 - Dean Saitta

The Bronx

Poor Urban Planning and the Birth of Hip Hop

An architect known as the Hip-Hop Architect explains how the planning decisions of the 20th century served as muse and breeding ground for the multi-million-dollar industry of hip hop.

August 23, 2016 - Fader

Villa Savoye Legos

Friday Funny: Video Game Allows Players to Deface an Icon of Modernism

An online video game has the perfect remedy for anyone who hates modernism—and Le Corbusier more specifically.

February 12, 2016 - The Architect's Newspaper

A Mesmerizing Interactive History of the High-Rise

Told over four parts meant to evoke chapters in a storybook using films, photos, archive materials, text, and miniature games, this "Op-Doc" is a short masterclass in the 2,500-year global history of vertical living.

October 8, 2013 - The New York Times

Frank Lloyd Wright

Choice Slights from Frank Lloyd Wright

In a 1957 book, author Selden Rodman collected conversations with 35 of America's preeminent artists and architects. The interviews with Frank Lloyd Wright are a font of choice quotes on topics from Le Corbusier to NYC's density.

August 22, 2013 - Brain Pickings

Battle of Legacies Strands One of Modernism's Most Important Houses

A house designed by pioneering modernist Eileen Gray, and later covered in murals by Le Corbusier, sits in preservation limbo as experts and officials debate whose legacy demands more respect in stalled renovations.

August 21, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Can a New Exhibition Burnish the Reputation of an Architect Reviled by Planners?

An exhibition opening at the Museum of Modern Art this weekend presents a comprehensive review of the career of Le Corbusier, one of the most influential and controversial architects of the 20th Century. How will it change perceptions of his work?

June 15, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

The 10 Diagrams That Changed Planning

A new exhibit that opened this week at the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association's gallery explores the 10 diagrams that have had a monumental influence on urban planning, and the possibilities inherent in the medium.

November 9, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Could Fractals Provide the Secret to Designing Optimal Cities?

Michael Mehaffy and Nikos Salingaros explore the application of fractal structures to the design of the built environment, and why they believe they hold the key to improving our understanding of and appreciation for our cities.

May 30, 2012 - Metropolis POV Blog

New Exhibit Documents the Promise of Mid-Century Baghdad

Julie V. Iovine examines a new exhibition at the Center for Architecture in New York that seeks to capture the spirit of architectural possibility and optimism that defined midcentury Baghdad.

April 6, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Dismantling the Myths of Pruitt-Igoe

A new documentary aims to challenge the existing narrative surrounding the birth, life, and death of the Pruitt-Igoe public housing development.

January 24, 2012 - Architectural Record

Why Ugly Buildings Matter

Llewellyn Hinkes-Jones makes a strong argument for why ugly buildings deserve some love.

January 12, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Zoning for Apartheid

Lisa Findley & Liz Ogbu explain how architecture and urban planning were critical to apartheid in South Africa and how Le Corbusier and Ebenezer Howard influenced the racial segregation practice.

November 17, 2011 - Design Observer

Le Corbusier Buildings Rejected From World Heritage List

A consultant has recommended to UNESCO that they reject a proposal to include 19 buildings designed by French architect Le Corbusier on their list of world heritage sites.

June 3, 2011 - Daily Yomiyuri Online

Chandigarh Endangered

Le Corbusier's modernist city, long a target of criticism from urban planners, is reportedly being sold off piece by piece. Preservationists are incensed and are leading an effort to preserve the city's signature style.

March 21, 2011 - domus

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.