Cities & Planning

A new solar desalination system takes in saltwater and heats it with natural sunlight. The system flushes out accumulated salt, so replacement parts aren’t needed often, meaning the system could potentially produce drinking water that is cheaper than tap water.

While you’ve heard plenty about big US agencies facing a “fiscal cliff,” some agencies are doing well and expanding their offerings as their staffing permits.  That includes Portland and Dallas, where we’ve been working, but here’s a similar story from a smaller agency in a beautiful place. Santa Cruz, just south of the San Francisco […]

What comes next when a "transformational" levy didn't transform Seattle streets? On a Monday morning in late August, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Director Greg Spotts started his workweek with a walking tour in West Seattle. That's a usual day for Spotts, who has made a point of regularly meeting with staff in the field

Strangely, it is very difficult to answer the question: "How many zones does Seattle have?" That alone suggests an uncomfortable answer. The Seattle Municipal Code lists 38 zones. These include 10 residential zones, 5 commercial zones, 4 downtown zones, and 5 (soon to be changed) industrial zones. There are also seven flavors of Seattle Mixed

Berlin-based climate research institute Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) has released a new study indicating that, in the last decade, the cost of solar power has dropped by 87 percent, and the cost of battery storage by 85 percent.

A battery built for satellites brings grid-scale storage down to Earth

According to Matthew’s gospel, Jesus used a colorful metaphor to condemn the scribes and Pharisees for scrupulously obsessing over minor points of the law like tithing their herbs, while ignoring weightier matters: “Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.” The same metaphor could describe right-libertarians’ approach to transportation policy. A...

This article is part of “Intersections Fields”, a series curated by Hidden Architecture where we publish the casual connections between projects from different architects and periods of history that we find when we are researching to produce this journal. Este artículo forma parte de “Intersections Fields”, una serie comisariada por Hidden Architecture donde publicamos las […]

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This is an aerial photo of the Detroit/Grosse Pointe Park municipal boundary in the Detroit metro area (the red dotted line). The developmen...

Chicago is becoming a recognized leader in the adaptive reuse of office buildings for residential use. This image is of the 30 N. LaSalle ...

Downtowns are struggling, but cities are dragging their feet on investing in the thing that could bring them back to life.

In isolating a single email on one project, The Stranger (a vocal backer of my opponent for City Council) ignores my commitment to combating gentrification, affordable housing, and my support for increased growth across the city.

Like a giant overhead bin full of cookies and cash, Alaska sits for many as potential salvation. Quietly looming above, it waits as a refuge for the smart and mobile who can escape the inevitable collapse of climate and economy. Too many people think they’re going to see the signs of the American series finale

Featuring imagination-boosting design and inspiring workshops on all sorts of topics, these new libraries go far beyond just books

The glorified charcoal is rare on American farms, yet it has become a focal point in the movement to make agriculture a climate solution.

Waste flushed into Puget Sound harms fish and marine life. A nutrient pricing system — like WA's cap-and-trade program — may curb pollution.

Generators are expensive pieces of equipment. You can get a small low-quality model for a few hundred dollars, but powerful high-quality generators cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. Old cars, on the other hand, can be very cheap — especially if they aren’t roadworthy anymore. Jake von Slatt has a video series […]

One in four Seattle blocks lack sidewalks, but a new bill would require that significant repaving projects add or repair them. In 2016, after the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) repaved a long stretch of Greenwood Avenue N in North Seattle, between N 112th Street and N 125th Street, road users were left with an

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic and distinctive buildings in the world — but it took a relative newcomer and architectural outsider to dream up. The making of this future world heritage landmark is a tale for the ages — a cautionary tale, for which we turn to Tim Harford, producer

pStrong Towns’ critique of America’s car-centric sprawl sounds appealing. But its proposed solutions rely on a conservative politics that prioritizes ‘wealth creation’ over just and equitable urban planning./p

Pontevedra, Spain, offers some of the best evidence available about what happens when a city is reconfigured to accommodate people, rather than cars.

A look at the four-year legal battle over a sidewalk between a Midtown Reno property owner and a local transportation agency.

Singapore is rethinking its sweltering urban areas to dampen the effects of climate change. Can it be a model?

What capitalism's inevitable collapse, disaster anarchism, mutual aid, and human nature can teach us about the curious concept of Utopia.

The four-acre farm near Woodinville expands the work of the Black Farmers Collective to develop shared resources and solutions.

Montreal's Mont-Royal Is Scrolling Back to 1876—and That's a Good Thing.

The creation of a wildlife reserve with an Indigenous community in one part of Kenya has paid dividends, for animals and people alike