Sustainable Vertical Urbanism: The Future of Cities?
"Vertical City," a complete ecosystem in the sky that you never have to leave, accommodates population growth and protects the planet, but may have significant drawbacks for the people who call it home...
View ArticleLaguna Beach “Ranch” Hotel Renovation Violates Coastal Rules
The California Coastal Commission failed to enforce the Coastal Act and did not require a Laguna hotel renovation to address destruction of affordable rooms and environmental habitat as well as finish...
View ArticleStarchitects and Spectacle: Sustainability Solutions Needed
Architecture must move on from an addiction to spectacle and fad, adrift in a sea of meaningless forms, leaving serious design and sustainability problems unresolved, says Peter Buchanan. But to do...
View ArticleL.A. River Must Transform as Watershed, Transportation Corridor
Takeaways from a recent Green Festival Expo discussion on the Los Angeles River Revitalization include that the job of planning for water resiliency belongs to all of us, not Frank Gehry regardless of...
View ArticlePower, Influence, and Obfuscation: A Plan to Game the California Coastal Act
Why did Coastal Commissioners dump popular Executive Director Charles Lester in a closed session at their February meeting in Morro Bay? It is part of a plan by well connected lobbyists and lawyers...
View ArticleReform California’s Environmental Quality Act? Not Now.
The California Environmental Quality Act, protector of resources and communities through consideration of implications of proposed projects, is under attack. Representatives from industry and real...
View ArticleJerry Brown’s Regulatory Capture at the CA Coastal Commission
Jerry Brown, once known as governor Moonbeam who signed into law the California Coastal Commission, now can be seen as the man behind handing it over to developers. Governor Brown must fire his four...
View ArticlePreserve Newport Banning Ranch as Sacred Archaeological Site Genga
Newport Beach's Banning Ranch, the site of a proposed mega commercial and residential development, is an extraordinary archaeological site. Once the site where an ancient Native American coastal...
View ArticlePruitt Igoe Myth: The Death of 20th Century US City
Destroyed in a dramatic and highly-publicized implosion, the Pruitt-Igoe public housing complex has become a widespread symbol of failure among architects, politicians and policy makers. A 2012...
View ArticleUsing Regenerative Design to Revitalize Newport Banning Ranch
Facing a major Coastal Commission decision this week, Newport Banning Ranch developers should adopt staff's recommendation that all environmentally sensitive habitat should be protected and could be...
View ArticleHow Cities Can Build Affordable Housing
Alan Durning lays out how many cities have succeeded in building affordable housing with some lessons from unexpected places. Yet constrained housing markets come about from economics, environment, and...
View ArticleIannis Xenakis and the Notion of a Cosmic Utopia
Iannis Xenakis, the Greek-French experimental composer and protege designer for the famous architect Le Corbusier, advanced theories of the vertical "Cosmic" city as the only sustainable way forward....
View ArticleDefensible Space: My Wildfire-Appropriate Retrofit Journey – Part I
As the Western U.S. continues with massive wind-driven, high-intensity wildfires that often turn deadly, Naomi Pitcairn recommends retrofitting homes on the Wildland Urban Interface for fire-resistant...
View Article
