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Philip Langdon's Blog

A greenbelt town turns 75
For Greenbelt, Maryland, one of three greenbelt towns sponsored by the federal government, this is...
Jun 18 2012 6:06pm Philip Langdon
Contention in the coffeehouse
Coffeehouses may yearn for turnover, but customers still see them as places for lingering.
Jun 14 2012 12:34pm Philip Langdon
New Haven officials: our road project is good enough
Local planning and development administrators say the Rt. 34 project has been misrepresented. “...
1 May 21 2012 11:31pm Philip Langdon
When public art disturbs its viewers
Artistic expressions painted on the surfaces of a city aren’t always as benign as their advocates...
5 May 8 2012 8:09am Philip Langdon
How not to plumb the state of community-building
A New York CNU program asks how the US can get better urban development, but the answers seem...
Mar 22 2012 4:42pm Philip Langdon
Chasing the wrong story
The Atlantic Cities’ investigation of whether light-rail lines reduce road congestion leads us in...
6 Mar 1 2012 11:20pm Philip Langdon
The trouble bedeviling the Eisenhower Memorial
Frank Gehry’s design misses the character and accomplishments of a president and war leader.
2 Feb 8 2012 3:26pm Philip Langdon
A city known for vision loses its planning chief
Brent Toderian, who gave substance to Vancouver’s EcoDensity Initiative, is out as planning...
Feb 3 2012 3:47am Philip Langdon
The cost of imposing urban order
A stunning exhibition reveals what was destroyed by New York’s rigid street grid—and what’s been...
9 Feb 1 2012 11:16pm Philip Langdon
Decoding Shanghai, gently
Gordon Price compiles a fascinating photos-and-words essay on the amazing contradictions of the...
3 Dec 29 2011 2:26am Philip Langdon
New Haven road plan tarnishes the TIGER program
A Connecticut expressway replacement is likely to be US DOT's "largest source of embarrassment...
2 Dec 22 2011 6:45pm Philip Langdon
New York plans an out-of-place boulevard
What’s with the amoeba-shaped green spaces in the boulevard to be built on Manhattan’s Far West...
4 Dec 2 2011 9:32am Philip Langdon
Injecting spontaneity into urban development
“Tactical urbanism” or “urban improvisation” taps the energy of community people — a needed...
1 Oct 18 2011 10:51pm Philip Langdon
Build parks beneath freeways? Great! Just don’t inhale
 Conversion of land under elevated highways into public space may compromise public health.
7 Oct 13 2011 11:10pm Philip Langdon
How many new urbanist neighborhoods are truly safe for walking?
A look at the Stapleton development in Denver reveals that it's less safe than older neighborhoods...
5 Oct 12 2011 8:21am Philip Langdon
Apple builds a suburban lemon
A company renowned for advanced consumer products lost touch with modern life when it set out to...
4 Sep 15 2011 2:20am Philip Langdon
Thumbs down to age-restricted communities
Developers are shying away from creating developments that prohibit residents under the age of 55....
2 Jul 12 2011 6:59pm Philip Langdon
Why is New York's High Line so crime-free?
The city's newest linear park is safe because it's well-watched — by park patrols, security cameras...
2 Jun 13 2011 7:25am Philip Langdon
The limitations of the High Line
The second section of New York's energizing High Line park will open next month, but it's unlikely...
2 May 16 2011 10:14am Philip Langdon
When will transportation departments start making roads safe for all?
Traffic deaths have fallen dramatically, but safety advocates still pay too little attention to the...
5 Mar 14 2011 8:08am Philip Langdon
A commuting solution fades away
Car-pooling, which proliferated amid painfully high gasoline prices around 1980, has declined...
1 Feb 1 2011 8:19am Philip Langdon
Can a garage lift your spirits?
With dramatic lighting, high ceilings, and a ground floor of "curated retail," Miami Beach hosts...
Jan 27 2011 11:27am Philip Langdon
Should revitalization campaigns ignore broken windows?
A new proposal for helping distressed neighborhoods tosses aside — unwisely — one of the best city-...
3 Jan 25 2011 8:15pm Philip Langdon
National homebuilders: Laggards on global warming
With few exceptions, America’s largest homebuilders are slower than companies in other fields to...
10 Jan 4 2011 11:35am Philip Langdon
Is city-making a science?
Geoffrey West, a 70-year-old physicist, thinks he has identified what makes a city grow and thrive...
Dec 23 2010 11:00pm Philip Langdon
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