The modern world is disconnected. Online interactions dominate the daily lives of people across the world. This shift is not just a result of the rise of the internet, but also a stark reflection of the decline of public spaces, particularly third places. Third places, once essential for promoting community and social cohesion, have evolved drastically over the past few decades. In today's commercialized landscape, third places face plenty of demands from users and designers alike, calling for a need to reconsider their accessibility and purpose.
In 2021, the Municipality of Roosendaal began collaborating with MVRDV as an urban development consultant. The firm's partner, Winy Maas, was subsequently appointed as urban advisor, conforming a team that included MVRDV, Rebel Group, Transitiefocus, and other experts. Their task was to consolidate existing projects and initiatives into a unified strategic vision, seeking a mix of bottom-up and top-down planning approaches. The vision, also called "The Mosaic", was developed through a participatory process involving residents. It provides insight at multiple scales, from land-use adjustments across the municipality to over 40 potential projects aimed at harnessing the potential of specific locations. Published as a series of seven interconnected documents, the vision aims to provide Roosendaal with strategies to accommodate growth.
In March 2023, the AustinTransit Partnership (ATP) announced the selection of UNStudio, HKS, and Gehl to lead the architecture and urban design of Project Connect, an expansion of Austin's public transportation system in Texas, United States. Led by ATP, the system aims to connect communities, enhance public spaces, and integrate with the city's evolving urban fabric. The design framework, developed by the four entities, establishes the foundation for how the light rail will interact with Austin's neighborhoods. The design team states that the project's priorities are in people-first infrastructure and the creation of dynamic public spaces, which they seek to reflect in the newly unveiled images. As a voter-approved initiative, Project Connect actively encourages public participation, allowing Austin residents to provide feedback throughout its development.
To a first-time visitor, Mumbai presents itself as a kaleidoscope of sensory overload. Architecturally, the peninsula city is host to numerous styles. Mumbai's architectural identity emerges from centuries of cultural exchange and colonial influence. What makes the experience unlike that of other historical cities is the density and the proximity in which juxtapositions occur.
In March 2025, the actor Adrian Brody rose to the stage to collect his Academy Award for playing the role of László Toth in the acclaimed film, The Brutalist. The film is about a Bauhaus-educated architect who escaped Nazi Germany in the 1930s for the United States. Whilst the story is fictional, it reflects the lives of several émigré architects who left Central Europe in search of better working and intellectual conditions. These included the first three directors of Bauhaus, the renowned German school of design established in 1919. The first and third directors of the school, Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe respectively, ended up in the US where their careers in teaching and building both flourished. Lesser known is the second director, Hannes Meyer, who took a different path from his colleagues.
Overall Framework Render. Image Courtesy of Sasaki
Salalah is Oman's largest logistics port and its second-largest city. Located within a two-hour flight from Dubai and a 90-minute flight from Muscat, the city attracted over one million tourists in 2024. As part of the Oman Vision 2040 investment plan, Oman's Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has commissioned Sasaki to develop a master plan for redesigning the city's waterfront. The plan includes renovating the city's coastal public spaces and constructing new housing and infrastructure to accommodate projected growth. The project is part of a broader initiative to double tourism's contribution to the nation's GDP by 2030, with on-site construction set to begin later this year, in 2025.
Henning Larsen has just launched a new initiative in Esbjerg, Denmark, aimed at rethinking urban spaces through the perspectives of teenage girls. Developed in collaboration with Esbjerg Municipality, Ramboll, Catapult Projects, and KOMPAN, the project builds on research from the Urban Minded framework to explore how co-creation can shape more inclusive public environments. Supported by a 2.3 million DKK grant from the Villum Foundation and 485,000 DKK from the Ramboll Foundation, the initiative seeks to address an often-overlooked demographic in urban planning. As cities continue to evolve, conversations around gender-inclusive urban spaces have gained momentum, particularly in light of International Women's Day.
The United Center arena in Chicago, designed by HOK Sport (now Populous), Marmon Mok, and W.E. Simpson Company, was built between 1992 and 1994. With a capacity of over 20,000 seats for sports and general events, it includes more than 6,000 parking spaces in lots surrounding the arena. These parking lots span approximately 55 acres (over 22 hectares) in Chicago's West Side (1901 W. Madison Street). A new master plan, named the 1901 Project, aims to transform this space into a mixed-use neighborhood. Led by design collective RIOS, with contributions from landscape architecture studio Field Operations, this long-term, multi-phase project aims to connect neighborhoods by creating new public spaces and infrastructure on a metropolitan scale. The proposal recently received approval from the Chicago Plan Commission.
Chinese architect and educator Liu Jiakun has been announced as the laureate of the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the highest honor in the architecture field. This prestigious award recognizes Jiakun, founder of Jiakun Architects (established 1999), for his ability to blend traditional Chinese elements with contemporary design and for his commitment to social equity in the built environment. Born in Chengdu, China, where he continues to live and work, he becomes the second Chinese architect to receive the accolade, following Wang Shu (2012). Jiakun joins a distinguished list of previous laureates including Riken Yamamoto in 2024, David Chipperfield in 2023, and Francis Kéré in 2022. The award ceremony will be held this spring at the Jean Nouvel-designed Louvre Abu Dhabi, with a global video release of the presentation this fall, followed by the 2025 Laureates' Lecture and Symposium in May.
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a comprehensive urban planning strategy aimed at creating dense, walkable, and vibrant neighborhoods centered around public transportation hubs. By seamlessly integrating residential, commercial, and recreational facilities within close proximity to transit nodes, TODs seek to reduce automobile dependency, increase public transit ridership, and stimulate local economic development. Government agencies play a pivotal role in supporting these developments through zoning reforms, easing floor area ratios (FARs), selling air rights, and facilitating public-private partnerships to secure capital for public infrastructure. While TODs have gained global traction, East Asia boasts some of the most successful examples. Conversely, efforts to replicate these models in different contexts—such as New York City—highlight the importance of adapting TOD principles to local conditions, geographical characteristics, and community needs.
Social fragmentation and economic divides have fractured the fabric of urban environments. In this context, ecovillages emerge as influential remedies to societal and ecological crises, microcosms where sustainable living, social cohesion, and economic resilience drive urban growth. Rooted in environmental stewardship and circular systems, ecovillages offer a scalable model to inspire the development of regenerative urban neighborhoods across the world. Traditional urban and suburban development has led to sprawl and social isolation which have had detrimental effects on community cohesion and the environment. Alongside this phenomenon, cities have become inhumane, characterized by anonymity, unaffordable housing, traffic congestion, and pollution. The lack of access to nature solidifies these issues, leaving many urban dwellers disconnected from elements that promote well-being and a sense of belonging.
The site of Expo 2020 Dubai is scheduled to undergo a major transformation, developed by UNStudio in collaboration with several other firms. The master plan aims to reimagine the location of the first World Expo held in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia into a new urban center, integrating the structures of the original Expo with new developments to create a cohesive and engaging new district. The development, part of Dubai's 2040 Urban Master Plan, leverages approximately 80% of the existing infrastructure and buildings from Expo 2020, minimizing waste and maximizing the value of previous investments.
In 1975, Honduras was under a military regime that had been in power for over a decade, led at the time by General Juan Alberto Melgar Castro. During this period, Tegucigalpa underwent several big and unprecedented changes. The influx of people from various parts of the country due to rural migration transformed the city from a compact urban area into an expanding metropolis. This unexpected growth prompted the government to implement a municipal development and planning scheme, a project that would define the city's future and the evolution of its old town. This article was developed with the collaboration of the Honduran architect Lisandro Calderón, who specializes in Urban Planning and is currently a professor at the Central American Technological University (UNITEC), located in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
In the world of architecture, competitions often serve as platforms for creativity, experimentation, and problem-solving. For Daniel Rojas, Founding Partner of Wandrian Studios, winning the 2023-2024 MICROHOME competition, sponsored by Buildner and Kingspan, was a transformative moment. His project, Urban Residential Pods, addresses the global housing crisis by reimagining vacant office spaces as compact, sustainable homes.
Rojas' design strikes a balance between innovation, functionality, and sustainability, offering a glimpse into how architecture can address some of today's most pressing challenges. As the next edition of the competition approaches, Rojas shares insights into his winning project and offers advice to future participants.
Visit the MICROHOME competition site for details in the open 2025 edition and to register before the deadline on February 13.
The clock is ticking for architects, urban planners, and engineers to submit their groundbreaking projects to the Holcim Foundation Awards. With the entry deadline of February 11, 2025, at 14:00 hrs UTC, this is the final opportunity to gain global recognition and compete for a share of the USD 1 million prize pool. The awards ceremony will take place at the Venice Forum on November 20, 2025 and winners are invited to attend.
Phase four of the King's Road Park masterplan, designed by Foster + Partners for St William, has received detailed planning permission. The design, located in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, comprises two residential towers of 28 and 38 stories, a seven-story podium building, and 1.9 acres of new parkland and public open space, totaling 357 new homes. The residential buildings incorporate communal spaces, including a ground-level amenity and a rooftop garden sheltered by a louvered canopy. The towers' slender profiles are intended to complement the existing urban skyline, featuring terracotta paneling in a nod to local architectural styles.
Photo of Brasília. Credits: Ana Volpe/Agência Senado
What is better: a city planned from scratch or one that forms spontaneously? In popular imagination, there is a belief that if a city was planned from the beginning, it must be better or more organized than others. In practice, however, this does not guarantee a city's success.
Cities like Tamansourt in Morocco, Songdo in South Korea, and King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia serve as cautionary examples of planning a new city from scratch only to struggle to attract the expected number of residents. These projects involved significant investment (both operational and financial) in urban design, space, and infrastructure but overlooked the fundamental economic reasons why cities exist.
Phyllis Lambert has been a key figure in the preservation of Canada's cultural heritage. As an architect and advocate for heritage conservation, Lambert has left an indelible mark in Montreal and other cities worldwide. Her contributions to Montreal's architectural scene can't really be judged in terms of individual buildings, but rather in terms of the city as a whole. She not only cofounded the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA), but also helped reshape the way cities like Montreal think about heritage and the importance of community voices in urban planning.
