Tag: streets | ArchDaily

A Beating and Bleeding Heart: Bodies, Streets, and the Politics of Care in Bogotá

Sydney Coldren — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 07:30:00 +0000

This article is the winning entry of the Epistle Writing Prize 2025, an annual competition dedicated to recognizing outstanding writing on design, architecture, and the environment.

Designing Streets Through the Lens of Care

Eduardo Souza — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 08:30:00 +0000

Reflecting on the modern city, Walter Benjamin described the flâneur, a figure who walks without a defined destination, attentive to details, chance encounters, and the narratives that emerge from urban space. This way of being in the city, shaped by observation and openness to the unexpected, has long been in tension with the rationalist and functionalist ideals that came to guide urban planning throughout the twentieth century. Streets designed primarily for efficiency and flow rarely leave room for detours, pauses, or the coexistence of different rhythms of life.

The Barcelona Model: Public Space as a Synonym for Urban Adaptation

Jaume Barnada — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 03:30:00 +0000

CityMakers, The Global Community of Architects Who Learn from Exemplary Cities and Their Makers, is working with Archdaily to publish a series of articles about Barcelona, Medellin, and Rotterdam. The authors are the architects, urban planners, and/or strategists behind the projects that have transformed these three cities and are studied in the "Schools of Cities" and "Documentary Courses" made by CityMakers. On this occasion, Jaume Barnada, coordinator of the award-winning Climate Shelters project in Barcelona schools and speaker at the "Schools of Cities", presents his article "Barcelona, the public place as a synonym for the adaptation of the built city."

Learning From Europe: Beyond Symbolic Dark Landmarks to Save Energy at Night

Thomas Schielke — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 03:30:00 +0000

When capital cities like Paris and Berlin resolved to switch off lighting for public buildings and landmarks in July 2022 in order to save energy in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the cities created a ripple effect throughout central Europe. Images of dark iconic landmarks swept through the media and allowed politicians a momentary act of environmental demonstration. However, designers have started to question the sustainability of this ad hoc step. Seen from a broader perspective the impression arises that this alleged radical action has been part of a rather media-savvy campaign with small effect in cities at night. Further steps are necessary to reassess urban lighting that may have a major impact on energy saving and sustainability.

How Tactical Urbanism Helped Conquer the Streets of Jersey City

Martin Pedersen — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 03:30:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

São Paulo, Melbourne and Barcelona: Discover the Coolest Streets in the World

Giovana Martino — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Time Out, an online platform for urban culture that looks for the most vibrant locations around the globe, has recently ranked the 30 coolest streets in the world. The website, which usually focuses on cities as a whole, having already ranked the coolest neighborhoods, is now taking a more local approach due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

GeoGuessr Game Uses Street View to Create a Geographical Puzzle

Andreea Cutieru — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 05:30:00 +0000

A geographic discovery game based on Google imagery, GeoGuessr requires players to guess various locations worldwide using only the clues provided by a Street view. Created in 2013, the game has taken on new relevance amidst the pandemic, as it provides a virtual travel experience. From desolate roads to famous sites, the game teases deductive reasoning, requiring players to make use of any clue, from signs, language, flags, landscape, to pinpoint their surroundings.

ODA Imagines the Future of the Streets of New York, Introducing Public/Private Spaces and a New Pedestrian Experience

Christele Harrouk — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 06:30:00 +0000

ODA has just launched its latest project, an urban vision for the future of the streets of New York. The project titled Beyond the street- Reimagining the flower district proposes to transform a city block from the outside in, altering the pedestrian experience and introducing new zoning changes that would give landowners air rights or tax credits in exchange for handing over their inner courtyards to be transformed into public/private spaces.

New York Expands Outdoor Activities with Open Boulevards Initiative

Andreea Cutieru — Thu, 27 May 2021 05:30:00 +0000

Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the launch of the Open Boulevards program, an initiative that would temporarily close off car traffic on boulevard segments across several blocks, expanding the public space for dining, cultural activities and artistic performances. The project builds on the successful initiatives Open streets and Open Restaurants, which transformed the city’s streetscape to better serve diners, cyclists and pedestrians amidst the pandemic.

Public Spaces and the Challenges of Covid-19: UN-Habitat’s Small-Scale Urban Responses in Vietnam, Bangladesh and India

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 07:30:00 +0000

The Un-Habitat or the United Nations agency for human settlements and sustainable urban development, whose primary focus is to deal with the challenges of rapid urbanization, has been developing innovative approaches in the urban design field, centered on the active participation of the community. ArchDaily has teamed up with UN-Habitat to bring you weekly news, article, and interviews that highlight this work, with content straight from the source, developed by our editors.

NACTO Releases Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery in the Fight Against the COVID-19

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 05:30:00 +0000

The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) has released guidelines to provide cities with strategies “to redesign and adapt their streets for new uses both during the COVID-19 crisis and in the recovery”. Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery highlights the most updated street design approaches cities are using, around the world.

7 Design Guidelines for a Safe Post COVID-19 Transition

Christele Harrouk — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 06:30:00 +0000

In order to ensure a proper transition into post COVID-19, architects, public health experts, and engineers are generating design guidelines to provide people with new secure, and efficient resources. Finding a balance between optimizing operations and keeping people safe, the strategies tackle the built environment that surrounds us, from restaurants and outdoor dining, to streets, offices, and retail.

London Introduces Car-Free Streets as Lockdown Eases

Christele Harrouk — Tue, 19 May 2020 06:30:00 +0000

After Milan and Paris, London has announced its plans to transform large areas in the city, converting streets to car-free zones, as the coronavirus lockdown loosens up. Repurposing the city for people, London aims to emerge differently from the pandemic, supporting a low-carbon and sustainable recovery. Works have already started and are expected to be completed within six weeks.

Paris Plans to Maintain Anti-Pollution and Anti-Congestion Measures post Covid-19 Lockdown

Christele Harrouk — Tue, 05 May 2020 06:31:00 +0000

Paris, just like Milan, is planning on keeping its streets car-free after the coronavirus lockdown. Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced plans to maintain the anti-pollution and anti-congestion measures introduced during the confinement period, as the city reopens.

New York Map Highlights Sidewalks with Social Distancing Possibilities

Christele Harrouk — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 06:30:00 +0000

As social distancing becomes the new norm in the fight against COVID-19, people are finding it harder to keep up with the six-foot rule in dense cities. Urban Planner Meli Harvey developed a map of New York that shows the width of sidewalks in the city, aiming to highlight public areas where social distancing can be maintained.

FMZD Transforms an Existing Concrete Structure in Tehran into a Contextual Shopping Mall

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 06:40:00 +0000

The Tehran Eye is a contextual shopping center that caters to the needs and the common living practices in the Iranian capital. The project, conceived by Farshad Mehdizadeh Design, consisted of redesigning a façade and reorganizing a large existing structure into an integrated entity in the city.

City of the Future Shares Thoughts on Retail and Vibrant Streets

Christele Harrouk — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 06:30:00 +0000

City of the Future is a bi-weekly podcast from Sidewalk Labs that explores ideas and innovations that will transform cities.

What Makes a City Livable to You?

Keshia Badalge — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 09:30:00 +0000

Mercer released their annual list of the Most Livable Cities in the World last month. The list ranks 231 cities based on factors such as crime rates, sanitation, education and health standards, with Vienna at #1 and Baghdad at #231. There’s always some furor over the results, as there ought to be when a city we love does not make the top 20, or when we see a city rank highly but remember that one time we visited and couldn’t wait to leave.