WebUrbanist

Architecture, Art, Design & Built Environments

Author: Urbanist

WebUrbanist was founded in 2007 by Kurt Kohlstedt, who currently writes and edits articles and episodes at 99% Invisible and can be found on Twitter @KurtKohlstedt

Retail Turnover: Suburban Megastores Remade into Libraries, Schools & Shelters

Years ago in McAllen, Texas, an old abandoned 124,500-square-foot Walmart superstore was renovated and put to new use as the largest single-floor public library in the United States. Across ...

Covert Photo Ops: Uncanny Disguises Blend Humans into Built Environments

In bustling cities packed with other people, it can be nice to stand out at times, but it can also be a relief to fade quietly into the background for a bit. Creative wallflowers looking for a ...

Deciphering Cities: The Secret Languages of Utility Markings, Hobo Codes & Graffiti Tags

Most cities have so much in common that a generic "map of every city" can seem similarly familiar to people living in London, Paris, New York or another metropolis entirely. General types of ...

Key Developments: 10 Essential Diagrams Tell the Story of Modern Urban Design

For much of history, urban planning as we know it didn't exist. Sure, there were cities with zoning ordinances and building codes, but ones thoroughly planned from scratch with heavily controlled ...

Restyling Blandmarks: Those Much Maligned Boxy Urban Condo Buildings

From Seattle to New York City, Minneapolis to Dallas, boxy apartment and condo buildings sporting bland facades, metallic or colored cladding and a generally flat aesthetic seem to dominate new ...

Acoustic Defense: Photo Series Reflects on Derelict British “Sound Mirrors”

In the wake of World War I, the United Kingdom developed a powerful yet relatively low-tech architectural system for detecting incoming enemy airplanes, the remnants of which can still be found ...

Across the Verse: Over 100,000 Characters Create “Universe of Words”

Fields of floating paper hiraganas hang to create colorful screens and passageways in this spectacular work of installation art. Designed by Emmanuelle Moureaux, it is part of a larger 100 ...

Lost, Found & Remodeled: Architectural Miniatures Unfold from Old Furniture

It starts with a chair or a table, an old nightstand or vintage traveling trunk, but from there, these artifacts evolve in the hands of sculpture Ted Lott, who transforms them into complex works ...

Abandonments in Bloom: Deserted Iranian Homes Reclaimed by Nature

Left in the hands of nature by residents fleeing Tehran, these ordinary houses have become backdrops for an extraordinary series of photographs by Gohar Dashti, born during the Islamic ...

Around the World in 10 Minutes: Mesmerizing Cargo Container Ship Timelapse

Ever wonder what it would be like to work on a container ship, traveling across the Earth's oceans and seeing its cities from a new perspective? Canadian photographer and sailor Jeffrey Tsang ...

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