The Year in Ideas

My favorite New York Times Magazine of the year came out yesterday. Titled "The 6th Annual Year in Ideas" this issue presents 76 ideas from 2006, "the peaks and valleys of ingenuity..." in the words of the Times. A few of the featured ideas related to urban planning. The first "Big Urbanism" cites the trend towards grandiosity in urban design, a movement undoubtedly encouraged by cities like Dubai. Another idea employs the "less is more" theory to small towns, using the case of Youngstown, Ohio to illustrate the strategy of "Creative Shrinking" of urban populations to produce smaller, more efficient towns. Lastly, the idea of large airports as mini-cities or "Aerotropolis" complete with hotels, malls, office buildings and even hospitals. The new Dubai World Central International Airport will even contain a golf course.