At the turn of the twentieth century, architectural projects throughout New York City were designed to prescribe how citizens interacted with nature. Study for Inspiration Point, Riverside Drive, New York City is a conceptual plan by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (1822—1903) and architect Arnold William Brunner (1857—1925) for the development of a park and recreation...

In the early 1930s, the General Motors Art and Colour division was emerging as the most innovative hub of automotive stylists. William McBride was a young man living in Chicago’s South Side, dreaming of fanciful and futuristic cars. As a boy, he “spent sixteen years learning how to design automobiles, to make them real. Cars...

Phil Patton, automotive design author and journalist, gave Cooper-Hewitt’s Patron Members a sneak preview of the New York International Auto Show at the Javits Center. Highlights included the newly redesigned Volkswagen Beetle, “more power than flower,” as described by the car’s designer Klaus Bischoff; the Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class with its wind-inspired waves and curves; and...

By the year 2050, about 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers with much less space and resources available to support the current personal automobile, sprawl, and highway infrastructure-focused transportation paradigm. Speakers Dickson Despommier, Dan Albert and Sue Zielinski will present their visions for the future of cities that include models for...

Subway car interior I lived in New York for a few months in 1965, when people were afraid to stand on a station platform alone, or board a train without protection from friends, and there was a police officer in every car. What a contrast from this week, when I rode the Lexington Avenue Express...