Urban Planning

This unacceptably tall building was the real reason for Washington, D.C.'s skyscraper ban.

The old tradition of drying laundry on poles in the public green is still guaranteed by Glasgow city law.

A plaque marks the underground site of one of London's "lost rivers."

Brisbane's manmade urban beach has enough water to fill five Olympic-sized swimming pools.

A relic from one of London's worst 19th-century slums.

The maze-like transportation hub contains abandoned areas, derelict stores, and a resident bat colony.

Though they've since been renamed, these two streets hint at Dublin's darker days.

Color-coded signs direct drivers on a network of routes designed to avoid Pittsburgh traffic.

A scattered trail of street art adds a pop of color to the city's stark structures.

Though considered an eyesore by some, this boxy Brutalist high-rise plays a significant role in Sydney's past.

One of the shortest streets in York has an especially odd name.

The first park built over a freeway is a brutalist masterwork.

A black and white solution to the Bolivian city's traffic problems.

A tiny plaque marks the location of the water source that facilitated the birth of modern-day Boston.

This lovely pocket park is one of the most under appreciated in D.C.

These ornate manhole covers were used for a now-forgotten purpose.

In La Paz's huge, city-sized cemetery, the deceased are stored in rows of apartment-like buildings.

The Pentagon is so large that it was planned like a city, complete with internal highway infrastructure.