#urban-redevelopment

#urban-redevelopment

OMA completes Harajuku Quest, a commercial complex in the heart of Tokyo set to open on September 11th, 2025, when the first stores welcome visitors, followed by a phased rollout from November onwards (find designboom's previous coverage here). Designed within NTT Urban Development Corporation's wider strategy for Harajuku, the 4,300-square-meter project bridges the two distinct contexts of the grand, tree-lined Omotesando Avenue and the dense, intimate Oku-Harajuku district.

There is no part of the metropolis which presents a more chequered aspect, both physical and moral, than Westminster. The most lordly streets are frequently but a mask for the squalid districts which lie behind them, whilst spots consecrated to the most hallowed of purposes are begirt by scenes of indescribably infamy and pollution; the blackest tide of moral turpitude that flows in the capital rolls its filthy wavelets up to the very walls of Westminster Abbey.

Behind Barrow on the plaza stand two massive cubes, carpeted with astroturf and surrounded with high plexiglass walls - temporary installations where, for a minimum entry fee of $30, visitors can play padel, a racquet-based sport that touts itself as "easy to pick up like pickleball, dynamic like squash, and athletic like tennis." Barrow ends the tour on an urgent, if solemn note: now that plans are well underway to redevelop this plaza, San Francisco risks losing a part of its history.

People have lived on Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue almost as long as there has been an Atlantic Avenue. It started out as a path leading to early settler Ralph Patchen's farm and then became a road to the East River. Part of it became known as Division Street, as it was the informal border between the town of Brooklyn and South Brooklyn, which included today's Red Hook, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens neighborhoods.

People talk about Mission Bay like it's not a real neighborhood. Just a sterile expanse of glassy biotech buildings and aggressively modern condos - and sure, there's a lot of that. The cranes are still swinging, many sidewalks are wide and empty, and sometimes you get the sense that the whole thing was generated by an AI trained on phrases like "urban renewal" and "mixed-use development."

The gomtang tteokguk is bubbling furiously when the server places it in front of you. As much as you want to, you can't eat the scalding rice cake soup immediately, but you can pick at the radish and cabbage kimchi, cucumber salad, and bowl of rice that have been delivered alongside it as you wait. I'm far from an expert in Korean cuisine, but my understanding is that tteokguk is typically eaten on the Lunar New Year, symbolizing purity, prosperity, and the passing of another year.

"There have been a lot of ups and downs and twists and turns in trying to figure out how to keep these buildings intact," said Historic Preservation Division Manager Kim McKnight. "We do have very clear direction from Council to do whatever is necessary to get this dealt with in terms of removing historic designation as an obstacle."

Wynwood's transformation began nearly 40 years ago when artists moved into a former bread factory, seeking affordable studio space. This move laid the groundwork for Wynwood's evolution into a trendy urban district.

The undercroft venues are expected to be opened in phases from Christmas 2025.

For most of the last 10 years Finsbury Circus Gardens has been closed to the public while it was used by Crossrail to build the nearby Liverpool Street Elizabeth Line station.

The redevelopment of Harlem Meer in Central Park demonstrates a commitment to restoring natural ecologies while providing year-round recreational facilities to the community.

The design of the new residential area in Mannheim prioritizes diversity and social integration, featuring varied housing types and communal spaces that encourage interaction.