"​Dubai barely has them; in New York they’re bustling with people and halal food stands. Research the history of the sidewalk—that liminal gap between street and building that serves as a gathering place for some and a bike path for others. Where did they first emerge—and when were the first modern sidewalks built? How different are they from place to place?"

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• Sidewalks are the paths between streets and buildings used by pedestrians, sometimes also by cyclists or small vehicles.

• They act as public spaces where people can walk, gather, and socialize.

• The first sidewalks appeared in ancient civilizations like Mesopotamia and Rome, where raised stone paths separated pedestrians from traffic.

• Modern sidewalks began in European cities in the 18th-19th centuries, made from materials like stone, brick, or concrete.

• Sidewalks vary widely by city and country: some are bustling with vendors and street life (e.g., New York), while others may be nearly absent (e.g., parts of Dubai).

• Materials, width, and design are influenced by local culture, climate, and urban planning.

• They are a liminal space, sometimes used for walking, cycling, street vending, or socializing.

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​"In the once-futuristic world of the Jetsons, the sidewalks don’t just sit there: they whisk people along to their destinations. Something like this still happens at many airports and even some amusement parks. Learn more about historical efforts to popularize moving sidewalks. Discuss with your team: why didn’t they catch on more widely? Where would you install them today, if you could?" 

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• The idea of moving sidewalks long dates back to the 1962 TV show The Jetsons.

• In 1871, inventor Alfred Speer patented an early moving sidewalk design for New York City, called “movable pavement,” with parallel belts at different speeds to help pedestrians travel farther with less effort.

• Early moving sidewalk concepts included enclosed parlor cars where people could sit in comfort as they rode moving platforms.

• The first electric moving sidewalk was built for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where it carried passengers from arriving steamboats down the pier to the fair entrance.

• The 1900 Paris Exposition featured a larger and more advanced moving walkway called the Rue de l’Avenir, with multiple elevated platforms and stations, allowing visitors to ride around ground more quickly and comfortably.

• These early moving sidewalks used different speeds to let people choose how fast they wanted to go, making them transportation and entertainment attractions.

• Interest in moving sidewalks resurfaced in the 1920s and 1950s as part of futuristic visions of urban life, with ideas of networks of moving platforms in cities and at stadiums.

• In the 1950s, companies like Goodyear promoted moving sidewalks as part of future transportation systems, and early commercial moving walks were later installed in places like Newark and airports.

• Today, moving sidewalks are commonly seen in airports and theme parks, where they help passengers walk longer distances more easily.

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"Many sidewalks have cars parked alongside them. There are at least a billion parking spots in the United States alone—three times as many as there are people. With your team, investigate the history of parking, then discuss with your team: should people have a right to free parking at their homes and places of work?" ​

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• Parking has become a major part of American cities, shaping land use, traffic, and development patterns.

• The article discusses Paved Paradise, a project and book that explore the history of parking lots and garages in the United States.

• After World War II, the rise of car culture and suburban growth led cities to prioritize space for parking instead of other uses.

• Many cities implemented minimum parking requirements, forcing developers to build a certain number of parking spaces for new buildings.

• These requirements increased the amount of paved surfaces, which can lead to more traffic congestion, stormwater runoff, and heat island effects.

• Parking lots often occupy expensive land in cities, pushing other uses like housing or parks farther away.

• The design of parking has shaped urban form, encouraging lower building density and more development.

• Some cities are reconsidering parking requirements, reducing minimums or removing them entirely to allow more flexible development.

• Alternative approaches include shared parking, transit‑oriented development, and pedestrian‑friendly design that prioritize people over cars.

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"People usually park their cars and then dash on to their destination as quickly as they can; they may not give the parking lot itself a second glance. Liminal spaces are easy to overlook on your way to somewhere else. But some parking lots are self-conscious architectural masterpieces. Read about the Temple Street Parking Garage in New Haven—and then look into these other lots below. Should more parking lots be built with this much architectural flourish, or should they be as invisible as possible?" ​

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• The Temple Street Parking Garage was designed by Paul Rudolph and built in 1962 as part of urban renewal in New Haven, Connecticut.

• It was originally part of a larger plan to connect downtown areas and serve new department stores and retail development.

• The garage spans two city blocks and provides parking for more than 1,200 cars, with multiple levels above and below street level.

• It was made entirely of reinforced concrete, with curved, organic forms created using wooden formwork that gives the structure a powerful texture inside and out.

• The building’s style is associated with Brutalism and emphasizes raw concrete surfaces and bold geometric shapes.

• Its structure crosses over George Street, creating a gateway inspired design.

• The rough‑cast concrete with visible board marks and sweeping curves was intended to make it clear this building was for cars and movement.

• The garage won an AIA Merit Award in 1964 for its architectural significance.

• The ground floor originally included commercial spaces linked to the surrounding downtown area.

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Lego Parking House​ (Billund, Denmark): 

• The Lego Parking Garage is a five‑story car park completed in 2019 to serve the new LEGO Campus and staff working nearby.

• The building’s facades were designed by CEBRA, a Danish architectural studio, while the main structure was designed by Ravn Arkitektur.

• The exterior design is inspired by Lego City road plates, which Lego originally introduced in 1977 and are still in production.

• The façade uses aluminium panels scaled up from the Lego road plate design, creating a distinctive pattern.

• Perforations in the façade are proportioned to standard Lego brick dimensions, so actual Lego bricks can be attached to the wall.

• The pattern of the façade is created from nine different section types, and the perforations help with natural ventilation and create changing light effects inside and out.

• The design shows the purpose and brand identity of the building in a way that reflects Lego’s creative values.

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Parc des Celestins​ (Lyon, France): 

• Parking des Célestins is an underground parking garage in Lyon, located beneath Place des Célestins in the 2nd arrondissement.

• The garage was designed by architects Michel Targe and Jean‑Michel Wilmotte and completed in 1994.

• It received the 1996 European Parking Association award for its architectural design.

• The design includes a circular layout with about 439 to over 500 parking spaces spread across several underground levels.

• Artist Daniel Buren created “Sens dessus dessous,” an artwork that can be viewed from the square above through a periscope that looks down into the parking structure.

• The design was influenced by artistic and architectural ideas, making the parking garage more than just a functional space.

• The parking structure includes modern features such as charging stations for electric vehicles and spaces for bicycles and motorcycles.

• The entry for vehicles is on Rue Gaspard André and the pedestrian entrance is on Place des Célestins.

• The parking garage is accessible 24/7 and serves visitors to nearby attractions like the Théâtre des Célestins and central Lyon.

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Michigan Theater​ (Detroit, Michigan): 

• Detroit’s Michigan Theater site was converted into a parking lot after the historic theater closed and was demolished, creating a very large open space for cars.

• The parking lot became notable because of its extremely wide expanse of asphalt, with cars stretching across a long block of downtown.

• It gained attention on the internet as one of the world’s most unusual parking lots due to its size and emptiness.

• The transformation reflects Detroit’s urban decline, where numerous historic buildings were replaced with parking lots as the city’s core lost residents and businesses.

• The lot has been described ironically as “beautiful” because its size and emptiness create an unexpected urban landscape.

• Detroit’s large downtown parking lots shows broader trends in urban planning, economic decline, and the prioritization of cars over people in parts of American city design.

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Garagenatelier Car Park​ (Herdern, Switzerland): 

• Garagenatelier is a parking structure and architectural installation, designed by Peter Kunz of Kunz Architektur.

• The facility provides space for eight cars and integrates parking with architectural form.

• The design uses concrete cubes embedded into the terrain, creating a unique structure that blends with the landscape.

• One of the concrete cubes includes a sliding door that serves as the entrance to the space.

• The concrete cubes act like directed light boxes that illuminate the parking area and contribute to the design’s aesthetic.

• The use of raw concrete and geometric forms is inspired by Minimal Art and shows the contrast between natural terrain and architectural structure.

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9th Avenue Parkade (Calgary, Canada): 

• The 9th Avenue Parkade & Platform Innovation Centre is a seven‑story parking structure in Calgary’s East Village designed to serve the area’s cultural and civic buildings.

• It was designed by 5468796 Architecture in collaboration with Kasian Architecture and opened in 2021.

• The garage has about 510 parking stalls and includes spaces for cars, electric vehicle charging, and bicycles.

• It was created to replace underused surface parking lots and support nearby attractions such as the Calgary Central Library and National Music Centre.

• The design allows the structure to be converted in the future into office, residential, or any space if demand for parking decreases.

• To support future conversion, the building has higher ceilings, open floor plates, and structural flexibility. 

• The parkade also includes a Platform Innovation Centre, a 50,000 sq ft space for startups and groups, turning parts of the ground level into workspace.

• Unique design features include an elliptical helix layout with a gently sloped floor instead of traditional ramps. 

• The project represents a future approach to parking infrastructure with changes in transportation and urban land use.

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"Many suburban homes don’t hide their parking lots at all—their garages are front-and-center. Consider these so-called “snout houses”, then discuss with your team: have you seen any in your community, and would it be better if their garages were more hidden?" 

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• A snout house is a type of home where the garage sticks out in front of the house.

• The design often makes it look like the garage is the most important part of the house, with the living space pushed behind it.

• Snout houses are common in suburban areas in the United States and Canada, especially on narrow lots where fitting a garage and house together is challenging.

• This layout evolved to provide affordable home designs that still include attached garages, which many buyers want.

• Critics say snout houses can look awkward or unattractive because the garage visually dominates the architecture.

• Some planning groups and neighborhoods have discussed discouraging or banning snout houses because they can reduce street activity.

• Supporters argue that snout houses are practical and often more comfortable and affordable on small or expensive lots.

• The article compares snout houses to mid‑size crossovers in cars: not the dream option, but widely chosen because they balance utility, cost, and common needs.

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"Modern architect Frank Lloyd Wright would certainly have hidden them: he imagined cars living inside of houses. For him, there was no need for wasted liminal space between homes and streets. Explore the design and history of his famous Robie House, then discuss with your team: does it truly “blur the boundaries between interior space and the world of nature”? How different would your school look if it had followed the same principles?" 

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• Frank Lloyd Wright was passionate about automobiles, owning over 80 cars and often driving fast in his early years.

• Around the time he drove the Stoddard‑Dayton in Oak Park, he also designed Robie House, which included a three‑car garage in the main level, unusual for 1909 when cars were mostly kept in separate barns.

• Wright popularized the carport, a simple room for cars instead of a full garage, starting with his Usonian homes like the Jacobs House.

• At Fallingwater, he used a four‑car carport rather than an enclosed garage, arguing that enclosed spaces cluttered a lot. 

• He adapted the carport idea in commercial buildings as well, such as the SC Johnson headquarters, using artistic columns called dendriform columns that also sheltered cars.

• In many public or proposed works, Wright used spiral ramps to integrate vehicles into architecture, allowing people to drive up and through a building without leaving their car.

• His Gordon Strong Automobile Collective, which was never built, featured a full spiral path for cars to ascend and descend around the building.

• Spiral ramps appeared in realized works later in his career, including in residential designs and in the Guggenheim Museum, where the ramp slopes at gradients similar to garage ramps.

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• The Robie House is located on 5757 Woodlawn Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

• The design makes the house feel long and low, with the roof overhanging and continuous bands of art glass windows.

• Materials include Roman brick with limestone trim and invisible vertical joints to emphasize horizontal lines.

• The Robie family lived in the home for a short time before selling it due to financial reasons.

• After later changes in ownership, the University of Chicago acquired the house and it became a museum property operated with the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.

• The house is a National Historic Landmark and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “The 20th‑Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.”

• Both exterior and interior have undergone restoration to reflect Wright’s original design, including structural elements and finishes.

• Robie House introduced architectural features that influenced American residential design, such as open plans, cantilevered roofs, attached garages, and horizontal massing.

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"Observe how Los Angeles has transformed one set of downtown parking lots into a new community gathering place, then discuss with your team: are there places in your own city that should be converted in a similar way?" 

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• Grand Park is a 12‑acre urban park in downtown Los Angeles, California linking City Hall with The Music Center and Grand Avenue.

• It was designed by the landscape and architecture firm RIOS (formerly Rios Clementi Hale Studios).

• The park opened in 2012 after transforming former parking lots and underused open space into public green space.

• A restored historic fountain (Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain) and a new interactive water feature with programmable jets and LED lighting was made.

• The layout was inspired by Goode’s homolosine projection and a world map projection.

• The park includes lawns, gardens, a playground, a dog run, and a pedestrian loop for recreation and community activities.

• Custom site furniture in a distinctive bright magenta “park pink” was designed by RIOS and helps define the park’s identity while creating a backyard feel.

• The site accommodates changes in elevation with broad stairs, ramps, and terraces that make the space accessible.

• Grand Park serves as a gathering space for the city, hosting events, performances, daily recreation, and cultural programming for people of all ages.