Italy just greenlit a €13.5 billion plan to build the world’s longest single-span bridge across the Strait of Messina, connecting Sicily to the mainland. Environmentalists are calling it a “colossal waste of money,” but supporters say the project could bring jobs and boost Southern Italy’s economy. (The Guardian)
Across the U.S., cities are ditching the grid and embracing the wonky. Zoning reforms are unlocking hundreds of overlooked triangle slivers, crescent scraps, and strangely shaped lots for small-scale, multifamily housing in hopes of easing the nation’s housing crisis. (The New York Times)
Roundabouts may decrease crashes, carbon, and commute times, but in Ashland, Kentucky, a $9 million plan to build more of them cost local officials their jobs and stirred up a full-blown culture war. (Bloomberg)
In the 1980s, architect Lina Bo Bardi reimagined Ladeira da Misericórdia in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, as a place for everyday life, not elite tourism. But now, decades later, the site is being revived as an arts center amid a wave of luxury development. Here’s how her vision risks being overshadowed by looming gentrification. (The Architectural Review)

London’s Overground, once a patchwork of neglected rail lines, has become the city’s sunlit secret weapon—reviving neighborhoods and proving that transit can be both functional and enjoyable. It’s a model for how cities might actually reimagine transit as a third space. (Dwell)

Top photo by Federico Meneghetti/REDA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images