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McMinn and Janzen's kitchen opens onto a double-height living and dining area.

How the Pandemic May Reshape the World as We Know It: The crisis reveals how our homes, offices, and communities need to respond to a rapidly changing reality.

While the house is invisible from the main street, a short five-minute walk connects the residents to the town center and every community amenity.

On the lower roof, cedar decking and flower beds define one of several outdoor gardening spaces. Part of her ongoing research into the livability of cities, Fitzgerald aimed to create landscaped areas that were “aesthetic, aromatic, educational, and productive.” The deck is bordered by an expanded aluminum mesh railing and black metal corrugated panels.

The sofa is from Cantoni, the rug is from Restoration Hardware, and the Tolomeo floor lamp is by Michele De Lucchi for Artemide. The large windows in the background and throughout the house are from Western Window Systems.

A basic box that’s as tall as it is wide (28 feet) and 16 feet long, this Portland, Oregon house consists of rooms stacked vertically: an unfinished basement on the bottom, a kitchen-living area and a bathroom in the middle, and a bedroom on top, with the stairwell hinged onto the front of the home. The only interior doors are those to the bathroom, basement, and root cellar, leaving the rest of the space open and unfettered. At just 704 square feet, Katherine Bovee and Matt Kirkpatrick's home is a great lesson in making the most out of every inch. Click here to see the interior.

B&B Italia Outdoor’s Canasta sofa, by Patricia Urquiola, shares a shady patch in the ground-floor Carnegie Hill garden with three ginkgo biloba trees, an existing fountain with an Italian marble spout designed by Thomas Woltz, and bluestone pavers. The terrace is filled with woodland greenery: Leucothoe, ostrich ferns, and lady ferns.

The perennial plants on the green wall were plotted out as a piece of verdant abstract art. Edibles, like strawberry, thyme, and rosemary, are planted within children’s reach.

A sofa from Sutherland’s Poolside collection is covered in fabric from Perennials; the illuminated side tables are by Porcuatro for Tango Lighting. The screens are constructed from FSC-certified teak.

@myurbanstory showcased city map–inspired ornaments and wall clocks.

The seventh-floor terrace, or “sky meadow,” is at the very top of the town house.

Woltz describes the garden as a vertical progression up the six-story home: “You’re threading in and out of the building, so it’s a delightfully blurred experience, from garden to architecture and back.”

“Shophouses brought back memories of our childhoods, of open back doors and neighbors and relatives wandering in and out of the kitchen and cooking and eating and coming and going whether you liked it or not.”—Yang Yeo

The bathroom is a long, linear space with a letterbox window to provide natural light. There are two toilets, a pair of sinks, and two showers.

Urban Story displayed clocks stylized as cities, among other products. CitiBin added a little greenery to the show floor with their smartly designed enclosures for trash.

One of the goals of the new building was for it to be an example for the students of each of the three disciplines. For the urban planning students, the task was accomplished by appropriately inserting the building into the "urban configuration of campus," says Robert Livesey, a professor and the school's director during the building's design and construction.

Paul’s American flag was a gift from one of his clients at the hair salon he owns. A flag should be fairly easy to procure at thrift stores or eBay, but this vintage stock from Urban Outfitters is a quick pick. $389

Need a streamlined way to know whether you should be dressed for snow or rain this winter? The Urban Weather Station from Neatmo comes with air quality sensors as well as wifi to track and monitor your environment, making it the first personal weather station for your iPhone or iPad. ($180)

Urban Renovation (Foster Dale Architects) Created from composite materials, the deck gives this modern home a desirable outdoor space in a crowded city lot.

KB Homes builds infill multi-family LEED buildings throughout the Los Angeles area, including the Asher building in Playa Vista. The project's developer, architect, and key sustainability consultants will share their experience with the Dwell on Design audience.

Colorado–based Topo Designs creates backpacks and packs, clothing, and apparel that capture a decidedly outdoor spirit, while still maintaining a streamlined aesthetic that communicates with urban adventurers too. The classic Klettersack Backpack is designed with travel and commuting in mind. The spacious pack can hold up to 22 liters, while the slim silhouette ensures that it is not overly bulky. The exterior of the pack is made from 1000d Cordura fabric, and the interior of the backpack is lined in cloth. Each pack is handmade in Colorado.

The entire 800-block of downtown Robson Street will be open as an Urban Reef, 24 hours a day, through September 1, 2014.

Pedal Pod, a wall-mounted shelving unit designed by Tamasine Osher, provides a compact and tidy way to store both your accessories and bicycle while keeping it off your floors.

How can cities make bike riding more safe? How can designers make bike riding more safe? @LADOTofficial: We can’t continue to treat bicyclists like slow drivers or fast walkers. They’re neither, and the streets should show it. @erikaheet: You gotta keep 'em separated: dedicated bike lanes and bike signals in cities will improve safety. @Shinola: Build more bike paths that aren't shared with buses, etc. This is tough to do, but go to Amsterdam to see how it works. @PUBLICBikes: Bikes in Europe include more safety features standard, like built-in lights. US bike industry should follow suit.

Lebbeus Woods, Unified Urban Field, from the series Centricity [no. 37], 1987; graphite on paper; 24 in. x 23 in. (60.96 cm x 58.42 cm); Collection SFMOMA, purchase through a gift of Ned and Catherine Topham and the Accessions Committee Fund; © Estate of Lebbeus Woods

Tadao Ando’s “Urban Egg/Space Strata”.

The front garden at the Hotel Daniel is the epitome of urban gardening. Guests can roam free and pick their own vegetables and grapes. The garden is also filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, and herbs.

The Archivist tote ($124) by People for Urban Progress is handmade from textiles recycled from Indianapolis infrastructure, including the roofing fabric of the RCA Dome.

Here's a shot of the Wonderwall offices. Textural concrete, a sleek letterbox, and their understated logo carry the day.

Segal’s urban-infill units (like the Titan shown here) eschew typical features like dysfunctional balconies and underground garages.