The latest open issue of The Plan Journal try to answer an unsettling question: Are we witnessing the early manifestations of what Jane Jacobs warned us about in "Dark Age Ahead"? This collection of twelve provocative contributions examines how designers, architects, and planners might respond to accelerating social, environmental, and technological disruptions that threaten to fragment our communities and erode democratic engagement.

Opening with Tom Fisher's powerful 2025 AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion acceptance speech, "The Monstrous Hybrids in Our Midst," the issue establishes its central thesis: the disruptions we face are not anomalies but accelerating trends that demand immediate, thoughtful response. From Richard L. Hindle's exploration of coastal resilience through patent innovation, to Pablo Moyano Fernandez's innovative work with earth-formed concrete panels, the issue covers scales from the infrastructural to materiality.

The collection's strength lies in its refusal to retreat into either dystopian pessimism or naive optimism. Instead, as Editor-in-Chief Maurizio Sabini observes, it charts a path forward through thoughtful material innovation, ethical practice, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. These contributions collectively argue that navigating potential dark ages requires the cultivation of wisdom, community engagement, and the courage to experiment with new forms of spatial and social organization that can absorb disruption while maintaining their essential character.

Access the issue at https://www.theplanjournal.com/.

The Plan Journal announces the new Call for Submissions: “The Nature of Cities.”  This issue asks fundamental questions like “What are the strategies that can transform urban settlements towards “urban ecologies”? But also, how do we effect urban ecologies that can also celebrate cities’ “nature”?  The TPJ is seeking contributions around these questions, as well as discussions of best practices within academia and the professions, to explore and disseminate relevant research, innovative pedagogy and experimental practice that can help us move forward this necessary conversation in the fields of urbanism, architecture and landscape design. We will review full manuscripts submitted by September 8, even if no preliminary proposal was submitted.

https://theplanjournal.com/content/nature-cities

The latest issue of The Plan Journal delves into the complex concept of "Democratic Space" through eleven compelling contributions that examine critical inquiries, best practices, and case studies.

The role of spatial designers—architects, urban planners, and landscape architects—has always been intricately linked with democratic principles. This issue presents a timely opportunity to redefine professional practice and reinvent their fundamental approach to creating shared environments.

As Theresa Hoskyns observes in her opening position paper, "[by] thinking spatially about democracy as interconnected situated practices, we can develop a model of democracy that has a multitude of spaces linked to democratic struggles and local practices, taking on diverse virtual and physical forms."

The issue explores how spatial design can be a powerful mechanism for fostering democratic engagement, challenging traditional boundaries, and creating inclusive environments that reflect the nuanced dynamics of contemporary democratic experiences.

https://theplanjournal.com/issue/volume-92024-issue-2-democratic-space.