• 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)