Omnibus got a brand new look

The Omnibus has a brand new homepage! So this week instead of our regular feature, we invite you to poke around, check out features and forum posts you may have missed, and get to know the Omnibus collection even better than you already do.

As the Omnibus got rolling, we realized that navigating through our content hasn’t been quite as easy as it could be. Content was getting buried too quickly, and the connections between different pieces in the archive were too subtle. So, with great thanks to those who have provided feedback along the way, we bring you a brand new homepage.

What’s changed?

Well,

1. Our slideshow is slicker, and keeps recent features front and center longer.

2. Our forum is stickier. And it has migrated above the fold (whether or not all this “death of the newspaper” talk is right, long live print journalism metaphors).

3. You should get our email newsletter, be our fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, contribute your photos to our Flickr group, and/or subscribe to our RSS feed.If you haven’t yet, here are some easy links to take care of that in seconds.

And 4. Our recurring series are now more clearly surfaced, each with its own dedicated space.A recent post from each series is highlighted, or you can access all prior features that fit within that category by clicking on the series title.

Wait, you say, the Omnibus has recurring series? I thought each feature was self-contained? Well, yes. And no.

The point of our recurring series is close to the heart of the broader Omnibus game-plan: so much is going on in New York – so many innovations, interventions and opinions that mix and match design disciplines, exploit new technologies and points-of-view, or crib from other realms of inquiry. And yet, some of the most inspiring things going on at the intersection of design and the built environment of New York continue to be reported on within very specific communities of interest. Our recurring series slice the design activity that will determine the future of the city in other ways. Specifically:

Act Local spotlights projects and organizations whose field of action is a particular patch of New York, in order to collect perspectives on how locally-based initiatives affect the design and building of the city.

Make it Visible showcases innovative strategies in communicating and explicating complex or hidden urban conditions and processes.

Vanguard presents groundbreaking new ideas and technologies, examines the process behind their development and their impact on design and urbanism.

Sites + Projects profiles exemplary and interdisciplinary physical interventions in the city’s fabric. This feature will concentrate on the specific architectural application of ideas and strategies covered elsewhere in the Omnibus collection.

Unseen Machine illuminates the technologies that keep the city running day-to-day and introduces the characters and designs involved in maintaining, managing and re-imagining the technologies and systems that make New York work.

Walks and Talks introduces figures involved in the design, building and ‘thinking’ of the city – informally and in their own words – ranging from city commissioners to architects to community activists to artists. The series will profile both well-known and unrecognized voices in private practice, scholarship, public service and local leadership.

Writing the City envisions New York City through written reflection and opinion.

and then there are two more new ways to filter our content:

At the Architectural League alerts you to Omnibus-relevant events, public programs, podcasts, and other goings-on at our parent organization, the Architectural League of New York, one of America’s premier forums for the presentation and discussion of creative and intellectual work in architecture and urbanism.

Live Events fills you in on upcoming meet-ups and recaps of past happenings presented by Urban Omnibus.

So, explore, enjoy and keep coming back for more Omnibus.