Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world. Everyone has probably seen the footage of the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge and its crazy wobbling at one time or another. Most people would think about it as soon you say "earthquake" and "bridge", but what caused the bridge to twist and bend and eventually collapse was actually the wind... and cost cutting. There had been talk of building a bridge to connect Tacoma and Kitsap Peninsula in Washington since the 1880s. Almost 50 years later, engineer Clark Eldridge came up with the original blueprints. It was supposed to be a fairly standard suspension bridge costing $11 million. By the time the bridge was being constructed however, the design had undergone some tweaks by Leon Moisseiff, a New York engineer. Moisseiff already had a name for himself after working on both the Manhattan and Golden Gate bridges, and his redesign slimmed down the bridge at Tacoma Narrows, making it more "elegant" and also knocked about $4 million off the price tag.

WHAT: All of Spacing's heritage-style t-shirt on sale WHEN: Monday until Sunday (May 14-20, 2012) WHERE: on Spacing's e-store COST: $22 (usually $30) with promo code and includes shipping We've been having another stretch of great weather and that's put us in the mood for another t-shirt sale! Each of our town heritage shirts display the coat of arms or corporate seal of former towns and villages that have been absorbed into the city of Toronto. All week, Spacing is offering a special discount on our Toronto Town heritage t-shirts.  You can pick up on for East York, The Junction, and Etobicoke! Usually, our t-shirts run for $30 each, but we're slashing prices this week: only $22! The Spacing e-store is the only place this t-shirt is available, so we encourage you to act now.

Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world. It's been in international headlines throughout the past few weeks over false reports that it will be changing its name, but this tiny Austrian hamlet has been "Fucking" (or close to it) since the Dark Ages.

We're putting the final touches on the Summer 2012 issue of Spacing (it's one of our most exciting issues yet!) in order to have it ready for release at the end of the month. With all the prep that goes into our subscriber mailings, that means that this weekend will be the last chance to get in your new subscriptions (for you, or a friend!) or to renew in order to be included in the mailing and receive the issue hot off the press. Subscribing to Spacing ...

Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world. While it looks like an unused set for the movie Waterworld, Neft Dashlari isn't just the world's first offshore oil rig, it's elevated platforms have become home to a fairly unique urban community with nothing but waterfront property.

WHAT: Back issue sale WHEN: Today until Sunday (May 4-6) WHERE: on Spacing's e-store COST: Normally $5 each (including shipping), or $8 on newsstands It's the perfect time to fill the missing gaps in your Spacing collection! From now until the end of Sunday, May 6th, we will be offering a 33% discount on all back issue orders.

Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world. Parking garages usually don't make it very high on a city's list of urban beautification projects — most end up looking pretty similar to each other. Kansas City, MO is one of the cities who have broken the mould. The parking garage of city's downtown public library branch has a 25-foot tall "bookshelf" facade made from signboard mylar that features the spines of a number of local stories as well as many famous works.

Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world. One year after it was opened, the Brooklyn Bridge was still a topic of skepticism for New Yorkers—many still believed that it would crumble into the East River under the weight of commuters. In 1884, P.T. Barnum organized a publicity stunt to show off the structural integrity of the bridge. With much spectacle, he held a procession ...

Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world. Ever visit a new city and have a hard time getting the lay of the land? What will you do once you check into your hotel, turn on the news and find out that legions of undead picked your vacation week to rise up with brain-eating fervor? Map of the Dead has you covered.

Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world. Ever heard of William O'Dwyer's proposal of running a Mid-Manhattan elevated expressway through the 10th and 11th floors of the Empire State Building? Crazy, right? Well, Japan did it.