Land Use

Forty residents of Nairobi's Mukuru slum have petitioned "some of Kenya's most powerful individuals, companies and banks, demanding rights to the land they live on and an end to forced evictions." They've already succeeded in halting some evictions.

September 27, 2012 - The Independent

Beset by daunting challenges, and a summer of stinging articles and reports, the chairman of the New York City Housing Authority has announced a controversial plan to raise hundreds of millions of dollars by leasing land to private developers.

September 27, 2012 - The New York Times

Chris Bentley reports on the complex discussions centered around what to do with the sites of two massive coal plants closing this month in Chicago. As Bentley notes, "what happens to these 132 acres in Chicago could have nationwide implications."

September 26, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Nate Berg reports on the legal problems that can arise when a good Samaritan tries to create a park on a vacant lot.

September 26, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

A new report from the NRDC and Move LA documents the implementation of California's landmark SB 375, the nation’s first law to link transportation and land use planning with greenhouse gas emissions.

September 25, 2012 - Switchboard

Last Friday was annual PARK(ing) Day, and for Howard Blackson, who participated in a pilot park(let) project in San Diego, the reasons to enable context appropriate civic space was underscored again.

September 25, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Eric Jaffe writes on a new interactive planning initiative in Louisville, Kentucky, that takes a hands-on approach to public engagement.

September 25, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Susan Klemond looks at what it will take to protect and expand the Twin Cities's tremendous legacy of parks to meet the changing demographics and needs of the area's population.

September 24, 2012 - MinnPost

In the developed world, increased urbanization can be a net boon for the environment. Yet, writes Bryan Walsh, if not planned for carefully, the rapid urbanization of developing world could have a dramatic impact on climate change and biodiversity.

September 24, 2012 - Time

The opening of the arena at the center of the controversial Atlantic Yards redevelopment project, after nine years of lawsuits, design changes, and unfulfilled promises, has residents of Brooklyn bracing for its impact on their neighborhoods.

September 24, 2012 - The New York Times

As St. Louis and Portland speed along with new streetcar developments, Yonah Freemark considers how zoning may determine the success of one, and the failure of another.

September 23, 2012 - the transport politic

New York City's supertall skyscrapers court billionaires, selling prime real estate in the sky for tens of millions of dollars. The latest trophy building, One57, will soon become the city's tallest building with residences.

September 23, 2012 - The New York Times

Decaying and disused buildings litter many American inner-city neighborhoods. In Houston, one imaginative project turns potential into pride and empowerment by creating unique, new uses for old homes.

September 23, 2012 - Switchboard

Despite the rise in bicycling in many U.S. cities, federal funds have shrunk in the recent transportation bill. However changes in the way funds are allocated allows for more local control, and cities are stepping up.

September 22, 2012 - Politco

First appearing in San Francisco in 2005, Park(ing) Day aims to call attention to the need for more urban open space by taking over parking spots and re-purposing them as temporary public spaces. Today it is being celebrated across the world.

September 21, 2012 - The New York Times

Mackenzie Keast surveys the ten fundamental principles for placemaking identified by New York-based Project for Public Spaces (PPS) in their newly released handbook Placemaking and the Future of Cities.

September 20, 2012 - Urban Times

A provocative art project dubbed the Urban Living Room has appeared on the streets of Rotterdam, its first stop on a worldwide journey to "support dialogue and connection in public realm."

September 20, 2012 - The Pop-Up City

Does a smart city have to pursue sustainability goals? Does it have to utilize the internet to involve citizens? Boyd Cohen tries to put some parameters around the discussion of smart cities - a nebulous term that means many things to many people.

September 20, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Seattle is a city of grids (plural). Downtown, alone, contains three, making for some pretty interesting transportation challenges. Some argue it's simply part of what makes the city livable.

September 20, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Rick Hampson explores the New Urbanist vision for how cities will be designed and planned over the next 30 years, as told by the movement's co-founder, Andres Duany.

September 19, 2012 - USA Today