Land Use

In San Francisco, the mid-Market St. area has struggled for decades with blighted conditions. An area property owner thinks that digital billboards could solve the problem, and has put a proposition on the local ballot to get them built.

Different cities have different levels of greenhouse gas emissions. A new study looks at how they are different and why.

A federal judge has allowed a citywide ban on new digital billboards and building-sized supergraphics to continue.

Could smoke rising from a barbeque pit be considered a sign, and thus be controlled under sign regulations? Zoning officials in East Berlin, PA say yes.

High hopes for city change are attached to Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Even if the city wins the bid this Friday, the impact is likely to be modest, according to Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin.

The World, the artificial islands being constructed off the coast of Dubai in the shape of a global map, has been officially canceled.

That's what the Maricopa Association of Governments is proposing, to meet the needs of the millions projected to move into the Phoenix metro area by 2050, along with 320 miles of new rail transit. Some are questioning the population projections.

Allison Arieff argues that cities should look to reversible parks modeled on the Pavement to Parks program to prevent blight, combat the practice of land banking, and model sustainable practices.

Environmental groups in New Jersey have warned that state legislators are planning to bring forth a series of bills that could negatively affect local planning powers and state environmental controls.

A new report in the journal Nature suggests that there are seven thresholds for determining planetary health -- and we're already past three of them.

Some call it a city of neighborhoods. This piece from the San Francisco Chronicle looks at the history of the urban form of San Francisco and why it looks the way it does today.

Urban sports like bike polo and urban golf are taking off in Germany, and are beginning to bring life back to formerly uninhabited concrete spaces.

I'll have a Conditional Use Permit, on the rocks, with a twist...

Can Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace replace the neighborhood bar, cafe, or hangout? Mary Newsom says no.

Lynchburg, VA approved a new regulation to control big box development in their city earlier this week, despite protests that it would hurt the economy of the area.

Crafted with a sort of evangelical "New Ruralism," the 166-acre Agritopia neighborhood east of Phoenix mixes gardens, pastures, orchards, restaurants, lush trails, and more with historically inspired homes designed to bring neighbors together.

Fred Kent of the Project for Public Spaces was recently entangled in a dispute with architect Frank Gehry over the impact of iconic architecture in cities. Though Gehry's work has its moments, Kent says city emphasis on icons is a mistake.

Although climate change is a predominant issue for California's land use planners, they concede they are just making up new practices and lack the tools they really need. Paul Shigley reports from the CAL APA Conference.