Top Ten Planning Issues Of 2002

Top Trends 2002 We have the enviable job of reviewing several hundred planning and development news articles, reports, books, studies, and editorials each month. We have been amazed and gratified by the feedback and contributions from the planning community -- many of our news articles are contributed by PLANetizen readers from across the U.S., and increasingly, from across the world. We track the popularity of the articles that appear on the PLANetizen website by measuring how many times the article is read. Based on these statistics, our editorial team selected the most important issues from 2002, along with links to some of the more popular or influential stories on each topic.

• Best Places to Live
• Understanding Urban Sprawl
• Smart Growth and New Urbanism
• Big Boxes and Retail
• Cities and the Creative Class
• Pedestrians and Cities
• Is Urban Planning Non-essential?
• SUVs and the Cost of Driving
• Impact of 9-11 On Our Cities
• The Future of Ground Zero

Best Places To Live

As housing costs continued to rise, Americans searched for the most affordable and livable cities. A report identified metropolitan areas with overpriced housing. Another offered a list of "bubble-proof" cities to buy a home. California finally beats out Florida as the most desirable state.

• Feb 05, 2002 - The Least Affordable Place To Buy A House
• May 02, 2002 - Top Ten Great College Towns
• Jun 24, 2002 - Top Five Cities To Buy A Home
• Jul 01, 2002 - Top Five Housing 'Bubble' Cities
• Dec 10, 2002 - Top 25 Safest And Most Dangerous Cities
• Jan 02, 2002 - Ten Cheapest Places To Live
• Sep 28, 2002 - Where Do Most Americans Want To Live?

Understanding Urban Sprawl

What does sprawl look like? How much does it cost? Which areas are sprawling the most? Urban planners tried to explain urban sprawl and its consequences.

• Oct 17, 2002 - Top Ten Sprawling Metro Areas
• Dec 09, 2002 - 'The Sticker Shock Of Sprawl'
• May 05, 2002 - PBS Looks At Sprawl, Housing, Architecture
• Oct 14, 2002 - A Bird's-Eye View Of Urban Sprawl

Smart Growth And New Urbanism

Smart Growth and New Urbanism continued to gather momentum and win supporters. Cities and towns explored these concepts and several development projects claimed to be influenced by them. However there was no dearth of criticism. Some claimed that New Urbanism is "Anti-American" or simply ineffective in slowing urban sprawl.

• Apr 23, 2002 - Urban Growth: The Next Generation
• Feb 18, 2002 - Why New Urbanism Fails
• Dec 17, 2002 - The Death Of New Urbanism
• Feb 19, 2002 - A Discussion On New Urbanism
• Oct 31, 2002 - The Three Types Of New Urbanism
• Oct 15, 2002 - Debunking New Urbanism
• Jun 17, 2002 - Why The Smart Growth Movement Will Fail

Big Boxes And Retail

After saturating the suburbs with stores, "big box" retailers started moving into dense city neighborhoods.  Communities left behind in the wake of retail closing explore new uses for abandoned big box store sites.  "Main street retail" became the newest real estate trend.

• Mar 13, 2002 - Empty Big Boxes: Communities Rethink The Strip Mall
• Nov 05, 2002 - Walmart's New C-Store
• Dec 30, 2002 - Artificial Urbanity: Main Street Retail
• Feb 07, 2002 - What To Do When A Big-box Retailer Comes Knocking?
• Sep 19, 2002 - Big Boxes Invade Urban Neighborhoods

Cities And The Creative Class

What makes a city successful? Traditional economic development is losing market share in favor of creating incentives that attract the “creative class” – the estimated 30% of people who are paid to think for a living. Competing views suggest that in order to attract a creative class, cities first need a vibrant bohemian, gay or ethnic communities to create diversity.

• Jun 10, 2002 - Creative Cities: Top Ten, Bottom Ten
• Jun 01, 2002 - Top Ten Creative Cities: Measuring Economic Potential

Pedestrians And Cities

As communities sprawl on the urban fringe, many suburban residents can no longer walk to a local restaurant or grocery store. Is the lack of pedestrian-friendly communities creating a public health crisis in the U.S.? Orlando, Florida wins the dubious designation as the most dangerous place to go for a walk.

• Nov 22, 2002 - Top Ten Dangerous Metro Areas For Pedestrians
• Aug 09, 2002 - Ten Steps To Pedestrian-Friendly Cities

Is Urban Planning Non-Essential?

In what is shaping up to be a disconcerting trend in 2003, several cities and counties faced with dire budget deficits are recommending that planning departments and commissions are "non-essential" and could be eliminated. 

• Nov 18, 2002 - City Council Says Planning Department is 'Non-Essential'
• Dec 24, 2002 - Another County Abolishes Planning Commission
• Dec 10, 2002 - APA Responds To Cincinnati's Decision To Cut Planning Dept.

SUVs And The Cost Of Driving

Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) served as a lightning rod for criticism. A campaign by a religious group asked Christians to abandon SUVs and drive fuel-efficient cars instead. A new book called the SUV "the world's most dangerous vehicle" and discussed its continuing popularity.  There was growing concern about the cost of transportation as Americans searched for cheaper housing.

• Nov 14, 2002 - 'What Would Jesus Drive?'
• Nov 04, 2002 - SUVs: The Deadly Cost Of A Mass Fantasy
• Apr 29, 2002 - The Real Cost Of Cars

Impact of 9-11 On Our Cities

Architecture and urban planning entered the national debate. Repercussions of 9-11 are expected to impact building codes, architecture, and urban design. The event gave rise to the questioning of current ideas about the future of cities and the role of architects and urban planners.

• Jan 09, 2002 - The End Of The Modern World
• Apr 15, 2002 - The End Of The Master Builder?
• Sep 16, 2002 - A Missed Learning Opportunity

The Future Of Ground Zero

Seven new design concepts developed by leading designers and architects to rebuild at the site of the World Trade Center made this the nation's most prominent design project.  The ideas were applauded for being imaginative and bold but also criticized for being unrealistic and deconstructionist.

• Dec 19, 2002 - Ground Zero: The Seven New Designs
• Dec 20, 2002 - WTC Designs: What Were They Thinking?
• Dec 21, 2002 - WTC Designs: Blight On New York
• Dec 22, 2002 - WTC: Iconic - Bold - Inspiring
• Dec 23, 2002 - Kuntsler Critiques New WTC Reconstruction Proposals
• Dec 31, 2002 - WTC: The Best Three Designs

Do you see these trends in your community continuing in 2003? Write a comment below and let us know what you think the top planning issues will be.

Abhijeet Chavan is managing editor of PLANetizen. Chris Steins is editor of PLANetizen.