North America

Waiting for the Subway

When compared to China's accomplishments in completing subway lines, North America's cities look exceedingly timid, where construction timeframes can stretch into decades. Will Doig examined why.
7 February 2012 - 6:00am
Salon.com

Innovation when Good Planning Policy Has Become the Norm

Scott Doyon argues for a stripped-down, back-to-basics 'punk rock' approach to urban growth and development to replace the 'rock and roll' excesses of planning during the housing boom; and he profiles the new innovators who are doing just that.
5 February 2012 - 11:00am
PlaceShakers

North America Rethinks Its Strip Malls

As the strip malls ubiquitous across the suburbs of the United States and Canada lose favor and become increasingly derelict, planners and developers debate whether there is anything about the 'retail relics' worth salvaging.
1 February 2012 - 12:00pm
France 24

The Ten Best Preservation Projects in the Last Five Years

Writing in Urban Land, Ron Nyren highlights his top ten historic preservation projects from the last half-decade.
19 January 2012 - 6:00am
Urban Land

Six Trending Urbanist Themes for the New Year

Chuck Wolfe analyzes his 2011 articles which appeared on Planetizen and in other sources, and derives his urbanist trends to watch for in 2012.
31 December 2011 - 1:00pm
myurbanist

Rules for Planning Successful Retail Developments

Hazel Borys discusses how several key form-based guidelines for retail can encourage success in the most risky of all development types.
24 December 2011 - 7:00am
PlaceShakers

Life in the Slow Lane

After decades of building for speed, cities are rediscovering the virtues of slow: walking, biking and streetcars are taking over from freeways.
19 December 2011 - 10:00am
Salon.com

Potholes as Parks?

Writing in Grist, Chuck Wolfe provides a counterintuitive look at what to do about potholes and how they could become "the universal darlings of walkable urbanism".
17 December 2011 - 9:00am
Grist

As Long as It's Flexible, No End for Urban Retail

Last week, a panel of retailers and developers discussed the challenges--and, ultimately, the keys to success--of urban retail. Susan Piperato reports.
10 December 2011 - 7:00am
National Real Estate Investor

Rebranding Planning so the Public Understands

Robin Rather, CEO of Collective Strength, speaks about how planners can build support for planning in their communities and counter critics.
2 December 2011 - 12:00pm
APA

How - and Where - Should We Live?

A new report predicts how - and where - we'll be living in the near future, and where planners and developers should focus.
19 November 2011 - 9:00am
The Atlantic Cities

Senate Approves Federal Funding for NJ Rail Tunnel

Despite cancelling the ARC Tunnel project last year, New Jersey may build an alternative tunnel using U.S. Senate funding.
15 November 2011 - 2:00pm
TheCityFix.com

Art As Urban Change Agent

Elizabeth Currid-Halkett examins the viability of arts driven urban revitalization and finds that the strongest predictor of success is the nature of the art being produced and exhibited in the neighborhood.
7 November 2011 - 12:00pm
The New York Times

The Irrationality Of Federal Infrastructure Spending

Charles Marohn believes that the way the US manages its infrastructure spending is problematic He finds that the lack of federal support for maintenance leads states to irrationally prioritize new projects over repairing old.
3 November 2011 - 1:00pm
Strong Towns Blog

The Reality TV Approach to Public Participation

Urban planning professors from the University of Kansas suggest that televising community meetings and using techniques from reality TV could significantly increase participation.
28 October 2011 - 1:00pm
Journal Of The American Planning Association

Cities Want Their Parks Back

In occupied cities across North America, sanitation and noise concerns, as well as conflicts over scheduled public uses of parks, are leading to official efforts to end the protests.
27 October 2011 - 11:00am
Winnipeg Free Press

Improving The Gentrification Process

Kaid Benfield argues that continues revitalization of inner city neighborhoods is essential to achieving an equitable civil society, sustainable patterns of growth and maintaining a tax base to fund civic improvements.
22 October 2011 - 1:00pm
The Atlantic

America's Most Appealing Welcome Signs

Mark Byrnes' slideshow introduces the most welcoming welcome signs in North America.
22 October 2011 - 11:00am
The Atlantic

New Report Examines Growing Practice of Tax-Increment Financing for Development

A new report from PIRG identifies problems in the practice of TIFs (tax-increment financing) and suggests ideas for reform.
12 October 2011 - 8:00am
Research report released by U.S. PIRG
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