North America

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.

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.

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.

Writing in Urban Land, Ron Nyren highlights his top ten historic preservation projects from the last half-decade.

Chuck Wolfe analyzes his 2011 articles which appeared on Planetizen and in other sources, and derives his urbanist trends to watch for in 2012.

Hazel Borys discusses how several key form-based guidelines for retail can encourage success in the most risky of all development types.

After decades of building for speed, cities are rediscovering the virtues of slow: walking, biking and streetcars are taking over from freeways.

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".

Last week, a panel of retailers and developers discussed the challenges--and, ultimately, the keys to success--of urban retail. Susan Piperato reports.

Robin Rather, CEO of Collective Strength, speaks about how planners can build support for planning in their communities and counter critics.

A new report predicts how - and where - we'll be living in the near future, and where planners and developers should focus.

Despite cancelling the ARC Tunnel project last year, New Jersey may build an alternative tunnel using U.S. Senate funding.

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.

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.

Urban planning professors from the University of Kansas suggest that televising community meetings and using techniques from reality TV could significantly increase participation.

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.

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.

Mark Byrnes' slideshow introduces the most welcoming welcome signs in North America.

A new report from PIRG identifies problems in the practice of TIFs (tax-increment financing) and suggests ideas for reform.