Op-Ed

Should a University invoke eminent domain in its plans for expansion? If so, what responsibility do developer-universities have to the community?

The architectural reform movement called New Urbanism is proving highly influential, and therefore it merits rigorous critique and analysis. But some recent arguments may reveal less about the movement's real flaws, and more about one line of attack and its deceptive polemical practices.

Marisa Cravens examines planning through the cinematic lens with a recent compilation of important planning movies reflecting the instincts and hidden goals of planners.

Critical Mass, a monthly gathering of cyclists originally founded in San Francisco, has quickly become a worldwide phenomenon. Rocco Pendola discusses the origins of this loose confederation of bike riders, its philosophical underpinnings, and its relationship with New Urbanism, smart growth, and temporary urbanism -- an alternative way of looking at public space.

The current tsunami disaster should cause serious rethinking of seaside development for all coastal locations, but there is little evidence that it will. When people and developers refuse to see the folly of living at the water's edge, then government must step in and effectively protect people from themselves and nature from people.

Jeff Speck offers advice -- in the form ten City Design Resolutions -- for city mayors who want to build better places.

Weblogs are helping the World Wide Web realize its potential, writes Planetizen co-founder and editor, Abhijeet Chavan.

Transportation policy often passes under the radar of political analysts and media commentators. Yet mobility is too important to the economic vitality of the nation to remain invisible in the policy dialogue.

Without a fundamental shift by government to address the fundamental policies that exacerbate urban sprawl, building new light rail systems and subsidizing select projects alone will have little impact on urban growth patterns or environmental preservation.

The challenge for architecture is to be more firmly rooted in the real patterns of human activity. Michael Mehaffy reports on the 'New Science, New Architecture' Conference in London.

A comparison of American and Canadian cities demonstrates that sprawl in has less to do with the American Dream than with the influence the highway, oil and auto lobby has on US transportation policy.

Buying a home in a New Urbanist neighborhood in Eugene, Oregon becomes a practical lesson on the line separating academic discussions on New Urbanism and personal lifestyle choices for Professor Sriram Khé.

The Smart Land Use (SLU) movement is undertaking very important work evolving the 20-acre transit village paradigm, but is ignoring massive trends that affect many more people than SLU efforts do. The movement must develop new ideas and technologies to bring SLU to more people and to make Rail~Volution relevant.

The federal government can play a transformative rather than divisive role if it becomes a better partner in land use, housing - and especially transportation.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signs a bill that institutionalizes form-based zoning for the first time in California history.

High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) and Carpool Lanes promote congestion, while benefiting few commuters. Charging tolls rather than using HOV lanes will reduce traffic while bringing in much needed transportation funding.

"If we wish to preserve a free society," Friedrick Hayek once wrote, "it is essential that we recognize that the desirability of a particular object is not sufficient justification for the use of coercion." These are words worth remembering this year, on the 60th anniversary of Hayek's seminal work, The Road to Serfdom.

While growth is inevitable, the overcrowding and overuse of transportation is not. Using technology in conjunction with politics, private transportation will be more efficient using centralized computing to clear current roadways.

Studies show that accessory apartments could provide very large numbers of affordable rental units in good neighborhoods, without subsidy or rent controls. These ideas deserve increased research and development funding, not spins on the wheel of funding roulette.

In PLANetizen's new interview series, Stefanos Polyzoides, co-founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism and co-principal of the architecture and urbanist firm Moule & Polyzoides, answers reader and editor questions about the roots of the New Urbanism and its impacts. He also describes the true objectives of the CNU Charter and shares his candid views about the promises and frustrations of today's development environment.