DIY Urbanism

As Parklets Bloom, SF Stays True to its Roots

As the number of completed parklets in San Francisco nears three dozen, after debuting only two years ago, "the latest trend in urban placemaking" has entered the planning mainstream without losing its grassroots origins.

July 16, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

Little Libraries Are Having a Big Impact

Public libraries across America are threatened by reduced staffing, resources, and hours due to budget cuts. However, "little libraries" are popping up in communities across the country as urbanists seek to redefine public space and librarianship.

June 2, 2012 - Places

When Will the Pop-Up Bubble Burst?

Kelly Chan explores how temporary architecture is changing our relationship to the built environment, and asks "how permanent is our current fascination for the temporary?"

May 12, 2012 - Art Info

The Street Hacker Finds an Open Source Embrace in SF

Emily Badger tracks the hacking phenomenon as it migrates from the virtual to the physical world, and the official channels that are embracing and facilitating its emergence.

May 8, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Guerrilla Crosswalk Debuts in France

Jeroen Beekmans reports on the pet project of "urban hacktivist" Florian Rivière to produce light-weight pop-up crosswalks.

March 31, 2012 - The Pop-Up City

Is It Time to Hit the Pause Button on Tactical Urbanism?

Mimi Zeiger pens a contrarian's take on the growing popularity of DIY urbanism, noting the danger in what she deems a conservative urban-planning position.

March 9, 2012 - LAB|log

What Do Pop-Up Shops and Homelessness Reveal About Urban Land Use?

On the land use spectrum, pop-up shops and homelessness operate at very different ends and from disparate positions of power. Ann Deslandes investigates the commonalities that bind them.

February 16, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

Do It Yourself Urban Design

Gordon Douglas, writing for Good Magazine, explains that there has been an increase in the "unauthorized, creative alteration of public spaces for the common good" by enterprising citizens.

April 13, 2011 - GOOD Magazine

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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