Commercial Space

Vacant commerical parking lot in front of shuttered strip mall.

Opinion: Strip Malls Are a Huge Untapped Source for Housing

Redeveloping just the best-suited 10 percent of America’s strip malls could result in 700,000 new affordable homes nationwide.

December 17, 2023 - Next City

Colorful illustration of San Francisco downtown.

Pop-Up Shops are Reviving Dormant Downtowns

The future of downtown retail is uncertain. In the meantime, pop-ups fill the gaps and provide small businesses with unique opportunities to showcase their wares.

November 22, 2023 - Route Fifty

Regrets of an Accidental Placemaker

My pitches for space usually centered around the developer’s needs and not the needs of the neighborhood or its residents. I didn’t pay much attention to what impact those events would have on the surrounding neighborhoods.

June 27, 2018 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Google Headquarters Expansion Trips Near the Finish Line

Negotiations between the city of Mountain View and tech giant Google over the latter's plans to expand its headquarters recently took a strange turn.

October 4, 2017 - The Mercury News

The End is Near for the Commercial Strip

Several factors are leading to the end of commercial strip development while simultaneously leading to more and more town centers and mixed-use facilities.

March 10, 2011 - UrbanLand

Huge Redevelopment Project Coming to Sacramento

12,000 new homes could be coming to Sacramento over the next two decades -- part of a $5.3 billion redevelopment focused on the city's historic railyards.

August 13, 2009 - The New York Times

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Top Books

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.