Urban Development
New developments in Oakland and San Francisco are luring in eco-conscious homeseekers with free transit passes and discounts on carsharing programs.
San Francisco Business Times
The two owners of a traditional 8-acre strip, big box retail center in San Francisco have asked for an amendment to the neighborhood plan (undergoing revision) to allow them to add housing on top of their stores, thus doubling the height limit.
San Francisco Examiner
An industry expert predicted at ULI's fall meeting that the new home market could pick back up by 2010, followed by a rally in the resale market in 2011.
ULI's The Ground Floor
Valued at more than $115 million during the boom, a prominent Hong Kong-based developer has bought the unbuilt Brickell CitiCentre development site for $41.3 million. Similar transactions are happening on other key properties in Miami's downtown.
Miami Herald
The Department of Housing and Urban Development says the new rules will help buyers understand broker's fees will limit fee increases, and they are currently seeking legislation to give them the power to enforce the rules.
The Wall St. Journal
According to the Urban Land Institute, there is no need for Atlanta to continue building; currently, there is more than four times more construction going on than there is office spaced being used.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
More retail, joining residential and office developments, is seen as the crucial linchpin in the ongoing revitalization of Columbia, SC's Main Street.
The State
Feature
Oil is running out and the climate is changing. How this impacts cities will largely be determined by how the urban design field reacts.
When President-elect Obama takes office in January, he says, an Office of Urban Policy will be established, and a Director of Urban Policy will be in place to "coordinate all federal urban programs."
The Washington Post
Military towns are seeing home sales go up despite decreasing home values elsewhere across the country, thanks in part to a steady wartime economy.
Chicago Tribune
New office and apartment buildings in New York City are now mandated to provide a certain proportion of secure bike parking spaces.
Business Week
Wendell Cox looks at how single-family detached housing came to be, and why it's likely to remain a popular option for the middle class.
New Geography
Almost 90% of the homeowners in Mountain House, CA, a planned smart growth community in the Central Valley, owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth- the highest percentage in the country.
The New York Times
In what may prove a decisive test to see the political limits of what green building offers developers, a LEED Platinum, 10-story office building is proposed along San Francisco's tightly regulated waterfront - exceeding the height limit by 40 feet.
San Francisco Chronicle
'It stinks,'says Mayor John Hipp of Rutherford, New Jersey, as his town struggles to fulfill its requirements for affordable housing. The planning board has reluctantly agreed to require affordable units in a previously planned redevelopment site.
The Leader
Portland's Pioneer Square, designed back in 1983, is still looked t as a model of successful public space design. Landscape Architect Doug Macy looks back on the thought that went into the design.
Daily Journal of Commerce
Lofts and ground floor retail envelop a new Lowe's store in Charlotte, forming a buffer between the large store and the surrounding Dilworth neighborhood.
The Charlotte Observer
A future housing development is planned next to Vancouver's GM Place Stadium. 'It’s certainly different than the livability we’ve stressed elsewhere,'says Planning Director Brent Toderian.
Straight.com
This article looks at the concept of "planning gain" -- in which cities gain amenities as concessions for allowing big developments -- and finds that the benefits are often outweighed.
Evening Standard
The age of sprawl is ending in Atlanta, according to Christopher Leinberger, who highlights the city's move towards a more dense, walkable future.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
