Community / Economic Development

Jamie Lerner Discusses BRT, "Portable Streets", and Sustainability

The Dirt interviewed Jamie Lerner, an architect, designer, and former Mayor/Governor from Brazil who is credited with introducing the world's first BRT system in Curitiba, Brazil.

March 7, 2011 - THE DIRT

Philadelphia Housing Authority Forced To Step Aside For HUD

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will take on the responsibilities of the Philadelphia agency for at least one year, after revelations of profligate spending led to the termination of the former Executive Director.

March 7, 2011 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Facebook Charrette: New Headquarters Could Reinvigorate a City

As Facebook prepares to relocate its corporate headquarters from Palo Alto to Menlo Park, the company organized a day-long charrette to get input from architects, planners, and community members about how to "turn this neighborhood inside out."

March 7, 2011 - San Jose Mercury News

Nashville Poised for Growth

Aaron M. Renn says that Nashville has very few significant assets in comparison with other Midwestern cities, but it appears to poised for significant growth. What's happening in Nashville?

March 5, 2011 - New Geography

The Dark Side to the World's Most Livable City

From high drug use to overpriced housing, Vancouver has its flaws despite its 5-year strong top spot as the world's most livable city.

March 4, 2011 - National Post

What Do Twitter Patterns Say About Your City?

A study of Twitter-use patterns found that some cities are far more active early in the morning, while others showed higher activity at night or on weekends.

March 3, 2011 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Is the Nation's Affordable Housing Supply Overwhelmed?

Colleen O'Connor, a writer for The Denver Post, uses the case of Colorado to demonstrate what she sees as an inadequate supply of affordable housing across the country.

March 3, 2011 - The Denver Post

Tourist-Centric Venice Loses Population

As floods increase and the tourist-focus of the city pervades, Venice, Italy is losing much of its charm -- and its native population.

March 3, 2011 - Der Spiegel

Squatters Dominate Caracas Tower Amid Housing Shortage

As housing costs rise and supplies dwindle in Caracas, more than 2500 squatters have occupied a downtown skyscraper.

March 2, 2011 - The New York Times

The Unlikely Biennale of Landscape Urbanism

A landscape urbanism biennale in an unlikely suburb of Tel Aviv offers its working class citizens a look how their city can change for the better.

March 2, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

New City to Sprout in Qatar Ahead of World Cup

Qatar is building cities from scratch ahead of its hosting duties for the 2022 World Cup. One city to be located near the tournament's final match will house 200,000.

March 2, 2011 - Bloomberg

Which is More Livable: Eco-Cities or Mega-Cities?

Are greenfield developments designed with sustainability in mind or already-built metropolises better for the environment and the people?

March 1, 2011 - THE DIRT

Transport is Key in Science Hub

A hub of information and communications technology known as Kista Science City in Stockholm, Sweden, has focused on intelligent transportation to fuel its success.

March 1, 2011 - Next American City

People Power Vs. Weeds

Gene Dunn, a 63-year-old resident of Ventura, California cuts weeds with his square shovel on public streets. City leaders would like to recruit an army of Gene Dunns.

February 28, 2011 - Ventura County Star

The Contradictions of Regulating Temporary Spaces

As popularity of "temporary urbanism" initiatives rises, there are increasingly efforts to regulate these sites. Jonna McKone of TheCityFix analyzes the trend.

February 27, 2011 - TheCityFix

House Committee Wants to Kill HUD, USDOT and EPA Programs

The House Appropriations Committee announced earlier this month a proposed elimination of HUD, USDOT and EPA sustainability programs, in addition to pulling already-awarded funding for TIGER grants.

February 27, 2011 - PlaceShakers

Energy Efficiency is about Location, Location, Location

A new peer reviewed study reveals that housing located in compact, transit-oriented and location efficient developments are more likely to consume less energy than developments in low density suburban areas.

February 25, 2011 - NRDC

An Urbanized and Unequal Planet

In this piece from Metropolis, Joel Kotkin argues that as the world urbanizes, cities are becoming increasingly unequal and do not provide the opportunities they once did.

February 25, 2011 - Metropolis

Industry Leaders Gather to Discuss Future of Cities

A new conference that debuted in San Francisco this week is devoted to creating smarter, greener, and more prosperous cities for the future.

February 25, 2011 - Fast Company

Considering a 9th Ward Land Trust

Residents in New Orleans' still-struggling 9th Ward are considering the creation of a land trust to help revitalize the neighborhood.

February 24, 2011 - Miller-McCune

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.