History / Preservation

The Warhol Community

In comparing the legacies of artist Andy Warhol and urban thinker Jane Jacobs, this essay suggests that the sort of urban community we think of today is more a result of Warhol.

May 6, 2011 - Places

Subtle Changes in American Density

Density -- either high or low or somewhere in the middle -- is a key defining element of our cities. In this essay, Witold Rybczynski looks at the relative densities of U.S. cities and suggests that things may start to change subtly.

May 5, 2011 - Wilson Quarterly

Addressing Preservation and its Problems in San Francisco

As officials in San Francisco debate the city's historic preservation policies, this column looks back at some of the ways the city has successfully preserved its past and some of the ways the process is broken.

May 5, 2011 - San Francisco Chronicle

Environmentalists and New Urbanists Battle Over Proposed Development

Plans to redevelop former salt ponds in the San Francisco Bay Area have pitted environmentalists against New Urbanists.

May 4, 2011 - Grist

Landscape Architecture's Obscurity

L.A.'s landscape architects are relatively obscure compared to their architect counterparts. Is this obscurity the reason landscape architecture isn't as protected as architecture?

May 3, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

A New Strategy for Shrinking Cities

In this article, Roberta Brandes Gratz argues that demolition-based strategies are not an effective way for shrinking cities to promote revitalization. Instead, she cites a recent auction of blighted homes in New Orleans as a better alternative.

May 2, 2011 - Citiwire

Major Cities Throughout History

Cities have existed since about 5000 B.C. This post from Business Insider looks at some of the most important cities throughout history.

April 27, 2011 - Business Insider

The Case Against Redevelopment Agencies

An article in City Journal praises Governor Jerry Brown's efforts to defund California's redevelopment agencies at a time when the state faces a $26 billion deficit. The author writes that the agencies are wasteful and ineffective.

April 26, 2011 - City Journal

When is Historic Preservation Just Misplaced Nostalgia?

With projects in the U.S. and the U.K., architect Rafael Vinoly attempts to navigate "the hazy and treacherous borderlands that lie between architectural history and public nostalgia."

April 25, 2011 - The Atlantic

The Yin and Yang of Urban Redevelopment in Hong Kong

Researchers from the University of Washington trace the history and development of Hong Kong, the skyscraper capital of the world, from reclamation of waterfront land in the 1800's to contentious urban renewal projects today.

April 25, 2011 - Metropolis Magazine

Growth and Decline in the World's 590 Most Populated Cities

This interactive visualization presents population data and projections for the world's 590 most populated, showing how their populations compare to one another over time.

April 25, 2011 - Visualizing

Photographing the Exclusion Zone in Nuclear Japan

This video from VBS follows photographer Donald Weber into the exclusion zone around the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, where he documents the aftermath of the evacuation.

April 23, 2011 - VBS

Sprawl, European Style

The U.S. often gets a bad rap for its sprawling suburbs and unplanned development, but Robert Kwolek notes that many European cities and other parts of the world aren't far behind.

April 22, 2011 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Looking at Olmsted and His Legacy

A new television documentary on Frederick Law Olmsted looks at the legacy of his Central Park and the sometimes serendipitous way he was able to leave an impact on the urban landscape of the U.S.

April 22, 2011 - The New York Times

The Need for 'Blue Urbanism'

In a world heavily composed of and reliant on water, how we treat our oceans should be a major aspect of the way we think about planning and living on this planet, according to Timothy Beatley.

April 22, 2011 - Places

Recovery and Rebirth in Cleveland

A city in decline for decades, Cleveland is showing signs of recovery, according to this article from Smithsonian.

April 14, 2011 - Smithsonian

Libraries as Disappearing Public Spaces

With funding in question, the future of public libraries is uncertain. This slideshow explores how libraries function as a commons and public space in American cities.

April 12, 2011 - Places

The Importance of Trees

Elms, oaks and poplars- trees are an important part of our landscape, but their anonymity means that preservation can be challenging.

April 8, 2011 - The Cultural Landscape Foundation

Aging Infrastructure Will Cost Canada Big

Canadian cities are facing major backlogs in terms of maintaining and updating infrastructure. Putting off the work is expected to cost cities billions.

April 8, 2011 - The Vancouver Sun

Making Venice Work

The city of Venice, Italy, is a complex, historic, watery, tourist-filled place. This video explains how the city works.

April 8, 2011 - Open Culture

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.

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.