Landscape Architecture

Redesigning the National Mall

Got what it takes to revamp the Union Square, Washington Monument Grounds, and Constitution Gardens? The design competition is now open to anyone who has the vision of making this revered space in D.C. the "best park in the world."

September 9, 2011 - THE DIRT

Faking It: Imitations of Cities Around the Globe

For better or worse, cities mimic each other, making replicas of great landmarks down to unique light fixtures. The Infrastructurist selects top 5 cities that do the job well. Not surprisingly, Shanghai earns the title as the hallmark of knock-offs.

September 9, 2011 - The Infrastructurist

Mixed Emotions at 9/11 Memorial

James S. Russell walks the new memorial at the World Trade Center site, and finds it "a place of quiet dignity" that is saddled with an unnecessary $300 million museum and visitors center.

September 6, 2011 - Bloomberg

The Cardinal Rules for Climate Action Plans

Any prospect for the green initiatives to produce desired results requires more than just aggressive reduction targets, according to The Economist. It comes down to scope and suitability, the two factors that vary greatly from city to city.

September 4, 2011 - The Economist

Melbourne Ranked as Most Livable City

With high scores in five broad categories, Melbourne, Australia received the highest spot in livability rankings from The Economist's research unit.

September 2, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

Inside Philadelphia's New Water Management System

This infographic explains the new green techniques that will revise the way Philadelphia catches and processes stormwater.

August 31, 2011 - OnEarth Magazine

Organizers Pushing Philly High Line

Community organizers in Philadelphia are leading an effort to convert a disused elevated railway into a park.

August 30, 2011 - The Philadelphia Daily News

You Can Name Philadelphia’s Next Great Public Space

A new public space is coming to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, and the city plans to crowdsource its name.

August 24, 2011 - University City District

My Future City is Houston?

The BMW Guggenheim Lab has released an online urban planning game called "Urbanology," which asks a serious of questions to determine the type of city you think is the future.

August 22, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

How New Yorkers Saved Their Public Spaces

Laura Vanderkam tells of a not-too-distant past where New York's parks and public places were in disarray, and it took public-private partnerships to bring them back to their former glory (and maybe better).

August 22, 2011 - City Journal

A Fictional City Traced in the Desert

A recent art project in Peru utilizes a robotic vehicle to trace a scale outline of a city into the empty desert, raising questions about urbanization in deserts and the formation of cities.

August 20, 2011 - We Make Money Not Art

Thousands of Public Gardens for London 2012

Leading up to the 2012 Olympics, a group in London is taking advantage of stalled building projects to create 2,012 public gardens in the city before the sporting event.

August 20, 2011 - Inhabitat

Pop-Up Planters Sprout Up Around the Streets of SF

John King of The San Francisco Chronicle examines the installation of mobile planters around the Yerba Buena District in San Francisco; part of a 10-year revitalization initiative to bring new meaning and boundaries surrounding public space.

August 19, 2011 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Recognizing the Value of Green Infrastructure

A new guidebook has been released that's aimed at helping planners and city officials to know which types of green infrastructure are worth investment.

August 18, 2011 - Landscape Architecture Foundation

Tenderloin National Forest

An unconventional outdoor spaces has helped transform a small part of a problem-riddled San Francisco neighborhood.

August 18, 2011 - Next American City

Playgrounds Pop Up in New York

Neighborhoods in New York City have built temporary "pop-up" playgrounds in an effort to encourage more physical activity among children.

August 16, 2011 - The New York Times

A Tour of Three Detroit Community Gardens

Community gardens are popping up all over Detroit. This post from Model D takes a tour through three of them, and explores how they balance art and nature.

August 11, 2011 - Model D

Making Places in Houston

Houston is leading the way in creating new public spaces. This article from The Project for Public Spaces looks at a few of the city's efforts.

August 10, 2011 - Project For Public Spaces

Bringing New Life to Urban Rail Lines

Cities across the country are breathing new life into abandoned and disused inner city rail lines.

August 9, 2011 - The New York Times

Hot "High Line" Firm Designing Small Park in Santa Monica

With no "rusting relic" like The High Line's trestle to hang the design on, will James Corner Field Operations create a memorable public park for Santa Monica's coastline?

August 9, 2011 - The Los Angeles Times

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.