Landscape Architecture

Repurposed Railyard Becomes Award-Winning Park

The City Parks blog looks at Santa Fe Railyard Park and Plaza, one of the winners of this year's Rudy Bruner Awards for Urban Excellence.

July 6, 2011 - City Parks Blog

National Mall Undergoes a Facelift

The grass is always greener on the other side of the Washington Monument. But not for long. Landscape renovation of the elongated field at the eastern end of the site begins in September and will be completed a month before the 2012 elections.

July 2, 2011 - The Washington Post

Swim Fan: Public Space in the River

Amanda Burden's High Line has elevated public space to new heights. "+Pool" design trio want to submerge it under water, specifically in the East River that runs through NYC.

July 1, 2011 - Metropolis Magazine

Crops, Greens on Hong Kong's High Rises

The personally rewarding and healthy activity of urban farming continues to solidify a foothold on Hong Kong high rises, in spite of the lack of support from the government.

June 30, 2011 - CNN

Parklets Poised To Revolutionize Public Space, In a Tiny Way

Imported from Europe, parklets transform parking spaces into inviting public spaces. They are flourishing in San Francisco, and are poised to invade other cities across the country.

June 29, 2011 - California Planning & Development Report

Stopping the Sahara’s Reach One Tree at a Time

In Widou, an area in the Ferlo region of northern Senegal, the people are working to plant 390,000 trees before the end of July as a part of a multi-state program to decrease desertification.

June 29, 2011 - Worldcrunch

New Plaza Preserves Unexpected Historical Find

Plans to build a parking garage below an old plaza in Seville, Spain, revealed underground roman ruins. So the city built a new structure to hover over the site and to emphasize the area's historic amenities.

June 28, 2011 - Metropolis

A New Kind of Community Garden

It's common for community gardens today to be so popular there is a waiting list to get in, and the system favors those new to the neighborhood. A pair of farmers has set out to change all that.

June 27, 2011 - The Christian Science Monitor

The Pied Piper of Parks

That's how Inga Saffron describes New York's High Line, the unique park built into unused infrastructure that has cities clamoring for their own version. Philadelphia might get one too, on the Reading Viaduct.

June 24, 2011 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

The AIA Stresses Sustainable Approach to Design

Jumping on the climate change bandwagon, the newly appointed CEO of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Robert Ivy underscores the need to find a healthy medium between sustainability and architecture.

June 24, 2011 - THE DIRT

Redesigning the "Fascist" Park in Front of the White House

The National Capital Planning Commission invites the public to weigh-in on five proposals for improvements to the Ellipse, the large public park between White House and the National Mall.

June 23, 2011 - Fast Company's Co.Design

Reviving the Real Estate Market with Parks

The idea of tuning toxic or polluted sites into parks has been creating new green spaces in cities throughout the country. It's also re-starting the real estate market.

June 22, 2011 - THE DIRT

Conan O'Brien's Streetscape Improvements to Proposed 'Conan O'Brien Blvd.'

In response to Chicago's recent naming of a street in honor of Oprah Winfrey, late night TV host Conan O'Brien has suggested having his own street in L.A., along with various streetscape improvements.

June 17, 2011 - Curbed LA

Old Airport to Become Large Urban Campground

An old disused airport in Brooklyn will be converted into an urban campground, expanding from its current 5 campsites to more than 600.

June 17, 2011 - Inhabitat

Designing New Parks for Los Angeles

One of the most park-poor major cities in the U.S., Los Angeles is in the midst of a slight park renaissance, with a few new major projects in the works. A new exhibition looks at the state of new parks design in L.A.

June 14, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Developers Balk at New Landscape Code

Last week, the El Paso City Council approved a new city ordinance that broadens restrictions on landscaping in new developments. Opponents say the restrictions will discourage growth.

June 13, 2011 - Tim Halbur

Frederick Law Olmsted, Close Up

Michael J. Lewis reviews a new biography of Frederick Law Olmsted, which he says reveals new facts about the man who coined the term "landscape architect."

June 13, 2011 - The Wall St. Journal

Continuation of Popular High Line Park Opens

Manhattan's High Line is a new model for reclaiming underused spaces and turning them into successful public spaces. Phase 2 of the ambitious park opened yesterday to much fanfare.

June 13, 2011 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

Duany and Waldheim Battle Over Streets

New urbanist Andres Duany has been speaking out against the "landscape urbanism" movement for months, particularly against Harvard's Charles Waldheim for embracing it. At CNU19, Duany invited Waldheim to have his say and respond.

June 13, 2011 - New Urban Network

Washington Towns Reimagine Waterfronts

A number of cities in Washington are embarking on waterfront redevelopment projects. The projects range from the relatively small to the complete makeover.

June 11, 2011 - Crosscut

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.