Land Use

Keeping Indianapolis Beautiful With Pocket Parks

A local non-profit recently announced funding for the development of five public green spaces in the coming year. The projects represent incremental progress toward a larger, shared vision.

December 17, 2015 - Indystar

Washington Hopes to Coexist With Growing Number of Wolf Packs

The state of Washington is navigating the complex politics of wildlife protection—in this case, wildlife means the territory of an estimated 16 wolf packs.

December 16, 2015 - High Country News

The 'Both/And' of the Housing Debate

Planners and community development housing activists and professionals need to start thinking about housing policy as "both...and." It is not reasonable to couch housing policy as either unfettered building or only rent.

December 16, 2015 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Arlington Ballpark

Texas Rangers Caught in Pickle: Develop Ballpark Parking Lots or Move to Dallas?

A public-private partnership could bring new development to some of the parking lots outside the home of the Texas Rangers. It's not the first grand plan to get floated for the ballpark's ancillary areas.

December 16, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

Order Up: Massachusetts Has a New Food System Plan

With economic, employment, and social benefits, food is much more than what we eat. Now Massachusetts has completed a comprehensive food plan in the hopes of doing better with the systems by which food is manufactured, bought, and consumed.

December 16, 2015 - Metropolitan Area Planning Council

Chicago's Lawrence Avenue Is Changing—Is the Neighborhood Ready?

The Lawrence Avenue corridor in Chicago is poised to evolve into "New Lawrence," but as development proposals follow a streetscape improvement project, the community is still sorting out what exactly "new" should mean.

December 15, 2015 - DNAinfo Chicago

ng1_3717

The Curious Case of a Solar-Power-Hating North Carolina Town

A simple case of City Council rejecting a zoning change for a new solar facility blew up into an international case of clickbait trolling.

December 15, 2015 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

Vacant Lot in Detroit

Land Use Policies and the Future of Cities

Land is perhaps the most fundamental consideration in every variety of planning process—the cost of land, the availability of land, the condition of land, etc. A new e-book studies the importance of land to the global urban future.

December 15, 2015 - At Lincoln House

On the New Era of Planning in Houston

The approval of the Plan Houston comprehensive plan was one of the biggest planning news stories of the year. A new podcast digs deeper into the significance and details of the new plan for the city of Houston.

December 14, 2015 - Streetsblog USA

Vancouver Hands Residents the Keys to Granny Flats

Leading other expensive cities in North America, Vancouver, British Columbia is quickly adding accessory dwelling units as a result of permissive regulations approved in 2009.

December 14, 2015 - Citiscope

Report: 'Pop-Up' Businesses Ring Up $50 Billion in Yearly Revenue

Temporary storefronts—for everything from high fashion to big-box retailers to "foodie"-favored restaurants—are all the rage. A new study quantifies the economic clout of pop-up businesses.

December 14, 2015 - New York Business Journal

Somerville, MA to Test the Benefits of Self-Parking Cars

Audi and Somerville will begin testing self-parking cars in 2018. Imagine the possibilities.

December 11, 2015 - Governing

hand pushing a cart down a supermarket aisle

Don't Blame Supermarkets for Food Deserts

Quartz makes the point that supermarkets alone won't solve the problem of poor diets among low-income Americans.

December 11, 2015 - Quartz

Stroading

Charles Marohn: Not Your Typical Urbanist

From his home in Brainerd, Minnesota (population 13,500), this fiscally conservative engineer leads a growing movement. His slow-and-steady approach to urban development has real bipartisan appeal.

December 10, 2015 - MinnPost

710 Freeway Extension

From the Ashes of the 710 Extension: A Bold Plan for Southern California

An architecture critic spots an opportunity to think big after Caltrans finally ditched a plan to extend the I-710 Freeway through several Southern California cities.

December 10, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Sprawl

How to Teach About Sprawl (and Law)

Describing a seminar on "Sprawl and the Law" at the University of Pittsburgh.

December 10, 2015 - Michael Lewyn

Local Parks Provide $140 Billion in Economic Activity

Parks aren't always justified in economic terms, but a new report finds $140 billion reasons why parks are a positive addition to local communities.

December 10, 2015 - Next City

potable water fire hydrant

Water Resilience in Dry Climates

How can cities in dry climates become self-sufficient in terms of water? California based Dry Lands Institute is creating a digital design tool called Hazel that aims to address just that.

December 9, 2015 - Doggerel

Oakland skyline and San Francisco Bay

Have We Got a Game for You: 'Bay Area Regional Planner'

Some people like to leave their work at the office. But maybe you're the kind of planner who likes to turn the largest challenges of the profession into a game to be enjoyed in your free time.

December 9, 2015 - Curbed SF

Barbican Flats, London, UK

Balancing the Need for Housing Supply with Need for Office Space

London is the stage for one of the problems that arises when encountered with a dearth of accommodations for housing and offices.

December 9, 2015 - Centre for Cities

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.