Land Use

Architecture Critic Finds Faults in Chicago Placemaking

Architecture Critic Blair Kamin wants more from Make Way for People, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's placemaking program, and finds faults with the Lincoln Hub as an example of tactical urbanism.

July 7, 2015 - Chicago Tribune

Wild Detroit

How Risky Lending Hollowed Out Detroit

Over one half of Detroit's foreclosed homes are blighted or abandoned. Buyers who purchased the homes for as little as $1 have little incentive to keep them in good shape—or pay taxes.

July 6, 2015 - The Detroit News

Raleigh

Planners Across America: Raleigh Makes Room to Grow Under the Leadership of Ken Bowers

In this interview for the "Planners Across America" series, Ken Bowers, AICP, discusses how the city of Raleigh will rely on the city's new comprehensive plan and development code to accommodate 100,000 new residents by 2030.

July 6, 2015 - Josh Stephens

New Orleans Aerial

New Orleans Public Housing in Decade-Long Stall

In the aftermath of Katrina, President Obama's Choice Neighborhoods initiative promised thousands of new affordable units. But so far the Housing Authority of New Orleans hasn't proved up to the task.

July 6, 2015 - Next City

No Luxury Condos

Unpacking the Idea 'More Housing Equals Lower Prices'

It makes economic sense: increase supply in desirable areas to match demand. These articles look at some of the factors complicating that story in on the west coast.

July 4, 2015 - City Observatory City Commentary

great lakes

Friday Eye Candy: Full-Color, HD Videos Taken from Space

For the first time, full-color videos of the earth's surface will be made available to the public, with added options for paying customers. The imagery comes from two cameras on the International Space Station.

July 3, 2015 - Quartz

Three City Builders Name Los Angeles' Key Assets and Flaws

Capturing the complexities and competing forces at play in major metro areas stumps many writers who face the challenge.

July 2, 2015 - The Planning Report

How to Plan Large Communities While Avoiding the 'Tract Home Effect'

EfficientGov recently delved into one of the age-old questions of planning.

July 2, 2015 - EfficientGov

A Unique Planning Partnership Leading Redevelopment Efforts in Queens

A non-profit called the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp. will employ the New York City Planning department as a paid contractor as it creates a plan for the neighborhood of Flushing West.

July 2, 2015 - Crain's New York Business

Gross Resevoir

Should City Planners Worry About Water Supply?

It’s a big question being tackled by land use planners and water providers in Colorado, where the traditional disconnect between water realities and land use decisions precludes a sustainable balance between water supply and urban growth.

July 1, 2015 - Dean Saitta

Planning in a Rural County

The rural county of Story in Iowa, located to the north of Des Moines, is launching a planning process that will set a 20-year planning agenda for the county's 90,000 residents.

July 1, 2015 - Ames Tribune

Commute

Economic Underperformance Tied to Bad Commutes

The price of long commutes can't just be measured in lost hours. Income segregation, job sprawl, and the resulting negative feedback on families eats into overall economic and social well-being.

June 30, 2015 - Chicago Magazine

Suburbia

American Suburbia Transplanted to Beijing

Chinese and Indian cities have been quick to welcome housing developments modeled on North American suburbs, including "Orange County" and "Vancouver Forest" in Beijing. This globalized sprawl perpetuates all the ills of our own.

June 30, 2015 - The City Fix

Hudson Yards Towers

Manhattan's Hudson Yards 'Mini-City' Back on Track

Stymied for a time by lackluster investment, planned redevelopment of Hudson Yards on Manhattan's West Side is picking up speed. Joining residential buildings and budget hotels, office towers will bring municipal revenues back up.

June 30, 2015 - The New York Times

Georgia State Report Predicts Major Impacts to Natural Habitat

Climate change and sprawl are identified as the culprits in the eradication of critical natural habitat by the year 2050.

June 29, 2015 - SaportaReport

Goose Island Chicago

Chicago's Golden Goose

Once known as "Little Hell" for its copious industrial plants, Goose Island is a rare, relatively undeveloped investment opportunity. Centrally located, it may one day house swanky offices.

June 29, 2015 - Crain's Chicago Business

Houten Train Station

Houten, Netherlands: Where Cars and Bikes Coexist

Well-known in transportation planning circles, Houten's suburban multi-modality can be found almost nowhere else. Perimeter ring roads, train access, and bike-friendly features have cut car trips down to 44 percent.

June 29, 2015 - CityLab

Downtown Pittsburgh Stakeholders Pitch Shared Streets

It's an early idea, but Pittsburgh, with support from transportation planners and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, could be the next U.S. city to consider the shared streets concept.

June 28, 2015 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Atlanta Region Developing More Walkable Urban Places

The Atlanta metropolitan area is bucking the trends established by its recent history of sprawling development by building a majority of its new developments as walkable urban places.

June 26, 2015 - ATL Urbanist

Portland's Unrealized Eastern Waterfront Plans Gain New Momentum

Portland is picking up momentum on fitful long-term planning efforts along the east bank of the Willamette River.

June 25, 2015 - The Oregonian

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.