Land Use

Demolition

Heady Market in Chicago's North Side Drives Teardowns

Lakeview, located north of Lincoln Park and adjacent to Lake Michigan, leads the city by a wide margin in residential teardowns over the past five years. Local developers are selling new homes for four times the original price paid.

February 3, 2016 - Crain's Chicago Business

Protecting the Lungs of Children by Improving School Location

With the national spotlight rightfully focused on the irreversible effects of lead in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan, another insidious threat remains: motor vehicle emissions affecting children's lungs.

February 1, 2016 - EPA Connect

Amsterdam, Red Light District

A Forced Gentrification May End Amsterdam’s Red Light District

In an attempt to force out organized crime and bring in a better class of tourist, the local government has forced the closure of brothels in the city's famed Red Light District.

February 1, 2016 - The Guardian

Revisiting Plan El Paso With a Critical Eye

The critically lauded Plan El Paso hasn’t yet spurred the kind of urban revitalization it was designed to achieve. Some say its evidence that people still want sprawl, other say changes are still coming.

January 30, 2016 - The Atlantic

Eminent Domain an Issue in Republican Presidential Primary, Again

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is using a new ad against GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, based on his use of eminent domain against an elderly woman in Atlantic City. Trump strongly defended using the controversial tool.

January 29, 2016 - Vanity Fair

Kansas Plains

Friday Eye Candy: Mapping the Least Dense Places in the U.S.

A map-making effort by The Washington Post's Wonkblog puts the Western United States' population, or lack thereof, in perspective.

January 29, 2016 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Op-Ed Warns of Grave Threats to the California Coastal Act

One of the most powerful agents of environmental protection in the state of California is faced with what some believe is an existential threat.

January 28, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Draft CEQA Updates Now Available for Public Comment

A big moment in the process of updating the California Environmental Equality Act.

January 28, 2016 - Streetsblog California

How to Help Seniors Rock City Life

A new report issued by McGraw Hill Financial Global Institute provides new thinking about how to create "age-friendly cities."

January 28, 2016 - Grist

An Ambitious Plan to Rethink Toronto's King Street

Here's a project to watch: an influential group of contractors has been hired for a complete streets makeover for King Street in Toronto.

January 26, 2016 - Toronto Star

An Appreciation of the 'Edgy Outskirts'

Long abused by those who favor more urban settings, the suburbs of major metropolitan areas should receive more credit for their cultural capital, according to this article written for Zócalo Public Square.

January 26, 2016 - Zocalo Public Square

Detroit Seeking a New Vision for its East Riverfront

The city of Detroit will review the presentations of seven finalists tasked with creating a new vision for the east riverfront—a part of Detroit poised for redevelopment momentum.

January 25, 2016 - Detroit Free Press

Newark Trying to Make the Most Out of Port Newark

A lack of a master plan for Port Newark is one of the reasons the city of Newark is looking to improve on the leadership of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

January 24, 2016 - The Record

Braddock Pennsylvania

Managing Abandoned Homes in North Braddock

The usual litany of Rust Belt woes hit North Braddock, Pennsylvania particularly hard. The Pittsburgh suburb has shed two-thirds of its population and is burdened with 350 abandoned properties.

January 23, 2016 - Belt Magazine

The Dutch Junction Explained

Cars and cyclists have issues at intersections. A new type of intersection design from the Netherlands offers improved protection to cyclists. The solution is based on the four islands near each corner of the intersection.

January 22, 2016 - Huffpost Good News

Miami Highway

On the Surprising Efficiency of Big City Commutes

Logically we might assume that as cities grow larger, commutes get harder. It can certainly feel that way. But research points to structural factors that actually make commuting in big cities more efficient.

January 21, 2016 - CityLab

Eastside Gold Line and Los Angeles skyline

What Will the 'Third Los Angeles' Look Like?

Architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne describes an L.A. in flux, at once beholden to its postwar image and pushing in a new direction. The city, he says, faces existential questions on a scale unmatched elsewhere in the nation.

January 21, 2016 - The Architect's Newspaper

Vanishing Act for Free Parking on the Las Vegas Strip

Among other things, the Las Vegas Strip is famous for seemingly infinite numbers of free parking spots. MGM, however, will soon change the game.

January 21, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Walking

Reading List: Walking in the City

Sometimes, city walks can mean more than just getting from place to place. Author and book critic David Ulin discusses his favorite accounts of that rich experience.

January 21, 2016 - Barnes and Noble Review

A First Look at Washington, D.C.'s New Zoning Code

The D.C. Zoning Commission last week approved a new zoning code for the nation's capital. The new code will go into effect in September.

January 21, 2016 - WAMU

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

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.