Land Use

Will Upzoning Destroy the Beaux Arts Legacy of Midtown Manhattan?

A development proposal for a 1,450 glass skyscraper adjacent to Grand Central Station prompted the Architectural Record to wonder whether New York is chipping away the "Beaux Arts heart" of Manhattan.

February 13, 2015 - Architectural Record

Residents Disillusioned with the Planning Process in Los Angeles' Chinatown

Sharon McNary reports on a proposed development in the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles that predates, and could thus avoid, the guidelines put forward by one of the most progressive plans in the city—the Cornfield Arroyo Specific Plan.

February 13, 2015 - KPCC

Criticism of St. Louis' Riverfront Stadium Plans

A lesson for other cities as well: As long as cities give absurd subsidies to pro sports teams, pro sports teams will continue to expect absurd subsidies from cities. Case in point: St. Louis and the NFL's Rams.

February 12, 2015 - Vox

Greenprint 2015/2040 Plan Calls for 500 Miles of Greenways in the Memphis Region

A regional coalition has spent three years planning a network of greenspaces that will span in the Tri-State area surrounding Memphis, Tennessee. The Greenprint 2015/2040 plan was released to the public last week.

February 11, 2015 - Memphis Business Journal

Dublin Skyline

Reading Cities Cover to Cover, and Why

Chuck Wolfe underscores the importance of a holistic view of urban places, referencing themes of common experience, aesthetics, feelings of happiness, safety, or security—a basic narrative of the city that often goes beyond first impressions.

February 11, 2015 - The Huffington Post

Control of Farmland—City Style

Farm land ownership matters on the edges of metropolitan areas, where farmers can find lucrative markets for their products and yet, with ever escalating land prices, face daunting odds in securing land to grow on or even to get started.

February 11, 2015 - Rooflines

Political Power Coalesces around I-345 Teardown Proposal in Dallas

The politics of urban highways will play out in Dallas in the coming years. A new political action committee, the Coalition for a New Dallas, will push for I-345 between downtown and Deep Ellum to be torn down.

February 10, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

Chicago's Pullman Park District to Achieve National Monument Status

President Barack Obama is expected to announce the Pullman Park neighborhood in Chicago as the country's newest national monument. The move is part of a larger effort to recognize more diversity in the country's public lands.

February 10, 2015 - The Washington Post

Austin Complete Street

Celebrating the Best Complete Streets Policies of 2014

The nationwide trend of cities, counties, and regions adopting complete streets policies continued its momentum in 2014. A new report from the National Complete Streets Coalition surveys the field and decides which is the best of the best.

February 10, 2015 - James Brasuell

Albuquerque Set to Update Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Code

The city of Albuquerque joins the ranks of the cities around the country overhauling their zoning and planning mechanisms.

February 9, 2015 - Albuquerque Journal

Colorado River Delta

Five of the World's Most Promising Examples of Environmental Conservation

A Huffington Post article shares the stories of the fellows selected by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to present their work at the 2014 World Parks Congress in Australia.

February 7, 2015 - The Huffington Post

Parks—or Playgrounds for Billionaires?

New York may be the most famous example of the parks becoming the most conspicuous signifiers of neighborhoods for the haves, versus the have-nots, but Inga Saffron hopes that cities everywhere can find ways to even the playing fields.

February 4, 2015 - The New Republic

Editorial: Florida Legislators should 'Stick to the Mission' on Conservation

A Miami Herald editorial expresses concern for a growing movement in the state legislature to raid the funding pool made possible by the recently approved Amendment 1, a statewide environmental-conservation funding measure.

February 4, 2015 - Miami Herald

Poll: San Francisco Loves the Tech Industry

San Francisco Mayor Ed lee is so far running unopposed for re-election next Fall, which means that voters won't be offered a chance for a referendum on his support for the tech industry.

February 4, 2015 - San Francisco

University of Phoenix Stadium

The Real Loser in the Super Bowl: the Host City's Taxpayers

Mark Byrnes breaks down the math on this year's Super Bowl and finds the host city of Glendale, Arizona getting shortchanged.

February 1, 2015 - CityLab

Senate Bill would Repeal Presidential Power to Designate National Monuments

S. 228—the National Monument Designation Transparency and Accountability Act of 2015—would limit the power of the president to designate national monuments.

January 31, 2015 - National Wildlife Federation

Seattle

Seattle's 'Urban Villages' Become Bedroom Communities

In a recent column for Crosscut, Knute Berger looks back on the 20-year history of the city's urban village strategy to inform its emerging reality as an "urban bedroom community."

January 30, 2015 - Crosscut

Pedestrian and Bike Improvements Coming to Brooklyn's DUMBO Neighborhood

The New York City Department of Transportation is moving forward with a series of pedestrian and bike infrastructure improvements in a neighborhood built in the shadow of some of the city's most highest profile transportation infrastructure.

January 30, 2015 - StreetsBlog NYC

Times Square Historic

From Times Square: How Many Pedestrians Is Too Many Pedestrians?

Times Square stakeholders have begun to raise the specter of "too much of a good thing," as the crowds flocking to Times Square threaten to squeeze the life out of the place.

January 29, 2015 - New York Times

On the Value of Inconsistent Setbacks

A columnist in St. Paul makes an argument in favor of zoning variances as a driver of incremental growth and economic development.

January 28, 2015 - Star Tribune

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.