Land Use

Lean Urbanism: A Century-Old Practice?

A short case study in Lean Urbanism, compliments of Victoria Beach, Manitoba.

August 19, 2014 - PlaceShakers

'Future Ground' Competition Focusing on New Orleans Land Reuse Strategies

Spearheaded by the Van Alen Institute, and supported by the New Orleans Redevelopment Agency, the competition brings new life to some of the 30,000 vacant lots and abandoned structures left over from Hurricane Katrina throughout the city.

August 19, 2014 - The Architects Newspaper

With a Footprint Larger than its City Limits: Will Boise Annex 27,000 New Residents?

Following a controversy over annexation on the northwest boundary of Boise back in July, an Idaho Statesman article examines the prospect (and history) of plans to annex a much more populated area to the city's southwest.

August 16, 2014 - Idaho Statesman

Walkable DC

A Collection of Benefits for 'Walkable, Compact, Diverse' Neighborhoods

A meta-analysis published in Housing Policy Debate finds that extensive studies in recent years support positive claims about walkable neighborhoods.

August 16, 2014 - Better Cities & Towns

A Primer on the Zoning Code Avant Garde

Anthony Flint discusses how "Silicon Valley-level innovative thinking" is making zoning more exciting than, well, anyone ever thought zoning codes could be.

August 15, 2014 - CityLab

Stockholm Complete Street

Increased Street Connectivity Improves Public Health Outcomes

A new study, "Community Design, Street Networks, and Public Health" published in the Journal of Transport & Health finds that increased local street connectivity improves public health outcomes, apparently by encouraging more walking and cycling.

August 12, 2014 - Denver Business Journal

Boston to Test Extended Parking Restrictions in Southie

An influx of new residents has also meant an influx of residential parking passes in the Southie neighborhood of Boston. Can a pilot program to extend residential parking restrictions (from four nights a week to seven) quell the "crisis"?

August 12, 2014 - The Boston Globe

Robert Yaro Retiring from Leadership at the Regional Plan Association

Regional Plan Association (RPA) President Robert D. Yaro "will retire at the end of this year, after 25 years at the urban-planning organization," according to the RPA's blog in a post late last week.

August 12, 2014 - Regional Plan Association

Elfreth's Alley

Revisiting the Common Sense Elements of City Life

Chuck Wolfe revisits five instances of how we can learn from the urbanism we already have.

August 8, 2014 - The Huffington Post

Fear of Density Faulted for Lack of Open Spaces in Dallas

Planners and residents are concerned about the lack of green space requirements in the booming area of Uptown in Dallas. Instead of delivering amenities, some say, developers are often engaged in battles over density.

August 7, 2014 - Dallas News

Helping Municipalities Manage 'Lazy' Real Estate Assets

A new tech startup, incubated at Harvard University, assists municipalities in unlocking the potential of their fallow, or "lazy," real estate assets.

August 7, 2014 - New York Times

Can Conservation and Drilling Coexist?

That's the question facing the nation's largest environmental organization (not the Sierra Club but The Nature Conservancy) regarding the management of its preserve in Texas. There is no question for Naomi Klein, who writes about it in her new book.

August 6, 2014 - The New York Times

Luxury Developments Moving into the Sunset Strip; Porn and Clubs, Moving Out.

The 1.6 mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard in the city West Hollywood is destined for more than $600 million in developments planned or already being built, mostly composed of luxury hotels and condominiums.

August 6, 2014 - Bloomberg

Commuter Rail Station in Virginia Central to 'Transit-Oriented Sprawl' Plans

Among proposed examples of new urbanist communities, Greater Greater Washington calls out one, located along Prince William's Potomac riverfront, as particularly experimental, sprawling, and centered on a Virginia Railway Express station.

August 6, 2014 - Greater Greater Washington

NashvilleNext

How a Bunch of Nosepickers are Helping Nashville Plan for its Future

Booming development and shifting demographics are driving updates to Music City’s land use policies. Civic leaders and planners say they want residents to steer the process, which has meant getting people’s attention in some unlikely ways.

August 6, 2014 - Colby Sledge

Checking-in with the Proliferation of Innovation Districts

A look at where innovation districts have caught on, and where to expect more of this type of concerted cooperation between public and private entities and commercial and residential land uses.

August 5, 2014 - Brookings Institution

Poor Planning Decisions Exacerbate Wildfires—Should Locals be Held Accountable?

A new study by the union of Concerned Scientists faults local development policies that place homes in wildfire-prone areas for the increasing cost of wildfires. Should local agencies split the bill for the risks they've permitted?

August 5, 2014 - KUOW

San Antonio Christmas

Why 'Place' Is the New American Dream

The new American Dream will transform cities and towns in the 21st Century. To understand it, we have to grasp a few features of the previous American Dream.

August 5, 2014 - Better Cities & Towns

Oakland skyline and San Francisco Bay

Time to Look at Oakland

While Oakland is by no means an easy place to develop real estate, the often maligned East Bay city of over 400,000 residents may very well be the Bay Area’s best place to embrace much-needed development.

August 4, 2014 - Reuben Duarte

The Suburban Story; Continued

Any narrative of the contemporary American residential market that neglects the continued proliferation of sprawl fails to describe the complex preferences of the public.

August 3, 2014 - Huffington Post Green

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.