Land Use

Athens Plans Massive City Park in Derelict Olympic Footprint

With an ailing economy and soaring unemployment, the city of Athens, Greece is planning on selling 6.2 million square meters to Lamda Development SA.

September 25, 2014 - This City Life

Ciclavia

CicLAvia: Reclaiming Streets in the Car Capital of America

The second in a series profiling grassroots activism to increase biking among the diverse populations of Los Angeles County. In this installment, Planetizen spoke with Robert Gard, director of communications for CicLAvia.

September 25, 2014 - Maayan Dembo

The Importance of Inter-Urban Walkability

In his third "place-decoding" essay from France, Chuck Wolfe recalls all that we can learn from walking between settled places.

September 25, 2014 - The Huffington Post

Database Reveals Bay Area's Parking Waste

A new tool from TransForm shows where parking is underutilized in the Bay Area, even finding wasted space in a city as notorious for parking difficulties as San Francisco.

September 24, 2014 - Next City

San Francisco's Red Transit-Only Lanes Improving Service

For years, San Francisco has set aside transit-only lanes. However, with a fresh coat of red paint, the city has seen significant service improvements.

September 20, 2014 - Greater Greater Washington

Los Angeles' Historic Pershing Square to Receive Family-Friendly Makeover

Los Angeles' Pershing Square, a five-acre park initially opened in 1866, will undergo major transformations to accommodate the increase of families with children living in Downtown Los Angeles.

September 20, 2014 - LA Downtown News

Pittsburgh Skyline

5 Mid-Sized Cities Rethinking the Urban Waterfront

Nick Addamo discusses and outlines the plans of five small and mid-sized cities that are re-evaluating their waterfront and developing them to be more people-focused.

September 19, 2014 - Architizer

Inner Suburb against Outer Suburb in Cincinnati-Area Highway Relocation Proposal

The "Eastern Corridor" project along State Route 32 outside of Cincinnati is causing no small amount of controversy between outer and inner suburbs. At stake: open space, commute times, taxes, and lifestyle choices.

September 18, 2014 - Cincinnati.com

Atlanta Atlantic Station

Learning From My Condo

Even if new housing is expensive, it can reduce overall housing prices by causing existing units to become more affordable.

September 17, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

Why Placemaking Matters: What's in it for Me?

What's your elevator pitch on why placemaking matters? Here's a couple rounded up by Hazel Borys, and some numbers that help refine their message.

September 16, 2014 - PlaceShakers

MARTA Seeking Ideas for Developing Air Rights at Train Stations

In a significant first, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority is seeking ideas for developing the air rights above four urban rail stations.

September 16, 2014 - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Empty Parking Lot

How '9x18' Parking Spaces Could Solve Affordable Housing

The "9x18" proposal by the Institute for Public Architecture provides a lesson in the relationship between parking requirements and the cost of housing.

September 15, 2014 - New York Times

The Option of Sensing the City

In his second Huffington Post article on "place-decoding," Chuck Wolfe argues for considered attention to enhancing people's abilities to discern the city around them.

September 13, 2014 - The Huffington Post

San Francisco Initiative a Setback for Progressive Parking Policy

San Francisco's voters are continuing their trend of deciding complex and difficult planning issues at the ballot box. Last time it was height restrictions—this time it's parking.

September 12, 2014 - SF Streetsblog

An image of Transit Oriented Development in Saltillo Lofts, Austin, Texas

Now Available: Federal Grant Funding for Transit Oriented Development

The FTA has announced new funding (albeit, a small amount) through the "Transit-Oriented Development Planning Pilot Program."

September 11, 2014 - Transportation for America

Study: Residents Living Near Fracking Suffer Negative Health Impacts

Self-reported respiratory problems and skin irritations were significantly greater for those living near natural gas fracking wells in southwestern Pennsylvania than those living more than two kilometers away, according to a Yale University survey.

September 11, 2014 - USA Today

San Francisco McCoppin Hub

On the Value of Small Spaces in Remaking the Public Realm

San Francisco Chronicle Architecture Critic John King reviews, and celebrates, the recent string of small projects that reclaim public space in the city, calling them "modest works of true ambition."

September 11, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

Golf Joins Agriculture to Oppose EPA's Proposed 'Water of the United States' Rule

Laura Barron-Lopez reports on the golf industry's reaction to proposed rules that would expand and clarify the regulatory powers of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers.

September 11, 2014 - The Hill

Leaving California

Lessons Learned from Decades of California Planning

Since the 1980s, California has been both a beacon of cutting-edge urban policy and an example of the ways planning can go awry.

September 10, 2014 - The Planning Report

You’ve Got Lemons: What Now?

A timeless marker of community has emerged as a source of conflict: the lemonade stand is being called an "illegal business." Scott Doyon discusses how getting to know — and support! — your neighbor can be an issue of survival.

September 8, 2014 - PlaceShakers

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.