Land Use

As the long-awaited Silver Spring Transit Center continues construction, voices in the community want to consider a park adjacent to the forthcoming Metro stop. Dan Reed writes, however, that the area might not be well suited for a park.

February 20, 2014 - Greater Greater Washington

Pittsburgh hopes for pedestrian-oriented public space at the corner of Art Rooney Avenue and North Shore Drive. The city’s planning commission recently granted its NFL franchise a third extension to develop a plan for the parking lot on the parcel.

February 19, 2014 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

More than 80 communities adopted complete streets policies in 2013, bringing the national total to 610 jurisdictions with such policies. The National Complete Streets Coalition examined the newest programs for the best examples.

February 19, 2014 - Smart Growth America

During Tregoning's seven years at the helm of the Washington, D.C. Office of Planning, she pushed the city to adopt smart-growth policies touching all aspects of life--not just land use, but transportation, the economy, and more.

February 18, 2014 - Elevation DC

Vancouver’s reputation as a beautiful “mini-Manhattan” is well documented and well earned. But how did the city manage to fend off regrettable fashions in planning over the years, and how prepared is it to continue its success in the future?

February 18, 2014 - ULI Urban Land Magazine

The Metropolitan Beaches Commission has improved conditions and facilities at many of Massachusetts' beaches since its inception in 2006. Recently, however, the commission called for funding to be restored to pre-recession levels.

February 18, 2014 - Boston Globe

In terms of land area, San Francisco’s a small city. Yet if current policies persist, the city will build 92,000 parking spots for residents by 2040, on just 49 square miles of land.

February 17, 2014 - SF Streetsblog

Torontonians who have been fighting a Walmart in Downtown’s belovedly indie Kensington Market neigbourhood appear to have won their battle against a goliath developer. A revised development proposal features significantly scaled-down retail units.

February 17, 2014 - The Globe and Mail

A recent study by the Pew Research Center shows that despite the increasing use of tablets and e-readers, Americans still love books and still rely on libraries as a central cultural institution.

February 16, 2014 - Pew Research Center

Fools rush in, they say—with a little push from the Cambridge Traffic, Parking, & Transportation Department.

February 14, 2014 - Boston Globe

A new report argues that city governments have some of the same incentives for de-emphasizing single-occupant commuters as colleges—such as attracting younger workers and freeing up land used for parking.

February 14, 2014 - Governing

Analysis of the USDA’s 2010 National Resources Inventory, which tracks land use, shows the growth rate of suburban sprawl peaking in the mid-1990s, declining by two-thirds since then, even through the most recent housing boom. How did that happen?

February 13, 2014 - Greater Greater Washington

A series of renderings asks the question: "What might it look like if tech campuses replaced their parking lots and provided all the necessary housing on-site?"

February 10, 2014 - First Cultural Industries

Mayor Bill de Blasio has selected Carl Weisbrod, the co-chairman of his transition team and a veteran New York City real estate executive to be the Chair of the City Planning Commission, aka Planning Director. Housing affordablity will be a priority.

February 10, 2014 - The New York Times N.Y. / Region

Planners in the city of San Francisco have a proposed a $1.4 million study to examine the possibility of removing part of Interstate 280 in the city and convert a rail yard would yield 37 acres of prime urban real estate.

February 9, 2014 - SF Gate

Last Wednesday, an estimated 700,000—more than the city's population of 635,000—welcomed the Seahawks home, without major incident. Writing in The Atlantic Cities, Chuck Wolfe describes five lessons for placemaking through words and photographs.

February 8, 2014 - The Atlantic Cities

Metropolis Magazine examines the 21st century efforts at creating wild places in cities, exemplified by the Buffalo Bayou Promenade in Houston and the Passaic River in Newark.

February 7, 2014 - Metropolis Mag

Atlantic Cities details the new urbanist vision of a master planned community called Eastmark in Mesa, Arizona. The development’s mix of uses, form-based code, and walkability create “an uncommon sales pitch for car-dependent Arizona.”

February 7, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

Proponents of a ballot initiative that would require a vote for any development on the San Francisco waterfront that exceeds existing height limits have gathered enough signatures to put the issue to a vote.

February 5, 2014 - SF Gate

Palo Alto’s planned community zoning has existed since 1951. As the real estate market in the Silicon Valley heats up, residents are questioning whether developers are abusing the density and height benefits they receive from the zoning code.

February 4, 2014 - San Jose Mercury News