Land Use

The city of San Diego adopted the Barrio Logan plan a few months ago, provoking a successful movement to place a referendum on a future ballot. The city’s mayoral race could hinge on the issue, with large military contractors as political donors.

February 3, 2014 - San Diego Reader

In Philadelphia, an alliance of unusual suspects worked together to convince the city to create the land bank. The law isn't perfect but the new land bank will significantly improve the city’s vacant property process.

February 2, 2014 - Shelterforce

In the eighth installment of the Urban Juxtapositions series profiled in Planetizen on January 16, Chuck Wolfe asks if we are using the right language when it comes to densifying urban spaces.

February 1, 2014 - myurbanist

The transformation in the way New York's streets are designed, used and conceived is one of the most visible legacies of the Bloomberg administration. Branden Klayko assembles before and after images of 25 of the city's transformative road diets.

January 31, 2014 - The Architect's Newspaper Blog

You can point the finger at unprepared politicians or mistaken meteorologists for paralyzing Atlanta this week. But to find the real culprits, you'll have to look at the region's history of land use and transportation decisions, argues Rebecca Burns.

January 30, 2014 - Politico Magazine

Climate controlled public places where the elderly, cost-conscious and indigent are welcome to spend a few hours are hard to find. Tensions have erupted at McDonald’s restaurants in NYC between customers seeking a refuge and business interests.

January 28, 2014 - The New York Times

An Oxford city councillor would like to bring a Swiss system of erecting "ghost building" profiles to the UK for the first time to help residents and officials understand the scale of proposed projects before granting permits.

January 27, 2014 - The Guardian

To capitalize on expanding interest in locally-sourced and unique food items, a non-profit group is moving forward with plans to build Boston's first permanent public market focused on locally grown foods in a space atop the Haymarket MBTA station.

January 27, 2014 - Boston Globe

It's hard to imagine how the wintry mess blanketing cities across midwest and northeast could improve street safety. But recent snows provide one benefit being touted by safety advocates: temporary curb extensions or "neckdowns" caused by snow banks.

January 25, 2014 - BBC News

The October opening of a new 1.9-mile stretch of road on Chicago’s Southside anticipates a 40-year master plan for the Lakeside development—600 acres of new development in the middle of one of the country’s largest cities.

January 24, 2014 - The Architect's Newspaper

Los Angeles' City Planning Department offers a layman's introduction to the many forms of zoning codes, from Euclidean to Performance to Incentive.

January 24, 2014 - Los Angeles Department of City Planning

Following unsuccessful attempts to move the Oakland Athletics to San Jose (an area controlled by the San Francisco Giants), team owner Lew Wolff is resistant to a plan to move the team to a waterfront location.

January 24, 2014 - San Jose Mercury News

Sears, Macy's, and J.C. Penney are among the national retailers who've announced substantial store closings recently. Retail industry experts believe the closures are just the beginning of an approaching "tsunami" of shrinking and shuttering stores.

January 24, 2014 - CNBC

With the launch of a new website, the city of L.A. has begun an exciting experiment in community-based placemaking. The "People St" program will soon accept applications to convert underused street space into plazas, parklets, and bicycle corrals.

January 23, 2014 - LA.Streetsblog

Across the Intermountain West, paper plats and half-completed subdivisions are straining budgets and threatening the quality of life. A new report from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy identifies treatment and prevention measures.

January 23, 2014 - At Lincoln House

A new anthology tells the story of Seaside like we've never heard it before–on its own terms.

January 21, 2014 - Vinayak Bharne

Minneapolis is mired in a debate over the role the automobile should play in the city's mobility mix. Many neighborhoods want to reduce surface parking and ease minimum parking requirements, but people still view the city as “a car town.”

January 21, 2014 - Star Tribune

To meet demand from passengers seeking an alternative to San Diego's small airport, and circumvent the traffic crunch at two nearby border crossings, Tijuana's international airport will provide direct access from the United States.

January 21, 2014 - The New York Times

With occupancy rates rising faster in urban than suburban locations, some suburbs are remaking themselves into mixed-use communities with hi-rise office and residential towers; Tysons Corner, Va. and Research Triangle Park, N.C. among them.

January 21, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal - U.S.

Auburn University's Rural Studio program and other designers from across the U.S. have descended on Hale County, Alabama for two decades in an effort to improve the quality of life for the rural area's residents. What have they achieved?

January 20, 2014 - Fast Company