Land Use
Revitalizing MLK Streets to Better Honor Their Namesake
Across the U.S., hundreds of streets are named in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unfortunately, many reflect the poverty and segregation that King fought to reverse. A non-profit is trying to transform them into sources of pride and inspiration.
Zoning Change Clears Way for Urban Farming in Boston
The urban farming movement won a big victory recently in Boston, where new zoning regulations allowed for the creation of certain kinds of commercial farms within city limits.
A Suburb that Makes Walking to School a Priority
It's no accident that the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood is one of the few school districts in Ohio without buses. Choices made by planners, parents, and school officials have preserved the inner-ring suburb as a “walking school district.”
Park Project to Continue Minneapolis' Riverfront Transformation
On a site overlooking the Mississippi River's St. Anthony Falls, where Minneapolis' first sushi bar stands, officials are planning the newest addition to the city's Central Riverfront system of parks.
New Series: In the Urban World, Juxtapositions Matter
In an ongoing series, Urbanism Without Effort author Chuck Wolfe argues the importance of the overlaps, overlays and convergence points that define city life, and emphasizes the importance of reading and interpreting their everyday expression.
So Much for the Environmental Benefits of Urban Density
For urbanists who have reduced their carbon footprints by driving less and living more densely in smaller homes, researchers from UC Berkeley have some bad news. Your reduced emissions are canceled out by those in the suburbs ringing your city.
East Coast Planners Ask: How High Will the Water Rise?
It's not just melting ice that threatens to submerge communities along the East Coast of the U.S. Several other factor are conspiring to raise sea levels. Scientists are racing against time to predict how bad things are going to get, and how fast.
Urban Green Spaces Will Make You Happier than Winning the Lottery
A new study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology finds that moving to a more-green area can have a long-lasting positive effect on mental health, unlike the short-term jolt from pay rises, promotions or winning the lottery.
Tracing the Growth of the Open Streets Movement
A new documentary from Streetfilms explores how open streets events–which repurpose public spaces for people, rather than vehicles–have grown over the past several decades throughout South and North America.
How Jane Jacobs Saved Greenwich Village, Once Again
The opponents of New York University's controversial expansion plan for Greenwich Village owe their recent court victory to the legacy of Jane Jacobs' legendary fight against the proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway.
An Urbanist Tu'b'Shevat Seder
How to bring an urbanist slant to the Jewish holiday of Tu'b'Shevat next week
Judge Halts Controversial NYU Expansion Plan
Opponents of a massive plan to expand New York University's footprint in Greenwich Village have succeeded in convincing a state judge that a large portion of the project should not be allowed to proceed.
To Find Potential Public Spaces, Look Under Power Lines
In cities like Houston, officials are utilizing established transmission right of ways (ROWs) to provide walking and biking trails without the land acquisition challenges that typically confront urban areas looking to expand their open spaces.
New NYC Zoning Rules Will Help Residents Build Against Floods
New municipal zoning laws don’t necessarily make for the most compelling reading material, but a new set of New York City regulations are worth paying attention to.
How Your House's Garage Induces More Speeding and Less Walking
Throughout North America's auto-oriented suburbs, front-facing garages are a common feature of home design. According to Brent Toderian, that design decision has a significant impact on speeding and the quality of neighborhoods.
A Call to Give New York's Planning Power to the People
Michael Sorkin bemoans the trickle-down planning ethos of the Bloomberg era and sees the need to increase the city's resiliency as an opportunity to "return to the task of physical planning attuned to local desires".
Crowdsourcing Toronto's "Homegrown National Park"
Led by the nonprofit David Suzuki Foundation, a volunteer workforce of "park rangers" is deploying creative green interventions along private properties and public spaces throughout Toronto to create a citywide green corridor.
How Thomas Menino Wove Boston's Neighborhoods into a "Whole City"
Over twenty years in office, Mayor Thomas Menino had a considerable impact on Boston's built environment. For Robert Campbell, the Mayor's most substantial accomplishment was in recapturing "the places in between".
Portland Provides a Lesson in the Dangers of Densification
The Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood of Portland, OR has seen a wave of new development over the past two decades. But without the expansion of basic services and amenities, the area is struggling to integrate newcomers. Is poor planning to blame?
Innovation Districts: The Next Big Urban Idea
In his look ahead to the big idea that will shape 2014, Bruce Katz identifies the emergence of the "Innovation District" - a shift in the "spatial geography of innovation" from isolated corporate campuses to mixed-use urban districts.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
