Land Use
Planetizen's Most Popular Pieces of 2013
We're looking forward to another stimulating year of news, commentary, and professional development. But before the calendar turns to 2014, we wanted to take a look back at our most popular blog posts, exclusive articles, and news items from 2013.
Peak Sprawl Shrinks Home Sizes in Southern California
In contrast to much of the United States, where home sizes are growing again following the recession, developers in Southern California are increasingly building attached homes - reversing the region's history of single-family sprawl.
Fear of "Hyperdensity" Grips Toronto's Leaders
Since it was passed in 2006, Toronto's growth has largely gone according to its Official Plan, with new development clustered in key areas of the city. But the city's chief planner and others fear some areas are in danger of becoming "hyperdense".
Icelandic "Elf Lobby" Tries to Halt Highway Project
Concerned that a proposed highway from the Alftanes peninsula to the Reykjavik suburbs will disturb Icelandic elf habitat, an elf lobbying group is joining forces with environmentalists to try to stop the project.
Should New York Better Police Its Skyline?
As a Billionaires' Row of sky-high residences rises along 57th Street, towering above Central Park, Michael Kimmelman wonders if it's time to tame the "leggy, cloud-piercing, sliver-thin residential towers".
Even Controlling For Poverty, Urban Places Are Thinner Than Suburbs
Poor neighborhoods tend to be fatter than rich ones, whether they are urban or suburban. However, poor urban areas tend to be thinner than poor suburban areas, and rich urban areas tend to be thinner than rich suburban areas.
As Developers Reach for the Sky, New Yorkers Lose Their Access to the Sun
While much attention has been paid to the stunning views that NYC's new skyscrapers offer their affluent tenants, the effects on those left in their shadow are rarely discussed.
Reaching the Limits of Passionate Defense: Time to Turn Back
Ben Brown confronts the politics of NO and finds -- spoiler alert(!) -- "to score, you need to shoot, and to shoot, you need the puck." Welcome to the waning days of Passionate D.
2013 Started a New Chapter in L.A.'s Story
Will 2013 be remembered as the year that Los Angeles embraced a new urban identity? Cultural, political, and planning and design-related events over the past year seem to suggest the city is experiencing "an urban reawakening".
Evaluating the Impact of Conservation Subdivision Implementation
Aslıgül Göçmen examines the environmental impact of conservation subdivision design.
India's Innovative Green City Ignores Timeless Design Lessons
Rajarhat's Rabi Rashmi Abasan (Solar Housing Complex) is being hailed as a trend-setter for India's efforts to increase its use of renewable energy. But the urban design of the new city rising on the edge of Kolkata ignores timeless lessons.
LEED Neighborhood Rises in Shadow of Pioneering Seattle Shopping Mall
A sprawling parking lot next to one of America's first suburban shopping malls is undergoing a monumental transformation into a dense mixed-use community complete with restorative park.
Exhibit Celebrates Supergraphics Pioneer
Designer Deborah Sussman was drawn to Los Angeles in 1953 by an opportunity to work in the studio of Charles and Ray Eames. Over the next sixty years, she helped to define how residents and others see the city. A new exhibit chronicles her work.
Could a Controversial Project Inspire the Retrofitting of San Diego's Suburbs?
Urbanists hope approving a proposal to allow a 23-acre parcel zoned for 500,000 square feet of office space be developed with 1.4 million square feet of mixed-uses could stimulate suburban retrofits across San Diego.
Farms Become the Latest Must-Have Suburban Amenity
Forget about golf courses and swimming pools, says Luke Runyon, developers are drawing in residents by integrating fully functioning farms into their new neighborhoods.
What Could Philadelphia Teach Rome About Reducing Traffic?
Rome's new mayor spent two decades in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and he's bringing lessons learned while living car-free in the United States to help solve Rome's traffic problems.
Are We Designing the Wrong Solutions to America's Health Problems?
From encouraging physical activity to improving access to healthy food, planners and designers are increasingly tackling America's public health challenges. But what if cars, suburbs, and food deserts aren't to blame for our unhealthy lifestyles?
Lifestyle Solution Sought for Austin's Snarled Traffic
Austin has a giant traffic tangle on its hands. And because the city largely ignored the growing problem for years, transportation planning experts believe only drastic changes in behavior and lifestyle will ease the snarl.
Portland Developers Get Creative to Fill Glut of Ground-Level Retail
Ground-level retail is often seen as essential for activating urban streets. But what happens when developers have a hard time finding tenants? In Portland, vacant spaces are being converted into ground-level apartments to meet high housing demand.
Approvals Binge Consumes Bloomberg's Waning Days
With only two weeks left in office, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is still adding to one of the most visible legacies of his administration - the city's evolving built environment. Approvals are being sought for more than $12 billion worth of projects.
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
