Land Use
Reverse Migration Threatens New Jersey Suburbs
After a half century of growth driven by families fleeing New York City, New Jersey's northern suburbs face an uncertain future as young families, young professionals and retirees find a resurgent Big Apple more to their liking.
The Voyage of the Woonerf
Writing in The New York Times, Paul Hockenos describes the revival and global spread of the "woonerf", the Dutch complete street model that's bringing shared public space to cities from Montreal to Auckland.
Urbanism 2.0 vs. 'Micro Urban' Communities: Imagining Land Use in 2063
Patrick J. Kiger looks at the global trends that will impact urban landscapes over the next 50 years and explores two competing visions for the future of land use.
Success of L.A.'s Rail Investments Rely on First and Last Mile Connections
Alex Schmidt looks at efforts to re-'train' L.A. drivers to use the city's growing rail network. Planners are focusing on rezoning areas within a 10-minute walk from stations, but face obstacles in blending density with single-family districts.
The Importance of Retail Design to the Future of Our Cities and Towns
Much of the future built environment will be determined by how commercial sites are developed, says Robert Steuteville. And it's up to cities and towns to demand better retail designs.
Unlocking the Value of Legacy Assets
As cash strapped communities look to maximize their return on investment, a potent argument can be made for leveraging significant investments already made in a city's legacy assets to drive economic development.
Website Provides Tools to Resurrect Abandoned Buildings
The world is full of millions of abandoned buildings; unused resources that drag down their surrounding communities. One website aims to provide advocates with the tools to reactivate them, writes Ben Schiller.
Assessing Criticisms of Form-Based Codes
Since their resurrection in Seaside 30 years ago, roughly 300 form-based codes (FBCs) have been adopted. By their very nature FBCs faces many hurdles.
Dramatic Population Growth Presents Opportunity to Reshape America's Urban Environment
To accomodate America's expected population growth by 2050, the country will need to build up to 74 million new homes. This challenge presents a unique opportunity to reshape our urban environment, says Enrique Penalosa, the former mayor of Bogota.
'Triumph of Suburbia' is a Far-Fetched Story
Joel Kotkin is on a roll in the past few weeks, making the case that the revival of cities and decline of suburbs is a fraud — but his argument ignores the facts, argues Robert Steuteville.
How Facebook Simulates Suburbia: Lessons for Building Public Spaces in the Digital Age
As the virtual and physical worlds become more intertwined, the role of the traditional architect and the information architect become more closely aligned. Emily Badger explores the ways that each discipline can help the other design public spaces.
Can a Fake Plan Lead to Real Results in Raleigh?
Matt Tomasulo's proposal for an urban beach on the site of a vacant lot in Raleigh has gained a following, and sparked a conversation over the future of the site, demonstrating the power of an attractive idea, a compelling rendering and the Internet.
America's Ballooning Disaster Debt
A new report out this week quantifies the federal government's escalating disaster relief spending, a sum that hadn't previously been tabulated and came as a surprise to many.
What Types of Homes Will Be Desirable in 10 Years?
What will America's housing market look like in a decade? Will suburban homes make a comeback? Will the popularity of smaller units in urban environments continue to rise? Robert Shiller looks into his housing market crystal ball and sees haze.
Gas Stations Get Guzzled as D.C.'s Suburbs Densify
Reflecting a nationwide trend, gas stations across the Washington D.C. metro area are disappearing, as rising land values and shrinking margins have station owners eager to sell.
A Minor Setback for Pedestrians
Municipal setback requirements inconvenience pedestrians for no good reason.
Bike Share Rolls Out in NYC and Haters Multiply
Polls show widespread public support for New York City's new bike share program. But as stations begin to appear on city streets, pitched battles are being waged over the control of public spaces.
Is a Costco Superstore a 'Tourist Attraction'?
New York prohibits County Industrial Development Agencies from granting tax breaks to retail projects, but will waive this rule if the project is a "tourist attraction." The Onondaga County IDA thus declared a proposed Costco a tourist attraction.
To Discern D.C.'s Haves and Have-Nots, Look to the Trees
In Washington D.C., double the amount of residents in affluent areas live among plentiful green spaces. Lessening the disparity will require the cooperation of private property owners, not all of whom see more trees as a good thing.
Enterprise or Chaos? Cairo's DIY Urbanism
Michael Kimmelman examines the race to rebuild and redefine post-revolutionary Cairo, where residents are recreating the city and civic society, and reclaiming public spaces, from the bottom-up.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Municipality of Princeton
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
