Land Use

'Dam Slow City

Amsterdam feels "cozy" because the city's efforts to manage mobility results in an average speed for all modes of 15kph/10mph.

April 28, 2013 - Ian Sacs

Successional Urbanism: An Interview with Andrés Duany

Architect and town planner Galina Tachieva sits down with New Urbanism innovator Andrés Duany to discuss the big and small topics on his mind today: lean urbanism, successional urbanism and the Transect, the orthodoxy of the small block, and more.

April 28, 2013 - Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built + Natural Environments

Conserving the Biodiversity of Massachusetts in a Changing World

BioMap2 is designed to guide strategic biodiversity conservation in Massachusetts over the next decade by focusing land protection and stewardship on the areas that are most critical for ensuring the long-term persistence of rare and native species.

April 27, 2013 - Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built + Natural Environments

Empty Parking Lot

Has Seattle Solved the Science of Parking Demand?

Parking regulations are generally formulated as uniform standards that apply to hundreds or thousands of parcels equally, often resulting in overbuilt supply. But what if planners could anticipate the parking demand down to the parcel?

April 27, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Bogota Plans Mass Tactical Urbanism Offensive

This weekend, Bogota, Colombia will launch its second 100en1día (100 in 1 day) event, a blitz of urban interventions meant to multiply the impact of citywide citizen activism exponentially. Cities across the world are following their lead.

April 26, 2013 - This Big City

A PAC You Might Actually Want to Donate To

StreetsPAC, a new political action committee launched this week, seeks to mobilize New York City residents, and back candidates, who support bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

April 25, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Integrating Conservation into Planning Processes

Conservation areas can provide a variety of benefits to localities, including improving public health, raising property values, and sustaining ecosystems. Proactive conservation strategies are the best way to ensure those benefits accrue.

April 25, 2013 - APA Sustaining Places Blog

Can One Dogged Enthusiast Polish Olmsted's Tarnished Chicago Jewel?

On Chicago's South Side, Jackson Park once inspired million of visitors to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, including a young Frank Lloyd Wright. After years of neglect, Robert Karr Jr. wants to revitalize the park along a Japanese theme.

April 25, 2013 - Crain's Chicago Business

Greek Financial Crisis Inspires Inexpensive Urbanism

Vivian Doumpa looks at three examples of bottom-up urban interventions completed in Greece, which show that a font of citizen spirit and ingenuity can help overcome the most draconian austerity measures.

April 25, 2013 - Pop-Up City

Children of the Past Envision the City of Tomorrow

How did childhood visions of future cities differ for kids growing up in the 1980s when compared to the 1960s or today? Matt Novak shares a short film from 1983 that captures the prescient urban visions of students.

April 24, 2013 - Smithsonian

9 Ways to Explore Europe on Foot

In case you need yet another reason to traverse the Atlantic Ocean, the Times has published several articles on the pleasures of walking through Europe.

April 24, 2013 - The New York Times

Massive Chicago Master Plan Bridges Downtown Chasm

A speculative master plan for Chicago's West Loop would add a new layer to downtown's complex multi-level weaving of street strata and infrastructure with a highway cap park.

April 24, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper

The Right Mix of Skills is Key to Effective Community Design

According to Arianna McBride, the recipe for good community design must effectively balance community wisdom with expert knowledge. She shares three ways that planners can facilitate the type of participation that leads to great places.

April 24, 2013 - Citizens' Institute on Rural Design

Competition Yields Radically Different Visions for Prime D.C. Site

The General Services Administration, which is looking for ways to fund a new FBI campus, has more ideas at its fingertips with three tantalizing proposals for redeveloping the Hoover Building in downtown Washington, D.C., writes Jonathan O'Connell.

April 24, 2013 - The Washington Post

New York City: More Affordable Than You'd Think, for Some

For professional-class workers with annual household incomes in the top income quintile, New York is a comparatively affordable place. A recent study attributes lower costs to competition between businesses that cater to upper-income people.

April 24, 2013 - The New York Times

Ciclavia

L.A. Opens its Streets and Residents Take Advantage

Sunday saw the sixth incarnation of L.A.'s popular CicLAvia event, which closes long stretches of city streets to automobile traffic, and opens them to bikes and pedestrians. The latest route, from downtown to the sea, attracted 150,000 people.

April 23, 2013 - The Los Angeles Times

Are Nefarious Forces Behind the Transformation of Downtown Brooklyn?

Doug Henwood explains how "elite bodies", rather than pure "market forces", guide the growth of New York City. He begins his story with the Regional Plan Association's influential 1929 plan and focuses on the transformation of Downtown Brooklyn.

April 23, 2013 - The Nation

In England, Politics Pervade New Community Planning Initiative

When the Localism Act was adopted in 2011, local communities gained broad new planning powers across the UK. But as recent events in one London suburb demonstrate, politics and ideological conflict have found a home in the participatory process.

April 23, 2013 - The Global Urbanist

Ways to Fail at Form-Based Codes 02: Make it Mandatory Citywide

Ambition is good, but don't bite off more than you can chew. Hazel Borys applies this valuable lesson to form-based codes.

April 23, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Did Lax Zoning Lead to Texas Plant Explosion Carnage?

When the West Fertilizer Co plant exploded last week in Texas, it severely damaged homes and schools located in close proximity to the property, and killed dozens of people. Markos Moulitsas blames lax zoning standards for putting lives at risk.

April 23, 2013 - Daily Kos

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.