Land Use

Paula Cocozza discusses Britain's "new ruralism" trend as "the pastoral idyll" invades its cities. Is it possible to have the best of both worlds within walking distance of each other?

November 21, 2012 - The Guardian

In the latest entry in a series on informal urban livelihoods, Sally Roever of WIEGO provides insight into how planners can better understand, acknowledge and manage street vending through the development of appropriate policies and best practices.

November 20, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

“In recent days, the Netherlands’ peerless expertise and centuries of experience in battling water have been widely hailed in the United States as offering lessons" for New York and for other cities alike, writes Andrew Higgins.

November 20, 2012 - The New York Times

As the holiday travel season begins, Becky Krystal reminisces on rest stops encountered along family road trips and observes that "stops are evolving from small, flypaper-plastered restrooms into airy, high-tech travel plazas and welcome centers."

November 20, 2012 - The Washington Post

Ever wonder what happens to your car after you hand it to a valet? You probably don't want to know the answer. A new ordinance to be considered by L.A.'s City Council may finally rein in "the wild, wild West at our curbs."

November 19, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Over the weekend it was announced that New York City will need to demolish hundreds of homes damaged during Superstorm Sandy. The complicated process for determining what will be rebuilt has yet to begin.

November 19, 2012 - The New York Times

Officials in Chicago envision an ambitious plan for a 100-acre urban agriculture district as the foundation for reviving an area of the city now "riddled with vacant lots, poverty, and blight," reports Lori Rotenberk.

November 18, 2012 - Grist

Based on a new metric he's developed for defining the components of a smart city, Boyd Cohen ranks the top cities in Europe that are "working the hardest to be the most advanced urban landscape."

November 16, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Eric Jaffe reports, “[a] recent field test in Mexico offers the first experimental evidence that basic infrastructure upgrades — in this case paving streets — have a measurable effect on reducing urban poverty.”

November 15, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Scott Bernstein joins in the Happiness Index conversation, starting with references to the Anatomy of Melancholy.

November 15, 2012 - PlaceShakers

New Jersey's long-awaited "State Strategic Plan", which will serve as a master plan for land development throughout the state, and was due for final approval this week, will have to be rethought in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

November 14, 2012 - NJ.com

Small farmers generally sell their wares at farmers markets rather than to grocery stores or institutions. But two entrepreneurs in Virginia are seeking to change that by creating a food hub to aggregate, process, grow, and promote local produce.

November 14, 2012 - Grist

This week brought news that sounds closer to a fairy tale. A new preschool and daycare center in the Danish capital has been designed as a real-life Neverland for children to explore their interests in contributing to city life.

November 14, 2012 - Architizer

An official body - the Graffiti Panel - made up of five Toronto city staffers met for the first time this month to try to answer the long debated question: what is art and what is vandalism?

November 13, 2012 - The Art Newspaper

Robin Finn profiles Alexandros E. Washburn, head of the urban design division of the New York City Department of City Planning, and the work of his team, which has been responsible for "turning projects into places that people want to be."

November 13, 2012 - The New York Times

Now can you qualify, quantify, and index it? Hazel Borys would like you to do so, and gives this data review to help you get started.

November 13, 2012 - PlaceShakers

A new interactive app produced by the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) and Second Story Interactive Studios compiles and exhibits examples of "alternative and radical approaches to sustainability at a range of urban scales."

November 12, 2012 - Architizer

Every 20 years, the Municipal Corporation of Great Mumbai (MCGM) publishes a Development Plan. Kristen Teutonico argues that past and current plans have been too grand for implementation and that the City should focus more on smaller-scale projects.

November 11, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

Howard Blackson walks through the planning layers of San Diego for a history lesson as well as a look to the Next Urbanism.

November 11, 2012 - PlaceShakers

In the aftermath of the presidential election, an observation by the star statistician Nate Silver about the connection between sidewalks and voting patterns has been getting a lot of play. Robert Steuteville tries to depoliticize walkability.

November 10, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns