Land Use

Across the strait from Singapore, Iskandar Malaysia is being planned as the world’s next eco mega-city. Its architects and developers hope it will offer an alternative to Asia's polluted cities and a glimpse of the future of urban living.

November 10, 2012 - The Guardian

A new exhibit that opened this week at the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association's gallery explores the 10 diagrams that have had a monumental influence on urban planning, and the possibilities inherent in the medium.

November 9, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

In a dozen local land use measures Tuesday in California, voters approved jobs-oriented projects but not housing-oriented projects. Split decision on downtown plans.

November 9, 2012 - California Planning & Development Report

Across America, arcane zoning regulations and building codes prevent some of the most promising sustainable techniques and technologies from being built. A project based in Oregon aims to make land use regulations friendlier for greener building.

November 9, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

In response to a formal request from Congress, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) has agreed to study potential changes to D.C.'s Height of Buildings Act of 1910, a step that could result in the eventual change of the controversial law.

November 8, 2012 - The Washington Post

That didn't take long. A few short months after Philadelphia enacted the long-overdue replacement to its antiquated 1962 zoning code, the City Council is already considering changes to the document, including increasing parking requirements.

November 8, 2012 - philly.com

Tom Madrecki has compiled a roundup of how local land use and transportation related measures fared on Tuesday night. From Maine to Marin, voters approved initiatives to invest in transit, parks, redevelopment, and conservation.

November 8, 2012 - Smart Growth America

As an increasing percentage of the world's population, and economic assets, confront the threats of climate change, the aftermath of Sandy provides an opportunity for New York to set a global example for building stronger, smarter cities.

November 7, 2012 - New York Daily News

A recent study documents the shift from large-scale units of production to smaller mass-produced units that can be dispersed across many locations. This shift promises to change a host of industries, from transportation to power generation.

November 7, 2012 - Science Daily

No sooner had the ink dried on the Times' "Obama's Night" headline, than planning advocates began offering suggestions for what the President should focus on in his second term. With an enduring split in Congress it's unclear what is achievable.

November 7, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Forty-five miles southwest of the Twin Cities sits the exurb of New Prague, a town with state-of-the-art infrastructure but crushing debt. It’s an example of what happens when the “Ponzi scheme” underlying sprawl development comes crumbling down.

November 7, 2012 - Star Tribune

Unveiled at an event held last week at the University of Pittsburgh, "Oakland 2025: A vision for sustainable living and mobility" is the culmination of a process that involved a laundry list of institutional, community, and governmental partners.

November 6, 2012 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Increasing mileage standards will do little to measurably reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In order to seriously tackle climate change we need to ditch the cars, and the development patterns they encourage, and move to walkable places.

November 6, 2012 - Salon

As the Sandy clean-up gets underway, could this be an opportunity for the Eastern Seaboard to apply some of the rebuilding lessons learned along the Gulf Coast after Katrina? Ben Brown shares some pointers.

November 6, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Adam Davidson reflects on the urban decay that can be glimpsed out the window of an Amtrak train traveling between New York and Washington D.C., and the forces transforming the nation's economy that cannot.

November 5, 2012 - The New York Times

Cassim Shepard and Varick Shute respond to an exhortation by Governor Cuomo to "build [the New York City area] back smarter" in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, and in the face of changing weather patterns, with some ideas on what that will entail.

November 3, 2012 - Urban Omnibus

John Gallagher writes about the optimism surrounding a project proposed by Quicken Loans founder and developer Dan Gilbert, which could bring 33,000-square feet of retail space, and 1,300 parking spaces, to downtown Detroit.

November 2, 2012 - Detroit Free Press

Architecture critic Michael Kimmelman delivers his verdict on the Barclays Center, the new home of the Brooklyn Nets and the first phase of the larger Atlantic Yards mixed-use project. He has praise for the arena, but lambastes the larger plan.

November 2, 2012 - The New York Times

Nathan Norris continues his series on municipal placemaking mistakes. This time: failure to understand the big picture and its order of operations.

November 2, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Five years ago, Graham Weston, the chairman and co-founder of Rackspace, had a wild vision to transform an abandoned mall into his company's headquarters. His unique approach has revitalized the adjacent city of Windcrest, a suburb of San Antonio.

November 1, 2012 - The New York Times