Land Use

The role of the physical environment in promoting healthy living was the focus of a gathering last week in the Peel Region, which encompasses three of Toronto's western suburbs. Participants discussed the challenges of adapting suburban environs.

October 24, 2012 - Toronto Star

As part of an endeavor to improve access to New York's 525 Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS), which gained notoriety during last year's Occupy Wall Street protests, a new website has been launched to help the public find and utilize them.

October 23, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Recent studies show that upwards of 77% of Millennials are opting to live in urban areas. The impact on the local economy will be huge, IF urban planners rethink how we build our downtowns.

October 23, 2012 - ICIC Inner City Exchange

Seattle offers a compelling example of how the transfer of development rights (TDR) can provide a market-based means to kill two smart-growth birds with one stone, writes Claire Thompson.

October 23, 2012 - Grist

For Howard Blackson, the latest trend in planning and design is redevelopment based on evolving, rather than phased, implementation. In this blog post he identifies the three typologies of this "slow urbanism."

October 22, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns

Last week the San Francisco Planning Commission gave final approval for the 1,070-foot Transbay Transit Center tower, reports Mike Billings.

October 22, 2012 - The San Francisco Examiner

Is waste disposal a local or regional issue? A new CA law written by a S.F. lawmaker nullifies a voter-approved Solano County measure that limits the amount of outside garbage their landfill can accept. It is being challenged by environmental groups.

October 20, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal - San Francisco Bay Area

City officials and leaders are considering an adaptive reuse ordinance for industrial buildings, modeled on the one that helped spark downtown L.A.’s residential boom, to help push forward the sputtering vision of a "CleanTech Corridor."

October 19, 2012 - Los Angeles Downtown News

From the "world’s first floating village" to the "world’s most audacious balconies," New York Magazine surveys "9 Experiments in Large" for their special feature on "Global Urban Design 2012."

October 19, 2012 - New York Magazine

One of the last major developments of Las Vegas's recent building boom, MGM's $8.5 billion CityCenter opened during the depths of the recession. Three years later, after slashing prices for hotel rooms and condos, the clouds are beginning to lift.

October 19, 2012 - The New York Times

A change made last month in the regulations concerning which buildings the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) judges to be eligible for financing could enable the construction of more mixed-use walkable developments, reports Angie Schmitt.

October 18, 2012 - Streetsblog D.C.

Jeff Jamawat looks at the promise of a nuanced approach to tax reform being tested in 17 local jurisdictions in Pennsylvania to head off the spiral of rising prices and displacement instigated by the construction of transit infrastructure.

October 18, 2012 - Smart Growth Network: National Conversation Blog

Small towns like Carmel, Indiana have gained national prominence after redeveloping into "cities where people can live, work and play," writes Haya El Nassar.

October 18, 2012 - USA Today

Is the idea of "farming up" really taking off? Vertical farming could yield long-term environmental benefits, but still faces many obstacles.

October 18, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Rachel James speaks with historian Jennifer Gray about the impact that Disney's "particular brand of nostalgic, comforting architecture and urbanism" has had on the way people experience the city and professionals plan for it.

October 17, 2012 - SmartPlanet

As cities strive to improve the "design" and "beauty" of their buildings, how can such attributes be mandated by planning documents if their mere mention is verboten, asks Karrie Jacobs.

October 17, 2012 - Metropolis

Without the wealth for recycling, Indian cities like Bangalore rely on informal traders to collect and sell recyclable materials. Could this tech hub provide a model of trash disposal for cities in the developing and developed world alike?

October 17, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

In today's news of the ironic, and weird, an L.A. car dealer is developing a mixed-use "town center" adjacent to a future light rail station that will be anchored by their auto showrooms. The twist - they want to get people out of their cars.

October 16, 2012 - SantaMonicaPatch

It wasn't Angelenos' supposed love of the artificial and exaggerated that brought crowds of people to the city's streets to see Endeavour's slow crawl across town, but an appreciation for authentic spectacle and the pleasures of public space.

October 16, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

The release of the sketchy first plans by designers SOM, Morphosis, and James Corner Field Operations for Cornell's new tech campus on New York's Roosevelt Island kick off the project's public review process.

October 15, 2012 - The New York Observer