Land Use
Top Trends 2012-2013
Over the course of the year, the editors of Planetizen review and summarize thousands of articles, books, studies and editorials related to planning and urban development. Here are our picks for the most notable planning trends of the past year.
What Can Northern Europe Teach Us About Building Livable Communities?
In narrative and in images, Luis Rodriguez discusses the findings of a recent study tour to Germany and Scandinavia to discover the secrets to creating more livable communities.
L.A.'s Transit Agency Gives Bike Safety a Lift
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has kicked off a new bicycle safety campaign designed to raise awareness of cyclists' legal right to take a full traffic lane.
Demolish a Ballpark to Save a Downtown?
While many cities are seeking to build large entertainment venues to revive their downtowns, St. Petersburg is taking the opposite track. Stephen Nohlgren examines whether Tropicana Field can be the city's next big urban mixed use development.
The Great Public Facility Sell-Off
In need of at least $230 million for system-wide repairs, NYC libraries, which receive less than $15 million a year from the city, look to strike land deals with private developers, report Joseph Berger and Al Baker.
To Preserve Landscapes, Environmentalists Put Their Money Where Their Mouths Are
A novel approach to land conservation is emerging in the American West, where environmental advocates, ranchers, hunters and rich landowners, are utilizing the free market, rather than the courts, to preserve public landscapes.
Taking the Fun out of Entertainment Districts
Using Omaha's Old Market neighborhood as an example, Nathaniel M. Hood calls for an end to the urban "Entertainment District" - the common revitalization tool that produces a "single-use monoculture" that alienates families and baby boomers.
Ending the Ceaseless Cycle of Car Dependency
Rather than the doomsday scenarios envisioned by critics, recent results indicate that closing streets to cars can have a demonstrable effect in improving circulation.
Building a Better Playground
Cecilie Rohwedder profiles playground designer Peter Heuken, who's at the vanguard of a trend towards bespoke play spaces that challenge children as much as they entertain them.
Are Tall Buildings Bad For Downtown?
Do skyscrapers cause 9-to-5 business districts?
Schizo Skyline: Warring Williamsburg Mandates Leave Waterfront Out of Whack
Did the rezoning of the Williamsburg waterfront backfire? Stephen Jacob Smith reflects on the lack of transition between the neighborhood's skyscraping waterfront and its low-rise inland, a missing middle mandated by recent upzoning.
Explore Ireland's Green Credentials for St. Patrick's Day
Kaid Benfield suggest 5 ways to "rock the Irish green" in honor of St. Paddy's Day. If you can't experience the holiday on the Emerald Isle, you can at least partake in an appreciation of the country's environmental efforts with these suggestions.
Opposition to Atlanta Stadium Subsidy Reflects National Trend
Falcons owner Arthur Blank and city leaders in Atlanta are pushing to build a new $1 billion football stadium to replace the 20-year-old publicly-financed Georgia Dome. Amid tight budgets some elected officials are concerned with the plan.
Urban Ag Incubator Seeks to Grow Farmers in Chicago
Lori Rotenberk reports on a new seven-acre urban “accelerator farm” announced yesterday by Mayor Rahm Emanuel that seeks to fill Chicago's farmer drought and deepens the city's investment in building its agricultural sector.
The Life and Death of the Suburban Paradigm
A new article by city historian Graeme Davison traces the rise and fall of the suburban paradigm from its ideological roots in Victorian England to its current backlash.
New Tool Improves the Search for Food Deserts
The USDA's new Food Access Research Atlas provides a handy guide for assisting policymakers and planners in finding the urban and rural areas with the most formidable obstacles to accessing fresh healthy food, reports Nancy Shute.
Hunger Grows for New York's Grand Urban Food Market
Author and food blogger Mark Bittman makes an impassioned plea for New York to build its very own grand urban food market, and he's got the perfect site in mind - the former Fulton Fish Market.
Serving the Needs of Seniors: Solutions in Practice
We've long focused on the *what* when providing housing for seniors. Today Hazel Borys reminds us that the *where* is equally critical, if not more so.
Place Hackers Explore Urban Space to Reclaim It
Matthew Power profiles Bradley L. Garrett, Ph.D. and his "research subjects," who are active participants in the urban explorer movement, which aims to "rediscover, reappropriate, and reimagine the urban landscape."
Cleveland's Public Space Revolution
With new bike paths, regional trails, and renovated parks, Cleveland is catering to bikes and pedestrians, says Steven Litt. He explains how this "car town" is "undergoing a revolution in attitudes toward public space, city streets and walkability."
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
