Land Use

Planners in search of work might want to consider looking in India. As Nate Berg reports, the Indian government is hoping a new technology initiative will catalyze master planning efforts in 7,935 cities and towns across the country.

August 6, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

In producing updated sewer service maps, New Jersey's 21 counties have partnered to sketch out statewide development well into the future. Critics complain that the plans favor developers over the environment, reports Jill P. Capuzzo.

August 6, 2012 - The New York Times

Brooklyn Bridge Park's privately funded field house proposal, complete with Olympic-class velodrome, faces criticism over its size, effects on the surrounding neighborhood, and arguments over open space versus space for sports facilities.

August 5, 2012 - The New York Times

Philip Bump reports on new data out this week that shows the number of farmers markets increased by 10% in the past year.

August 4, 2012 - Grist

Angelique Chrisafis delivers the fantastic news that, after more than four decades of auto dominance, Paris is returning its riverfront to its people in a "pedestrian 'reconquest' of the banks of the Seine."

August 3, 2012 - The Guardian

Planted to solve a perceived food desert problem, urban gardens are harvesting more than just fresh, nutritious food. Neighborhoods surrounding gardens are seeing surprising declines in violent crime.

August 3, 2012 - Mother Jones

From its mountain tributaries, to the San Fernando Valley, through Downtown, and across the basin into the Pacific Ocean, Christian MilNeil tells the story behind the ecological and recreation rehabilitation of the Los Angeles River.

August 3, 2012 - Grist

According to Steve Lackmeyer, traditional highway design, aimed at the automobile, is clashing with modern urban planning trends, of 'complete streets' and multi-modes, over a new proposal to build an elevated highway in Oklahoma City.

August 2, 2012 - NewsOK

As downtown Los Angeles seeks to cement its nascent transformation into a full-fledged urban neighborhood, Sam Lubell cautions against the threat brought by the suburban mindset of Walmart, Target, and other chain operators.

August 2, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

This week it was announced that, after a lengthy search, Toronto had found a candidate willing to take on the challenge of guiding the city's planning efforts amid a hostile climate created by "car-loving" mayor Rob Ford.

August 1, 2012 - The Globe and Mail

You know things are changing in Miami when the most notable aspects of the $1 billion Brickell CitiCentre development are its parking and transit access strategies. Douglas Hanks provides the details.

August 1, 2012 - The Miami Herald

Citing Agenda 21 fears, a Kansas county declines to join a $1.5 million, five-county planning effort, reports Deb Gruver.

August 1, 2012 - The Witchita Eagle

The habitable bridge, "out of favor since the Renaissance," is having a moment, as cities across America seek to "shift the task of mending the urban fabric toward the private sector," reports Henry Grabar.

July 31, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Increased speeds for passenger rail lines in the Midwest bring along economic baggage, but can the pros outweigh the cons? As higher-speed rail, and expected economic growth, come to Illinois and Michigan, neighboring states see pitfalls.

July 31, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Scott Doyon discusses the dangers of simplification and the counter-intuitive soundbite, which work against the creation of partnerships that are essential to solving some of our biggest challenges.

July 31, 2012 - PlaceShakers

In an urbanizing world, density is being recognized for its ability to stimulate the "metabolism of daily life." In an essay for The Wall Street Journal, Richard Florida argues that all density is not created equal, however.

July 31, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

London's Olympics are just the most recent example of the growing trend in building temporary architecture and urbanism in response to financial and practical considerations. Christopher Hawthorne asks whether this trend is too short sighted.

July 31, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Although the Obama administration is still weighing whether to give the Keystone XL pipeline the necessary approvals to begin construction, the courts are already deciding that eminent domain can be used to secure access to private land.

July 30, 2012 - The Washington Post

Steve Mouzon finds fault with the uniform application of the 1/4 mile walkability radius, regardless of context. And, in the first in a series of articles, he introduces a new tool for understanding and building walkable places.

July 30, 2012 - Original Green

For a city of its size, London and its skyline are notoriously flat. Now, as the city struggles to expand its housing stock to meet the needs of it surging population, increasingly taller solutions are being prescribed, concerning some.

July 29, 2012 - The Global Urbanist