Land Use
Can One Person Revitalize a City's Downtown?
Ed Walker saw what few others in his hometown of Roanoke, Virgina were able to see: potential. Walker is part a growing group of "vanguard developers" intent on changing the fortunes of their cities by the sheer force of their vision (and wallets).
Why do Designers Continue to get Convention Centers Wrong?
As cities across America continue to pour public funds into limited use venues in their downtowns, American Dirt looks at why such venues, and convention centers in particular, refuse to engage with their surrounding streets or neighborhood.
Seattle Relaxes Development Standards to Spur Growth
A mixed bag of land-use changes, including relaxed parking standards and an increased threshold for environmental review, were passed by the Seattle City Council this week. Critics complain the legislation favors developers over residents.
Why Hosting the Olympics is a Bad Idea
As the 2012 Summer Olympics begin in earnest today with the first Women's Soccer games, Andrew Zimbalist offers 3 reasons why "hosting the Olympics is a losers game."
$7 Billion Transformation of D.C.'s Union Station Proposed
You read that right...$7 billion. In a plan to be unveiled today, Amtrak is proposing to transform the second-busiest Amtrak station in the country into a hub for high-speed rail and redevelopment, report Jonathan O'Connell and Ashley Halsey III.
Lagos 'Cleans Up' Its Waterfront, Leaving Thousands Homeless
Continuing a practice long decried by international rights groups, Nigerian authorities gave the residents of the waterfront shantytown of Makoko a scant 72 hours to vacate their homes before demolishing them en masse, reports Robyn Dixon.
New York Seeks to Revive its Freight Rail Industry
Winnie Hu reports on how the reopening of the 65th Street Rail Yard in Brooklyn last week is part of a wider, regional rail expansion effort that aims to revive the moribund industry in order to boost economic and environmental benefits.
S.F. Fertilizes Vacant Lots and Rooftops With New Legislation
Last week, San Francisco's supervisors approved new legislation intended to jump-start urban farming throughout the city, reports John Upton.
Will 'Downtown Crossing' Project Heal New Haven's Divide?
A target of 1950s urban renewal, New Haven is looking to rewrite renewal's wrongs by re-connecting the Hill neighborhood with downtown via a highway cap project. Critics complain the project doesn't go far enough to heal the area's historic wounds.
Toronto's 'Info Pillars' Get Hacked
A group of "urban hacktivists" have been busy transforming Toronto's ubiquitous and ironically named "info pillars" (read: street billboards) into community platforms and art pieces, protesting their improper design and instillation.
Life's a Beach in These Innovative Cities
As you roast in the record summer heat, here's hoping that Henry Grabar's slide show of improvised urban beaches from across the globe gets you motivated to create one in your city. Hop to it, global warming isn't going away any time soon!
Changing Suburban Demographics Collide With Outdated Zoning Laws
As shifting demographics and the Great Recession increase the functional demands on the typical suburban single-family home, outdated zoning laws are preventing the economical use of underused space, writes S. Mitra Kalita.
Privatized Housing Invades America's Military Bases
Gone are the days of drab cinderblock housing for America's military families. Taking advantage of an initiative passed by Congress in 1996, today's privatized military housing developments are larger and packed with modern amenities.
Post-Housing Bubble New Jersey: Cities Lead in Population Growth
After the bust of the housing market in 2008, a striking reversal of settlement patterns in New Jersey gives cities the lead in population growth over once-booming suburbs and exurbs.
Reclaiming San Francisco's Market Street for Public Space
Following precedents from other cities, San Francisco is looking to redesign its famous Market Street by removing automobiles, creating raised bike lanes, implementing faster transit, and making for a more inviting public space.
'War on Gardens' Spreads Like Weeds Across North America
Sarah Laskow notes the latest battlefronts in the growing 'war on gardens' being perpetrated by cities across North America.
China's Housing Tries to Go Green, but Fails
A so-called "eco-friendly" apartment complex complete with solar panels that derives more than 90% of its energy needs from coal? China struggles to take sustainable development seriously.
New Study Shows the Suburbs at the Cutting Edge of Racial Diversity in America
Diverse suburban neighborhoods now outnumber their central city counterparts two to one. How will increasing (or decreasing) diversity change America's suburban stereotype?
Is Suburban Sprawl Worsening America's Historic Drought?
As the U.S. experiences its worst drought in over half a century, Kaid Benfield questions the connection with the country's suburban growth patterns over that same period.
Will Toronto Choose to Trash its Pioneering Waterfront Master Plan?
An award-winning master plan for Toronto's Lower Don Lands, completed only five years ago by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, may be gutted if the Ford administration has its way, reports Alex Ulam.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont