Land Use

The rapid growth of cities is causing concern amongst experts over the effects of urban sprawl. There are 19 megacities in the world today, and 10 more will rise in the next 30 years, reports Marcus Moretti for Yale Daily News.

September 7, 2011 - Yale Daily News

Beckholmen, an island off Stockholm, has been an industrial and shipping center since the 1600s. Today, the city is looking at ways to revitalize the island while preserving the industry that has dominated it for so long.

September 7, 2011 - POLIS

While the South is king when it comes to exurbs (low density, with workers who mostly commute to an urban area), the exurban experience has many faces, including small town New England.

September 6, 2011 - Places

After complaints about blocking the sidewalk and creating litter, the City of Istanbul has been cracking down on street dining, gutting the food industry in the process.

September 6, 2011 - The Guardian U.K.

Grey Park in Evanston, Illinois is used primarily by mentally ill residents of a nearby facility, who make the space uncomfortable for the general public. A community group brought in food trucks, and everyone came together over cupcakes.

September 6, 2011 - Project for Public Spaces blog

An 84 foot tall cell tower, disguised as a giant pine tree, sparks controversy in Bozeman, Montana.

September 4, 2011 - Bozeman Daily Chronicle

The door danger zone- where cars and cyclists intersect - is getting a revamp in San Francisco, highlighting how little room there is on the streets for all users.

September 2, 2011 - Grist.org

Walter Reed is closing and leaving behind close to 70 acres available for redevelopment in D.C. Residents want to know, can the planners get it right?

September 2, 2011 - NPR

Kevin Klinkenberg looks at the fear of "alternative lifestyles": that is, those who rent.

September 2, 2011 - New Urbanism Blog

With high scores in five broad categories, Melbourne, Australia received the highest spot in livability rankings from The Economist's research unit.

September 2, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

The closure of the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C. presents a big piece of property and a big opportunity for the District.

September 2, 2011 - NPR

Are skyscrapers the way to achieve great density, or a form of retro-urbanism that should be retired? With a debate simmering in the planning world over the energy efficiency and urban necessity of tall towers, Planetizen's staff decided to determine the answer once and for all.

September 1, 2011 - Tim Halbur

Libertarians opposition toward government backed light-rail ignores the longer history of government's pro-car policies, says Timothy B. Lee, contributor for Forbes.

September 1, 2011 - Forbes

Author William Gibson talks to Scientific American about how "the future's arrived," and the many ways you can see the future around you.

August 31, 2011 - Scientific American

Urban infill housing is becoming a major part of business for large homebuilders, even those building modular homes.

August 31, 2011 - Builder

Nina Rappaport of UrbanOmnibus explores the history of the urban factory, examining the social, economic, and environmental benefits of the modern vertical factory industry.

August 31, 2011 - UrbanOmnibus

This infographic explains the new green techniques that will revise the way Philadelphia catches and processes stormwater.

August 31, 2011 - OnEarth Magazine

Community organizers in Philadelphia are leading an effort to convert a disused elevated railway into a park.

August 30, 2011 - The Philadelphia Daily News

When city leaders proposed redeveloping the South Lake Union area of Seattle, they made big promises for job growth. Just a few years in, their expectations have already been exceeded.

August 30, 2011 - The Seattle Times

The annual Burning Man festival is underway in Nevada, and this piece from The New York Times looks at the urban plan that undergirds the event.

August 30, 2011 - The New York Times