Land Use

Building Permaculture in Seattle

Robert Mellinger reports on efforts to build the nation's largest public food forest in the Beacon Hill neighborhood in Seattle.

February 21, 2012 - Crosscut

A Battle Over Grand Canyon Development Nears A Grand Finale

Ken Belson reports on a massive development planned for a town located five miles from the south rim of the Grand Canyon, and the decades long battle amongst high powered interests and 600 local townspeople over the future of the area.

February 21, 2012 - The New York Times

Bases to Places

With 235 U.S. military sites around the world set to be realigned or closed over the next ten years, Michael J. Coren asks whether the end of military bases will lead to the start of new public spaces.

February 21, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

On the Value of Tight Urbanism

As cities such as Chicago and Detroit put forth programs to turn their neglected alleyways into urban amenities, JoAnn Greco speaks with Daniel Toole, a 26-year-old, Seattle-based architect, who has accidentally become an expert on the topic

February 17, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

How MoMA's Foreclosed Exhibition Sets Design Back Ten Years

In a rousing rebuke to the Museum of Modern Art's new show "Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream," Bryan Bell takes aim at the out-of-date thinking represented in top-down architecture by star architects and curators.

February 17, 2012 - Metropolis POV Blog

The Keys to Happiness in City Living

Ariel Schwartz reports on the findings of a new study from Urban Affairs Review that surveyed residents from 10 major international cities on what qualities make them most happy.

February 17, 2012 - Fast Coexist

What Do Pop-Up Shops and Homelessness Reveal About Urban Land Use?

On the land use spectrum, pop-up shops and homelessness operate at very different ends and from disparate positions of power. Ann Deslandes investigates the commonalities that bind them.

February 16, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

A Debate Over the Future of Savannah's Waterfront

In one of the country's most picturesque historic cities, redevelopment plans have sparked community debate about the future of its waterfront.

February 15, 2012 - Savannah Morning News

In Praise of Manhattan's Grid, on its 200th Birthday

A new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York provides an opportunity for reflection on what Rem Koolhaas once called "the most courageous act of prediction in Western civilization."

February 15, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Is the Government Abandoning Moscow?

Nate Berg reports on a plan by federal and city government officials in Moscow to decamp from the central city for offices in newly annexed outer regions, and to redevelop the former office buildings as housing and hotels.

February 15, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Financing Post-Recession Development

Building in the New Economy isn't business as usual. Howard Blackson lays out policy, planning, land assembly and financing tools to help us with our task at hand.

February 15, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Parsing San Diego's Misguided Waterfront Plans

As Seattle considers ways to improve its waterfront, local architect and urban planner Mark Hinshaw evaluates a conflict brewing 1,250 miles to the south, for a lesson on what not to do with valuable downtown waterfront real estate.

February 15, 2012 - Crosscut

Choosing a Grid, or Not

With new research in hand, Fanis Grammenos revisits his analysis of the efficiency of the Simple Grid, and asks what, in fact, should be the preferred layout for a new neighbourhood.

February 14, 2012 - Fanis Grammenos

Can Designers Resuscitate the Suburbs?

Justin Davidson reviews a new exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art called “Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream”, that asks architect-led teams to address the myriad problems plaguing the country's suburbs.

February 14, 2012 - New York Magazine

The World's Most Romantic Places

On this Valentine's Day, we celebrate by bringing you an article and image gallery by Kaid Benfield celebrating the world's most romantic walkable urban places.

February 14, 2012 - Switchboard

Are the Arts Losing Out in D.C. Redevelopment?

In downtown Washington D.C., arts spaces are mandated by zoning, however the city's breakneck redevelopment is making such venues increasingly harder to find. Mark Jenkins looks at why a well-intentioned regulation isn't working.

February 13, 2012 - The Washington Post

The Benefits of Creating Hybrid Zoning Codes

Roger E. Eastman recounts the process and product of a recent effort by Flagstaff, Arizona to replace an outdated zoning code with an innovative hybrid of form-based and Euclidean elements.

February 12, 2012 - Planning

The Appeal of In-Town Big Box

Emily Badger recounts the litany of gripes about Big Box stores, then proceeds to present the results of a recent study that shows why they may not be so bad after all.

February 12, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Tactical Urbanism Lands in Raleigh

Emily Badger reports on surreptitious wayfinding signage that has been appearing mysteriously under the cover of darkness in Raleigh.

February 9, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

New DC Zoning Code Goes Back to the Future

David Alpert provides a thorough analysis of the first third of Washington D.C.'s proposed new zoning code, and finds a return to kind of development patterns that formed the neighborhoods residents treasure today.

February 8, 2012 - Greater Greater Washington

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.