Land Use

It's been over 12 years since Houston last planned for denser development patterns, but an updated code is on the way to lure an ever growing population away from the suburbs.

January 4, 2012 - Houston Chronicle

As crop prices rise, Iowa land formerly thought useless for farming is being tilled and planted.

January 4, 2012 - The New York Times

The New York Times' architecture critic, Michael Kimmelman, reviews a new exhibition exploring the history of the city's grid and streets.

January 4, 2012 - The New York Times

On South Florida's radar: three "Las Vegas-style casino resorts," the prospect of which has already begun impacting nearby development. Fred A. Bernstein reports.

January 3, 2012 - The New York Times

Over "vehement objections from Republicans", Maryland's Governor uses a 37-year-old law to implement the state's master plan. Called Plan Maryland, the plan is focused on controlling the state's rapid growth.

January 2, 2012 - Maryland governor signs land-use order

Will Doig takes us through some of the biggest projects to look out for across the nation this year, proving that cities are neither as cash-strapped nor as unimaginative as we perhaps thought.

January 2, 2012 - Salon

Parklets are a new urban trend spreading to cities all over the world. It's an idea born in San Francisco, and the San Francisco Chronicle's John King takes a tour of each of the city's new mini-parks

January 1, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

Chuck Wolfe analyzes his 2011 articles which appeared on Planetizen and in other sources, and derives his urbanist trends to watch for in 2012.

December 31, 2011 - myurbanist

Call it megachurch fatigue: A proposed Sufism Reoriented sanctuary is just one of an increasing number of religious developments facing no shortage of community backlash in northern California.

December 31, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

Shrinkage -- the term long associated with rust belt cities like Detroit and Cleveland that saw their heydays 60 years ago and have been in decline since -- is now being applied to Phoenix and other fast-growing areas of the Southwest and Sun Belt.

December 29, 2011 - National Public Radio - Morning Edition

Madrid Río, a six-mile long park in the heart of Madrid, replaces the blight left over from a highway that once disconnected neighborhoods and reclaims a neglected waterfront.

December 29, 2011 - The New York Times

New legislation by the Maharashtra State Governments would allow private land owners to apply for city boundary expansions as a tool to ease congestion.

December 27, 2011 - Hindustan Times

After the earthquake, Haiti's recovery has not been in rebuilding the center city, but through decentralization and the development of farming. But even this plan, reports Randal Archibald, is fraught with challenges.

December 26, 2011 - The New York Times

Archinect's John Cary compiles a comprehensive list of most forward-thinking designs in 2011 that have impacted people's lives, and the way they interact with the built environment.

December 25, 2011 - Archinect

Tom Miller, author of "Urban Billion," discusses the pitfalls and shortcomings of a too-quickly urbanizing Beijing in this interview with David Pierson.

December 24, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

According to Richard Platkin, the Hollywood Community Plan Update is merely one megaproject after the next--a huge mistake, and the antithesis to the Los Angeles General Plan Framekwork for good reason.

December 24, 2011 - City Watch

The largest regional plan in Clark County history, Henderson will be using the funds to more sustainably link transportation, land use, and people. Guy Dawson reports.

December 23, 2011 - The Henderson Press

...to the intensification of uses and street-level interaction, at least. Christopher Hume provides readers with the leading viewpoints on the matter at "Too Tall?", an ongoing exhibit on Toronto's "fear of heights."

December 23, 2011 - Toronto Star

From Braddock, Pennsylvania to Beijing, Nate Berg offers his favorite articles about cities published in 2011.

December 22, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

Greg Hanscom, cities editor at Grist, picks his top stories for 2011, including Occupy Wall Street, bright flight and the "urban renaissance that isn't (yet)."

December 21, 2011 - Grist